Tuesday / 5 Feb 2019

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USA Space Launch System Assembles For EM-1 And EM-2 Moon Missions

Construction Of US$10B Space Launch System Continues Since January Throughout Government Shutdown; Top Half Of First Core Stage Is Assembled In Vertical Stacking Cell At NASA Michoud Assembly Facility In New Orleans; Manufacture And Checkout Of 10 Solid Rocket Booster Segments Is Completed At Northrop Grumman In Utah; SLS Will Produce 8.8 Million Pounds Of Thrust, More Than Saturn V; Uncrewed Orion Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) Scheduled To Orbit Moon In 2020; Second Core Stage Beginning Construction At MAF; EM-2 Projected For 2022 Will Carry Crew Of 4, Potentially Including First Woman To Orbit Moon

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Feb 2019

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Three More International Lunar Landings Preparing In 2019

Israel “Beresheet,” First Privately Built Lunar Lander To Reach Launch Site, Prepares At SpaceX Processing Facility In Cape Canaveral For Launch NET 18 February On 8-Week Voyage To Mare Serenitatis; NASA Contributes Laser Retroreflector Array And Use Of Deep Space Network For Beresheet; India Chandrayaan-2 (L) Set For Launch By End Of Apr; First Mission To Moon South Polar Region Consists Of 2380-kg Orbiter, 1470-kg Lander And 27-kg Rover; While Zhongguo Chang’e-3 And Chang’e-4 Are Operating, Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return (R) Scheduled For Late 2019, Depending On Launch Success Of Long March 5 In July

Credits: ISRO, SpaceIL, NAOC, CNSA

Friday / 1 Feb 2019

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Japan Looks To Lunar Landings, Sample Return, Gateway, International Collaborations

JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa Details Smart Lander For Investigating Moon Mission Launching 2021 To Achieve Precision Landing On Moon, Potential Life Support And / Or Rendezvous Tech Contributions To NASA For Lunar Human Gateway, Partnerships For Lunar Sample Return With Canada & Europe, And Lunar Landers With India; While Cooperation With China Has Yet To Happen, Yamakawa Notes That International Teamwork Is Essential For Space Development, And ISS Privatization Can Free Up Funding To Concentrate On Moon And Beyond Missions

Credits: JAXA, ISAS

Tuesday / 29 Jan 2019

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Chang’e-4 Planned For Lunar Dawn Of Operations

Following Local Lunar Sunrise Chang’e-4 Is Expected To Resume Full Operation 29 January;  Critical Chang’e-4 Camera Pointing System Designed By Yung Kai-Leung (L) Of Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Wu Bo (R) Of University Geo-Informatics Dept Helps Select Landing Site In Von Karman Crater; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Will Image Chang’e-4 Landing Site On 31 Jan; As Lunar New Year Approaches On 5 Feb, CNSA Has Two Successful Satellite Launches So Far In 2019; Long March 5 Booster Expected To Launch In Spring 2019 And Carry Chang’e-5 By December

Credits: CNSA, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 Jan 2019

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Canada Public, Private Organizations Expand International Lunar Exploration Initiatives

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Is Major Partner On Lunar Projects, Operates Fleet Of 11 Rover Prototypes; Maxar Technologies MDA Will Design Lunar Rover Via CSA MoU; Moon Express Canada Has MoU With CSA And 7 Other Canadian Organizations For Lunar Payload Delivery;  Canadensys Develops Energy Storage, Thermal And Telescope Technology For Moon; Canadian Lunar Research Network Partners With NASA SSERVI; #DontLetGoCanada, A Consortium Of Space Interest Groups, Advocates For Expanded Canada Role In Future Lunar Missions

Credits: CSA, Moon Express

Friday / 25 Jan 2019

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Europe Funds Studies On Lunar Mining, Astronaut EVAs, Lunar Gravity Effects

ESA Signs 1-Year Lunar Regolith Feasibility Study Contract With Arianespace To Launch “Ariane 64” Vehicle With PTScientists Lunar Lander By 2025 To Search For Oxygen, Water, Helium-3 To Produce Fuel; Pangaea-X Test Campaign In Lanzarote Spain Advancing Lunar EVA Simulations, Communications, Tools, Science Protocols; ESA-DLR-NASA Collaborate On Moon 1/6th Gravity Study To Understand Physiological Impact Of Living, Working On Moon

Credits: ESA, PTScientists, Ariane Group

Tuesday / 22 Jan 2019

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USA / PRC Moon Collaboration To Be Discussed At UN Vienna Mid-Feb

NASA Headed By Jim Bridenstine (L), Will Work With China On Lunar Landing Research Following Discussions With CNSA, Headed By Zhang Kejian (R); NASA Scientists Are Exchanging Data With Chang’e-4 Science Team; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Expected To Image Chang’e-4 Landing Site On 31 January; Lunar Data Will Be Shared With Global Research Community At Scientific And Technology Subcommittee Of UN Committee On Peaceful Uses Of Outer Space In Vienna 11-22 Feb; NASA Cooperation With CNSA To Be Transparent, Reciprocal And Mutually Beneficial

Credits: NASA, CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Jan 2019

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SpaceIL Lander Arrives At Cape Canaveral On Way To Mare Serenitatis

Israel SpaceIL Beresheet Lander Now At Cape Canaveral; Scheduled To Fly From Launch Complex 40 On SpaceX Falcon 9 NET 18 February; Will Be Carried Along With India PSN-6 Communications Satellite And Classified US Co-Payload; 585-Kg Loaded Mass (200-Kg Dry) Lander Is First Of Former Google X-Prize Contestants To Launch; Will Take ~2 Months To Reach Landing Site In Mare Serenitatis At 28.0°N, 17.5°E; NASA Contributes Communications Support And Laser Retroreflector Array To Complement Lunar Ranging Experiments From Previous Missions; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Will Make Observations To Support Beresheet Landing

Credits: SpaceIL, NASA

Friday / 18 Jan 2019

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2019 Could Accelerate First Women On The Moon Initiative

Among Planned International Moon Landings, Cislunar R&D And Space Agency Lunar Priorities In 2019, Advocacy And Focus On Landing The First Women On The Moon Could Be A Strategic Game-Changer For Returning Humans To The Moon Fast; Organizations Which Would Do Well To Network This Initiative Include The UN, IAF, Moon Village Association, World Space Week, LEAG, American Astronautical Society, AIAA, National Space Society & Space Frontier Foundation; The 63rd Woman Scheduled To Reach LEO, Christina Hammock Koch, Prepares For Her March Mission, While Hopefuls Wish To Become The First Woman On The Moon – Expanding Women’s Sphere Of Activity And Influence In Space By A Billion, And Inspiring Next Generations

Credits: NASA, CSA-ASC, CNSA, KARI, ESA

Tuesday / 15 Jan 2019

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China Announces Exploration Program With Chang’e-6, 7 And 8

While Chang’e-4 (L) Will Measure Temperatures During The 14-Day Lunar Night, China CNSA Officially Announces More Moon Missions; Long March 5 Booster (R) Will Return To Flight NET 31 March With Launch Of Shijian-20 Communications Platform From Wenchang Satellite Launch Center On Hainan Island; Chang’e-5 Sample Return Launch On Long March 5 From Wenchang Is Planned Before End Of 2019; Chang’e-6 Is Slated To Return Samples From Lunar South Pole; Chang’e-7 Will Tentatively Conduct Survey Of South Polar Region; Chang’e-8 Will Test Technologies For Lunar Base And Future Human Activities On Moon

Credits: CNSA