Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Friday / 8 May 2020

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Moon Dialogs Research Salon Fosters Interdisciplinary Discussion On Lunar Development

Hosted By Secure World Foundation, ASU Interplanetary Initiative, Open Lunar Foundation And MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, Virtual Series Of Presentations And Conversations Regarding Human Moon Use; Inaugural Session On Lunar Resources, Martin Elvis (L-R) Of Harvard Spoke Of Key Geography: Peaks Of Eternal Light, Shackleton Crater, Malapert Mountain And Mare Moscoviense; Political Scientist Alanna Krolikowski Spoke On Organizational Matters; Discussions Led By Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty Of ASU, Jessy Kate Schingler Of OLF, Ariel Ekblaw Of MIT And Christopher Johnson Of SWF, Past And Future Sessions Available

Credits: SWF, OLF, MIT, ASU, JAXA

Friday / 1 May 2020

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USA Declaration Of Intent To Mine Moon Generates Interest Among Earthbound Industry

Executive Order Signed 6 April Prompts Consideration Of Imminent Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization And Recovery As CNSA Chang’e-5 Mission To Collect 2.2 kg Of Regolith Approaches; Terrestrial Mining Powers Such As Canada, Rich In Both Natural Resources And Human Expertise, Recipient Of World-Leading US$7.9B Annual Investment In Mineral Extraction, Will Play Vital Role In Adaptation Of Remote Mining Technology To Moon Conditions; CSA Distributes $150M Through Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP), Fostering Lunar Geology Science

Credits: TransAstra Corp, Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science, NASA, JPL, Caltech, GSFC, Roscosmos, SVS

Tuesday / 28 April 2020

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SpaceBit Aims To Land “Arachnid-Like” Asagumo Rover Built On Modular 6U CubeSat Chassis

SpaceBit Of UK Reportedly Creating Redundant Designs Amid Global Supply Chain Uncertainty, Allowing Independent Assembly Of 1-1.3 kg Rover In USA, UK, Japan; Spacebit Mission One Striving To Meet Q3 2021 Maiden Launch Of ULA Vulcan Centaur / Astrobotic Peregrine Lander; Partnered With Yuzhnoye Design Office, Ecuadorian Space Agency, Dereum Labs Of Mexico; Pavlo Tanasyuk Signs Agreement At 3rd MVA Workshop & Symposium With Japan Company Dymon To Image Asagumo On Lunar Surface, Spacebit To Reciprocate With Picture Of Yaoki Rover

Credits: Spacebit, Astrobotic, ULA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 Apr 2020

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NASA Seeks To Establish Roster Of Lunar Science Concepts For Payloads, Research Investigations On Surface Of Moon

PRISM Stage-1 RFI Outreach To Scientists Open 10 April – 11 May; Mission Ideas Generated Are To Be Catalogued By NASA For Potential Development In Collaboration With Commercial Partners; PRISM Stage-2 Expected Summer 2020 Will Influence Future Landing Sites; CLPS Awardees Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, Masten Slated For 2021-2022 Payload Delivery To Moon Surface, Followed By JSC-Made VIPER In 2023 And Artemis III Human Landings in 2024 Via SLS, Orion And TBD Lander Assisted By Scaled-Down Gateway; Plans Call For Artemis Base Camp Near Lunar South Pole, Widely Considered Most Likely Area For Prospecting Success

Credits: NASA, SpaceX, Intuitive Machines

Friday / 24 April 2020

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New USGS Unified Lunar Strata Map Fuses Data From Historical And Contemporary International Missions

USGS In Conjunction With LPI And South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology Aggregate 1:5,000,000 Scale 3-Dimensional Model Of Moon; “Definitive” Geological Map Is Result Of Decades-Long Effort Per Lead Study Author Corey Fortezzo; Presented Virtually At 51st Lunar And Planetary Science Conference; Datasets Include 6 Apollo Mission Observations Overlaid With Equatorial Imaging (60°N-60°S) Taken With Terrain Camera On JAXA SELENE Orbiter With Resolution Of 60 m/pixel And Polar Data From LRO Camera Wide Angle Camera And Laser Altimeter At 20 m/pixel; Geological Topography Of Vital Importance To Resource Prospecting

