Category Archives: China

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 30 June – 3 July 2023

Posted on by

USA, China, Canada and India Crewed Moon Missions on Horizon

As 2023 second half begins, NASA seeking ≤ 60 kg lunar surface science payloads under Artemis III Deployed Instruments (A3DI) Program, with Step-1 proposals due 30 June, Step-2 due 31 Aug; CNSA Chang’E-7 team evaluating international payload proposals, expert review due 1 July, final tech confirmation 1 Sep; CMSE working to land Taikonauts via LM-9 / 10 in 2020s, build ILRS with construction starting NET 2026; Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, set to be first Canadian to fly by Moon NET Nov 2024, celebrates Canada Day 1 July; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 launching 13 July at 14:30 IST, human landings may be accelerated via Artemis / USA-India partnership

Credits: NASA, USA, China, Canada, India

Tuesday / 27 June 2023

Posted on by

China Advancing Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, Human Landings in 2020s, Public Outreach

10+ years of continuous operation on surface of Moon set to continue in phase 4 of Chinese Lunar Exploration Program with Queqiao-2 lunar orbital relay launching in early 2024, followed by far side sample return Chang’E-6 launching NET May 2024, landing at ~43.0°S, 154.0°W after 53-day trip; First regolith samples from far side will be analyzed under direction of Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center (LESEC); Organizational representatives of DSEL, LESEC, USTC inspire youth with Revealing Moon Mysteries, Exploring the Universe outreach program; International Lunar Research Station Cooperation Organization (ILRSCO) making progress on Moon base consortium; CMSA targeting 2020s crewed lunar mission

Pictured (L-R): Science and Technology Daily Host Gong Qian, LESEC Engineer Zhang Tianli, LESEC International Cooperation Department Project Manager Shen Yuduo, USTC Associate Professor Low Jing Xiang; Credits: CNSA, DSEL, UDN, LESEC, Science and Technology Daily 

Friday / 23 June 2023

Posted on by

India Joins Artemis as International Lunar Research Station Builds its Coalition for Sustained Moon Activity

India and Equador are the latest signatories to USA-led Artemis Accords, bringing total national membership to 27; ISRO-NASA human spaceflight cooperation plan to be detailed by end of 2023 including ISRO vyomanaut training at JSC, ISRO ISS mission & NISAR launch NET 2024 – partnership “spans the seas to the stars” per joint statement; ILRS reportedly welcoming new partner nations Bangladesh, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand (of Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization) and UAE (1st nation with dual Artemis / ILRS membership) while talks ongoing with 10+ other countries

Credits: NASA, ISRO, ILRS, CNSA, Roscosmos, Twiiter / @htTweets
 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 June 2023

Posted on by

Chinese on Moon 2020s?

China Manned Space Agency Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang reaffirms national commitment to crewed lunar landings in 2020s, echoing similar declaration by Wu Weiren, CLEP Chief Designer in late April; NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warns of territorialism at MSP, expresses desire to “preserve those potential [water] reserves for the international community” in interview with Spanish media; India, Russia, Japan and USA set to join China in operating robotically on Moon in summer / autumn 2023 with Chandrayaan-3 launch NET July 12, Luna-25 and SLIM NET August, IM and Astrobotic CLPS landers NET Q3

Credits: ILRS, OpenAI, People’s Daily / TikTok

Friday / 28 April 2023

Posted on by

China Aiming for Boots on Moon this Decade as ispace of Japan Reviews M1 Telemetry Data

CLEP Chief Designer Wu Weiren emphatically states there is ‘no question’ that Taikonauts will have landed on Moon by 2030 as lunar build-out plans including ‘Red Star’ crater and ‘Clover’ lunar surface 4-module base designs intended to shelter 3-4 Moon explorers and ‘Chinese Super Mason’ autonomous 3D brick-printing robot; CE-6 launching NET 2025, CE-7 NET 2026, Super Mason slated for in-situ demo during CE-8 NET 2028; Meanwhile ispace working to determine cause of Hakuto-R landing failure after accomplishing 8 of 10 milestone goals, planning M2 NET 2024, M3 with Draper under $73M CLPS award NET 2025

