Friday / 1 Mar 2019

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Canada Is Going To The Moon, Says Trudeau

PM Justin Trudeau Announces ‘Canada Is Going To The Moon,’ Shares Announcement With Canada Astronaut David Saint-Jacques On International Space Station; US $2B Investment Includes $150M For Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program; Partnership With NASA Follows Lobbying By #DontLetGoCanada Group; Maxar Technologies MDA, Builder Of ISS Robotic Arm, Will Contribute Canadarm 3 For Lunar Orbit And Design Lunar Rover; Moon Express Has MoU With Canada Space Agency For Lunar Payload Delivery; Canadensys Developing Energy, Thermal And Telescope Technology For Lunar Surface

Credits: ASC-CSA, Canadian Press

Tuesday / 26 Feb 2019

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Lunar Scientific Payloads For Commercial Moon Landings Being Selected, Developed By NASA

 12 Demonstration Scientific Payloads Selected To Be Carried By Commercial Landers As Early As End Of 2019; Experiments Will Be Developed By NASA Facilities Including Ames Research Center And Johnson Space Center; Outside Proposals For Lunar Surface Instrument And Technology Payloads Have Due Date Of 27 February: Nine Companies Selected As Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Will Compete To Provide Delivery; NASA Plans Regular Landings Leading To Human Moon Missions By 2020s

Credits: NASA, Moon Express, Lockheed Martin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 Feb 2019

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Israel Lander, Crescent Moon Countries, Vatican Observatory May See New Beginnings On Luna

Launch Of SpaceIL Beresheet Lander Is Advance For All Humankind Toward Moon; Saudi Arabia, Involved With Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Mission, Establishing Space Agency Headed By Former Astronaut Prince Sultan Bin Salman; At International Lunar Observatory Association Benefactors Reception In Singapore 13 Feb, Board Members From Southeast Asia Countries Including Malaysia And Indonesia Make Decisive Steps Toward Participating In ILO-1 Moon Mission; Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, Director Of Vatican Observatory, Believes Moon Is Most Realistic Destination For Peaceful Exploration

Credits: NASA, Okaz, SpaceIL, Vatican Observatory

Friday / 22 Feb 2019

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2019 Could See 4 International Moon Landers, Most Attempts Since 1970s

SpaceIL Beresheet “Genesis” May Become First Privately-Funded Lander To Reach Moon Surface ~11 Apr Depending On Falcon 9 Launch Set 21 Feb 20:45 ET; India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, Rover Launch On GSLV Mk 2 Scheduled Last Week Of March For 14-Day Journey To Manzinus / Simpelius Craters; Chang’e-4 Lander / Rover Operating On Far Side Since 3 Jan, And China Could Send Chang’e-5 Sample Return By End Of 2019 If Long March 5 Launch ~July Succeeds

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, CNSA, CLEP, NAOC, CAS, CCTV

Tuesday / 19 Feb 2019

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HI-SEAS, ESA, ILEWG Hosting 6-Person Moon Mission Simulation In Hawai’i

On Slopes Of Mauna Loa, 6-Person International Crew Of Hawaii Space Exploration Analog And Simulation Habitat Prepares For First HI-SEAS Simulated Lunar Mission From 20 February To 6 Mar; Habitat Is Located At 19°36′09″N, 155°29′14″W And Altitude Of 2460 m; 11-meter Geodesic Dome Has Usable Volume Of 384 Cubic Meters; Project PoSSUM Astronaut Candidate Shawna Pandya Serves As Ground Support

Credits: HI-SEAS

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 Feb 2019

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USA And Partners Hope For 2019 Lunar Landing, Will Announce New Payloads And Commercial Contracts

Next Week NASA Will Announce 12 Science Payloads, Already Developed, For Commercial Lunar Service Providers; Commercial Partners Have 25 Mar Due Date To Submit Proposals For Transfer, Descent, And Ascent Vehicles Of Human Lunar Landing System With Selection In May; Award Of Up To US $9M In Contracts Expected By July Observation Of Apollo 11; Thomas Zurbuchen Of Science Directorate Hopes For USA Lunar Landing In 2019, Potentially Joining China Spacecraft Active On Surface 

Credits: NASA

Friday / 15 Feb 2019

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GSTC 2019 In Singapore Gathers 200+ Satellite, Launcher, Lunar Enterprises

SSTA Global Space & Technology Convention With Almost 700 Delegates From 30 Nations Meet 14-15 February At St. Regis Singapore; Some Of The Attending Companies Advancing Lunar Missions Include ILOA Hosting SEA Benefactors’ Reception / Developing ILO-1 To Moon South Pole, Astroscale Planning Lunar Dream Capsule For Astrobotic Lander, SSTL Working On Lunar Communications Platform, Moon Express Offering Lunar Transportation Services, Canadensys Developing Lunar-Tolerant Tech, Spaceflight Broker Of 1st Private Lunar Rideshare Mission

Credits: SSTA, SSTL, Goonhilly, ESA, ILOA, Astroscale

Wednesday / 13 Feb 2019

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USA Human Lunar Landings Advancing Via Industry Forum And NASA RFP

On 14 February NASA Hosts Media And Industry Forum Revealing Human Lunar Exploration Plans; Speakers Include Administrator Jim Bridenstine And Thomas Zurbuchen (L) Of Science Directorate; NASA RFP For Human Landers Due 25 Mar; William Gerstenmaier (R) Of Exploration Systems Directorate Will Describe Human Lunar Landing Architecture: Descent Element, Ascent Module And Transfer Vehicle Would Be Launched By Commercial Partners; During 2028 A Four-Person Crew Would Land On Surface, Perhaps With China, Other Cooperation, Potentially Beginning Human Landings No. 7-11 And The First Women On The Moon

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 Feb 2019

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Europe Enterprises Pursue Lunar Initiatives

European Space Agency Aims For Moon Village; ESA Astronaut Center (EAC) In Cologne Building 10,000 Square Meter ‘Luna’ Analog Site, Partners With Architecture Students For Moon Base Concept With Inflatable Modules; Airbus Sponsors ‘Moon Race’ Competition For New Technologies; Germany PTScientists Plan Lander For Taurus-Littrow Site Of Apollo 17; ArianeSpace And PTScientists Are Contracted By ESA To Study Mission For Mining Lunar Resources; David Parker, ESA Director Of Human And Robotic Exploration, States ‘The Moon Is A History Museum And We’ve Only Visited The Gift Shop’

Credits: ESA, PTScientists

Friday / 8 Feb 2019

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CNSA-NASA First Lunar Collaboration Could Initiate Future Breakthroughs

USA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) In Eccentric Polar Mapping Orbit (20-km Altitude South Pole, 165-km North Pole) Since 2015, Captures Image Of China Chang’e-4 On Moon Far Side In Von Kármán Crater On 30 Jan 2019; Information Sharing Between The 2 Countries Amidst Restrictions Highlights Potential To Expand Upon Mutually Beneficial Cooperation, Combine 21st Century Technologies Of Leading Spacefaring Nations – Both Of Which Plan Human Moon Missions, Lunar Bases

Pictured: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and CNSA Administrator Zhang Kejian 

Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University, CNSA, NAOC-CSA