Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 Sep 2019

China-Russia To Cooperate On Chang’e-7 And Luna-26

Roscosmos Head Dmitry Rogozin (L) And Zhang Keqiang Of CNSA (R) Sign Cooperation Agreement In Saint Petersburg; Zhongguo Planning Chang’e-5 Sample Return And Chang’e-6 Mission To South Pole On Long March 5 Booster; Russia Planning Luna-25 Landing In South Pole Region In 2021; Luna-26 Orbiter To Cooperate With Chang’e-7 In 2023-24; Russia Hoping For Lunar Sample Return In 2028; Both Nations Will Open Joint Data Center For Lunar And Deep Space Research

Credits: Roscosmos, IAF, NAOC

Friday / 6 Sep 2019

Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Makes Discoveries On Lunar Far Side While NCLE Tests Radio Astronomy Antennae

Chang’e-4 In 9th Lunar Day At Statio Tianhe In South Pole-Aitken Basin On Lunar Far Side; Lander Neutron Radiation Detector And Low-Frequency Radio Detector, Along With Yutu-2 Rover Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Are Activated; Rover Discovers Mysterious ‘Gel-Like’ Substance On Surface; Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer On Queqiao Orbiter Deploys And Tests Five 3-meter Antennae; NCLE Will Detect Frequencies Between 1 MHZ And 80 MHz; Radio Astronomical Observations Below 30 MHz Are Only Possible In Space

Credits: CNSA

Friday / 9 Aug 2019

Chang’e-4 And Yutu-2 Rover Complete Eighth Lunar Day

Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Completes Eighth Day On Lunar Farside; Yutu-2 Rover Completes 271 Meters Travel, 33.13 Meters During Lunar Day 8, Expected To Wake For Day 9 Activities On 24 Aug; Rover Will Continue West From Von Karman Carter Landing Site In South Pole-Aitken Basin At 45.5° South Latitude; Netherlands-China Low Frequency Explorer Aboard Queqiao Orbiter Will Soon Begin Radio Astronomy Observations In Frequency Range From 1 To 80 MHz

Credits: CNSA, NCLE, Phil Stooke

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 26-29 July 2019

Chandrayaan-2 and Rising India-Zhongguo Space Age Cooperation

India Chandrayaan-2 Successfully En Route To Moon; Third Earth Orbit Raising Maneuver Expected 29 July; Trans Lunar Insertion Is Planned For 14 Aug And Lunar Orbit Insertion 20 Aug; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Scheduled To Land 7 Sep Near Manzinus C And Simpellius N Craters At 70° S Latitude In South Polar Region; Payloads Include 22-g Retroreflector; Wu Weiren Of Chang’e-4 Mission And Hua Chunying Of Zhongguo Foreign Ministry Call For Cooperation With India In Lunar Exploration

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Tuesday / 9 July 2019

Zhongguo / China Chang’e-5 To Test Artificial Intelligence And Technologies For Lunar Base 

Chang’e-5 Planned For Launch By End Of 2019, Will Be Aided By Artificial Intelligence In The Complicated Rendezvous And Docking Required For Lunar Sample Return; First Chief Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan Claims Technological Breakthroughs In 12 Phases Of Mission; Payload Of 8.2 Tons Planned For Launch By Long March 5 From Wenchang Space Launch Center On Hainan Island, To Include Shovel-Type Sampler And Drilling Sampler; Chang’e-5 Will Test Technologies For Lunar Base

Credits: CNSA, CAS, NAOC

Tuesday / 21 May 2019

PRC Space Experts Note USA Artemis News 

Zhongguo China National Space Agency Experts Respond To USA Artemis Program; Chang’e-6 And Chang’e-7 Planned To Land At South Pole; Senior Scientist Ye Peijian (R) Says “Children Will Blame Us” If We Can Go To The Moon But Fail To Act; Pang Zhihao States That Lunar Base Can Be Used For Science Including Astronomy; Wu Weiren (L) Chief Architect Of Lunar Exploration Project, States That Chinese Footprints Will Be On Moon In About 10 Years

Credits: Xinhua News, CNSA

Friday / 17 May 2019

Luna Firma Update From Chang’e-4, Beresheet, Future Chandrayaan-2

Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Is In Sleep Mode For Fifth Lunar Night; Yutu-2 Rover May Confirm First Signs Of Moon’s Hidden Mantle In South Pole-Aitken Basin; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds Beresheet Crash Site, Will Search For Signs Of Laser Retroreflector; SpaceIL To Build Beresheet-2 With Private Funding And Technical Help From NASA; India Chandrayaan-2 Scheduled For Launch To South Polar Region NET 9 Jul, Will Carry Another NASA-Built Retroreflector For Measuring Earth-Moon Distance

Credits: NASA, ISRO, CNSA

Thursday / 25 Apr 2019

Space Day China Looks Forward To Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

National Day Of Space Flight Meetings Are In Changsha 24 April, 49th Observation Of Dongfanghong-1, First Zhongguo Artificial Satellite; Theme Is “Pursue Space Dream For Win-Win Cooperation” With International Partners Contributing Science Experiments To Chang’e-4 And Queqiao Orbiter; Chang’e-4 Returns More Images Of Lunar Far Side While Chang’e-5 Is Planned For Late 2019; China National Space Administration Head Zhang Kejian (R), One Of Time Magazine’s 100 Influential People, Announces Plans To Build Research Station On Lunar South Pole Within 10 Years

Credits: CNSA, Space Day, Xinhua News, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Friday / 19 Apr 2019

Chang’e-4 Scientific Data Release Benefits International Partners

China National Space Administration Holds Ceremony 18 April To Pass Chang’e-4 Scientific Data To International Partners; Dutch Scientists Will Receive Data From Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE) Astronomy Experiment On Queqiao Orbiter; Lander Neutrons And Dosimetry (LND) Experiment Is Built By Germany To Understand Radiation Effects On Regolith; Yutu-2 Rover Carries Small Analyzer For Neutrals (ASAN) Contributed By Sweden To Study Solar Wind; Liu Jizhong (L) Head Of Lunar Exploration And Science Center Announces That China Will Be Seeking 20 Kg Of International Scientific Payloads For Chang’e-6 South Pole Lander And Orbiter

Credits: CNSA, China News

Tuesday / 16 Apr 2019

ILOA-NAOC Sign MoU For Chang’e-3 LUT Data Processing To Advance Astronomy From The Moon 

In Beijing, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Sign Memorandum Of Understanding With International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) For Co-Sponsorship Of 2-Year Research Fellow To Process & Publish Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Data; 150-mm Aperture LUT Operational On Chang’e-3 At Mare Imbrium Can Image Galaxies, Quasars And Stars In Near-Ultraviolet 245-340 Nanometer Band; Accepting Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications Beginning This Week; Latest Lunar Astronomy Instrument ‘Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer (NCLE)’ Aboard Chang’e-4 Queqiao Orbiter At L2 Is Active

Credits: ILOA, NAOC-CAS, CNSA