Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 November 2019

Posted on by

France And China Formalize Partnership On Chang’e-6 Moon Exploration And Earth Observation Mission

Director Of CNSA Zhang Kejian And CNES / Outgoing IAF President Jean-Yves Le Gall Sign Statement As France President Emmanuel Macron And China President Xi Jinping Meet At Recent State Visit In Beijing; CNSA Lunar Probe Chang’e 6 To Carry CNES Alpha Spectrometer DORN (Detection of Outgassing RadoN) To The Surface Of Moon; Will Also Collaborate On Development And Deployment Of New Generation Satellite Designed To Monitor Water Cycle Metrics Pertinent To Understanding Of Climate Change; Le Gall Says That Agreement “Confirms Importance Of Space Cooperation In France And China Relationship”

Credits: CNES, CNSA

Tuesday / 5 November 2019

Posted on by

China Considers US$10 Trillion Earth-Moon / Cislunar Economic Zone

With Chang’e-4 Operating On Lunar Surface And Chang’e-5 Slated For Launch In 2020 On Long March 5, China Is Considering Establishing A Cislunar Space Economic Zone; Bao Weimin (R) Of China Aerospace Science And Technology Corporation Reveals Decades-Long Plan At Seminar On Space Economy; Key Technologies Would Be Finished By 2030 Including Long March 9 Heavy Lift Booster, And Regular Transportation To Moon Established By 2040; Earth-Moon Region Could Potentially Generate US$10T In Commerce By 2050

Credits: CAST, CNSA, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Thursday / 10 October 2019

Posted on by

Moon Farside Negotiations Symposium To Be Held By IAA Prior To 70th IAC In Washington DC

International Academy Of Astronautics ‘Moon Farside Negotiations’ On Saturday 19 October Will Feature ESA Director Jan Woerner Giving Opening Remarks; IAA Director For Scientific Space Exploration Claudio Maccone To Report On Efforts To Protect Radio Silence On Lunar Farside; Chief Designer Of CNSA Lunar Exploration Missions Wu Weiren Will Speak On Science Being Currently Conducted By Zhongguo On Farside Moon Surface; Giuseppe Reibaldi And Bernard Foing To Update On Moon-Focused Organizations Moon Village Association And International Lunar Exploration Working Group, Respectively

Credits: CNSA, CSIRO, IAA

Friday / 30 Aug 2019

Posted on by

Moon-To-Lagrange Point Space Elevator Concept Deemed Feasible By Cambridge, Columbia Researchers

Dubbed ‘Spaceline’, Elevator Would Rely On Gravity Well 326,000 km Above Earth Surface To Maintain Rigidity Rather Than Centrifugal Force As In Conventional Space Elevator Concepts; Research Authors Emily Sandford (T) and Zephyr Penoyre Describe Mathematical And Physical Conditions As ‘Eminently Plausible’ For Construction Using Present Technology; Suggestion Of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Fiber Construction Material With 3600 MPa Tensile Strength Considering Cost And Manufacturing Scalability Constraints Of Exotics; Fuel Cost To Reach Lunar Surface Would Be Reduced By 2/3, Study Estimates; Paper Is To Be Submitted To IAA Journal Acta Astronautica

Credits: NASA, Cambridge University, Columbia University

Tuesday / 6 Aug 2019

Posted on by

New Analysis Of Data Obtained From NASA Spacecraft Implies Presence Of Thick Ice On Mercury And Moon

Research Conducted At UCLA And Published In The Journal Nature Geoscience Compares Topographical Data Gathered By Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) And Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry And Ranging (Messenger) Finds Simple Crater Depths Decrease By 10% Proximate To North And South Pole On Mercury / South Pole On Moon; Lead Study Author Lior Rubanenko (L) Says That Existence Of Thick, Buried Ice Deposits Can Be Inferred, LRO Scientist Noah Petro (R) Suggests “Potential Reservoir Of Frozen Water On The Moon May Be Sufficiently Massive To Sustain Long-Term Lunar Exploration”

Credits: NASA, UCLA, JHU APL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 August 2019

Posted on by

China Advancing International Collaboration With Chang’e-6 While Longjiang-2 Fulfills Its Mission

47-kg Micro Lunar Orbiter Longjiang-2 Makes Controlled Impact On Lunar Surface After 437 Days In Orbit Around Moon, Launched 20 May 2018 With Queqiao Communications Relay Satellite As Part Of Chang’e-4 Far Side Exploration; International Support From Japan, Germany And The Netherlands On Development; Payload Included Saudi Made Optical Camera; CNSA Offers 20 Kg Payload Space To Domestic and International Partners On Planned Chang’e-6 Sample Return Mission – Deadline To Apply Is 31 Aug 2019

Credits: CNSA / CLEP, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

Tuesday / 30 July 2019

Posted on by

We Could Land On The Moon In Less Than Two Years, Says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

In Wide-Ranging Interview July 12 With TIME Magazine, Musk, Founder Of The Only Launch Provider To Innovate Reusable Rockets, Makes Bold Statements On Moon Exploration And Settlement Timeline, Indicating That SpaceX Could Send Crewed Lunar Mission Within 4 Years, Uncrewed Within 2; Musk Emphasizes The Need For Permanent Antarctica-Style Science Base; Says ‘Overarching Philosophy’ Depends On Expanding Consciousness, Enlightenment, Sustainability, And ‘Making Life Multi-Planetary’

Credits: NASA, SpaceX

Tuesday / 23 July 2019

Posted on by

Purdue Engineering Initiative In Cislunar Space Launching 50 Years After Apollo 11

New Program Intended To Spur Economic Development In Space Around Earth And Moon; Initiative Will Focus On Infrastructure, Communication, Policy And Educational Requirements Of Commercial And Public Cislunar Space Activities; Purdue University Is Known As The “Cradle Of Astronauts”, Alma Mater To 25 Spacefarers Including First Moon Explorer Neil Armstrong; Engineering Dean Mung Chiang (C) Says Initiative Will “Contribute To Critical Dimensions Of The Next 50 Years Of Small Steps And Giant Leaps In Space”

Also Pictured: Program Chair Dan Dumbacher (R), Co-chair David Spencer(L); Credits: NASA, Purdue

Tuesday / 18 June 2019

Posted on by

NASA Head Bridenstine At Paris Airshow To Discuss International Cooperation In Artemis Program

Following Public Comments Encouraging International Public And Independent / Commercial Lunar Efforts To ‘Plug Into Architecture’ Of Human Lunar Landing Program Artemis, Jim Bridenstine Has Indicated That He Will Be Speaking To Media; Meeting With Various Heads Of National Space Programs At 53rd International Paris Air Show To Discuss Partnerships To Further 2024 Moon Initiative

Credits: NASA, IPAS

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 June 2019

Posted on by

Next Decade Of Space Weather Favorable For Exploration Of Moon And Beyond

Study Conducted By Irina Kitiashvili Of NASA Ames Research Center Indicates Upcoming 11 Year Solar Cycle Least Active In 2 Centuries, Solar Sunspots At 2025 Maximum Estimated 30-50% Less Frequent Than 2013 Solar Maximum, Reducing Risk Of Deleterious Solar Storm Radiation For Artemis Mission Instrumentation And Astronauts, Including First Women On The Moon

Credits: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, ESA