Credits: CNSA, Royal Aeronautical Society, NASA

Tuesday / 25 April 2023

Posted on by

Hakuto-R Mission 1 to Be First Independent Moon Landing if Successful, with CLPS Companies Not Far Behind

ispace targeting Hakuto-R M1 landing NET 25 April 16:40 UTC 12:40 EST, 06:40 HST (26 April 01:40 JST, 00:40 CST), with landing sequence initiation & live stream starting 1 hour prior; Astrobotic Peregrine delayed from 4 May NET June / July, following Centaur V test-stand explosion; Intuitive Machines working towards similar timeframe for Nova-C launch, including the pioneering ILOA Astronomy from the Moon payload ILO-X, being spoken on by Director Steve Durst at 2023 International Conference of Deep Space Sciences in Hefei, China 25 April 10:40 CST

Credits: ispace, Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 April 2023

Posted on by

China Celebrates Space Day as Nation Works Towards Human Moon Landings Before 2030

400+ China Space Day events will be held throughout China, commemorating the launch of Dongfanghong-1 on 24 April 1970 and sharing the excitement of space exploration, especially the prospect of human Moon missions before the end of the decade lifted by Long March 10 (previously known as ‘921’ and ‘LM-5DY’) 3-core stage rocket, expected to make inaugural launch NET 2027 and / or a redesigned single-core stage, reusable Long March 9 launching NET 2030; A new-generation crew capsule and staged descent lander are planned to complete the ambitious plan

Pictured: CNSA Deputy Director of the Department of System Engineering Lyu Bo; Credits: CNSA, CLEP, AAAS, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 March 2023

Posted on by

China Plans for Lunar Station Science, India Advancing Chandrayaan-3 Landing, UK Developing Nuclear Reactor

Earth Observation, stellar formation and origin of Moon are science focus areas for ILRS per Zou Yongliao of CAS; Lunar agriculture and ISRU also to be prominent in upcoming phase 4 CLEP missions Chang’E 6-8 (NET 2024, 2026, 2028); ISRO on track for late June / early July launch of Chandrayaan-3 following successful vibration / acoustic and electromagnetic testing; UK Space Agency to provide an additional US$3.53M to Rolls-Royce-led micro-reactor project supported by Sheffield, Oxford, Brighton, Bangor universities with goal of deployment on Moon circa 2029

Credits: CNSA, CAS, ISRO, Rolls-Royce

Tuesday / 28 Feb 2023

Posted on by

Lunar Crew Module / Lander Mockups on Display as CMSA to Announce Taikonauts for Shenzhou-16 & 17

30 years of steady progress toward and realization of human exploration in space (27 missions / 10 crewed) being celebrated at 3-month exhibit at National Museum of China in Beijing featuring models of China Manned Space Agency next-generation crewed spacecraft and lunar surface lander, which are to be launched via 25,906 kN-thrust Long March 10 (formerly LM-5DY) rocket in 2020s; 6 crewmembers for next 2 missions to Tiangong Space Station to be revealed as international astronaut exchanges under consideration

Pictured: (T-B) CMSA Director Hao Chun, Taikonaut Yang Liwei, CMSA Deputy Chief Designer Chen Shanguang; Credits: CMSA, CGTN screengrab, Wikipedia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Jan 2023

Posted on by

CNSA Continues Exploration and Science on the Surface of Moon as Phase 4 of Chang’E Program to Begin NET 2024

Chang’e-4 Moon Lander and Yutu-2 (‘Jade Rabbit’) rover are again busy gathering data / traversing the lunar surface following 16 and 15 Jan activation commands marking start of their 51st lunar day (equivalent to 1,479 Earth days); Yutu-2 has traveled 1,455-m; As Queqiao (‘Magpie Bridge’) replay satellite nears end of 5-year mission life in June, Queqiao-2 with 8-year lifespan being prepared for launch in early 2024, an essential communication link for farside SPA sample-return mission Chang’E-6 NET 2024, MSP CE-7 NET 2026, and CE-8 NET 2028

Pictured: Chang’E-7 Deputy Chief Designer Tang Yuhua (T), CLEP Phase 3 Deputy Chief Designer Li Chunlai (B); Credits: CNSA / CLEP, CCTV via Inside Outer Space, IAF