Credits: NASA, GSFC, USGS, LRO, JAXA

Tuesday / 21 April 2020

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American Astronautical Society Hosts Streaming Thought Exchange On Lunar Habitation Realities

NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Lead (L-R) Niki Werkheiser Will Moderate Interactive Panel Envisioning ‘Technology For Sustainable Moon Operations’ Including Planetary Scientists Clive Neal Of Notre Dame And Rachel Klima Of Johns Hopkins; Moon-based Life Support, Social Organization, Infrastructure To Be Explored In Depth; Part Of Ongoing Hangout Series ‘Future In Space’, Online Participation Is Free And Open To Public, Opportunities For Question Submission To Expert Panel; Event Begins Thursday, 23 April At 15:00 EDT Accessible Via Youtube, Periscope, FaceBook And Twitch

Credits: AAS, NASA, JPL, JHUAPL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 17-20 Apr 2020

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Artemis Human Lunar Lander Contract Award Expected NLT 30 April

NASA To Announce Funding Through Next Space Technologies For Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2), Lander Is A Missing Key Element To Human Moon Return Currently Consisting Of SLS And Orion; Contenders Include Boeing, Blue Origin, Dynetics; In Multi-Partisan Letter of Support, Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) And Rubio (R-FL) Reiterate Importance Of HLS Contracts As Originally Planned When Solicited Sep 2019; Suggest Furthering Ties With Industry In Preparation For Large Scale Cargo Transport To Moon Surface In Similar Manner As NextSTEP, Citing Lander Investment In SpaceX, Astrobotic, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin

Credits: NASA, Lockheed Martin Corp., Blue Origin, Golden Spike Co

Friday / 17 April 2020

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Cislunar Navigation And Reconnaissance Technologies Advanced By USAF Contract Awards

Xplore Of Seattle WA Granted US$50k Via AFWERX To Draft Situational Positioning Technology Concepts Similar To Terrestrial GPS, In Press Release Founder Lisa Rich Says Xplore Will “Rapidly Advance Space Domain Awareness Now That Cislunar Space Operations Is A Focal Point”; Rhea Space Activity Of Washington DC And Saber Astronautics Of Sydney, AUS / Boulder CO Also To Receive $50k For Earth-Based Data Gathering Interface “Space Cockpit” With Remote Controls; Establishment Of Cislunar Infrastructure To Benefit National / Civilian Space Agencies And Commercial / Independent Enterprise

Credits: Xplore, Rhea, Advanced Space, CAPS, KUNC, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 Apr 2020

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3rd ‘Breakfast On The Moon’ Live Stream Features Jim And Marilyn Lovell

Astronaut James Lovell To Speak Via Zoom At National Space Society Hosted Virtual Gathering; Lovell Will Likely Speak On Experience Of 1st Human Moon Orbit Mission Apollo 8, Commanding The Dramatic Apollo 13 Mission, And Near Term Prospects Of Human Return To Moon / Artemis 2024-25; Janet Ivey, Fred Becker, Anita Gale, William Johnston Also To Give Talks; Online ‘Celebration’ Recognizes 1st Human Spaceflight Of Yuri Gagarin, Space Shuttle Columbia, Hubble Anniversaries; ‘Breakfast’ Can Be Joined At Sacramento L5 Society YouTube Channel 11 April, 0700-0900 PDT


Credits: CAST, NASA, NSS, US VA, SPC, ILOA

 

Friday / 10 April 2020

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NASA Provides Moon Funding Through CLPS, NIAC And ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Payload’ Initiatives

Masten Space Systems To Be Awarded US$75.9M For Building 4-Engine XL-1 Lander, Fulfilling 19C Task Order Of Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program And Joining Awardees Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic; XL-1 Craft To Soft-Land Near Moon South Pole NLT December 2022 With NASA And Commercial Payloads; Institute For Advanced Concepts Awards $7M Between 23 Academic And Industry Researchers For Lunar Proposals Including Radio Astronomy From Within A Crater On The Far Side, Deployable Landing Pads, Propellant And Water Extraction; $160,000 To Be Awarded For Miniaturized (<400g) Lunar Payload Ideas Submitted By June 1 In Mini Moon Contest

Credits: Masten, NASA, Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, Matthew Kuhns