Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Tuesday / 23 Oct 2018

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Transformers: Space And von Braun Symposium Highlight Return To Moon

National Space Council Meeting 23 October In Washington, DC Will Be Followed By Transformers: Space; Symposium Sponsored By AIAA Will Feature NSC Member Mike Pence And Jim Bridenstine; Former Astronauts Sandra Magnus And Nicole Stott Also Will Be Featured; Subjects Include The New Space Age And Future Of Human Spaceflight; Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium 23-25 Oct In Huntsville, Alabama Will Discuss Lunar Surface Operations; Woman Astronauts At Space Events Foreshadowing First Woman On The Moon

Credits: ESA, NASA, MSFC

Tuesday / 16 Oct 2018

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Canada Space Industry Days Feature Major Lunar Initiatives

Canadian Space Agency Hosting Space Industry Days 15-17 October In Saint-Hubert, Quebec; Blue Origin Featured Monday, Plans To Send Tourists To Space In 2019, New Glenn Booster Is One Of Three Selected By USAF For Next-Generation Launch System; Moon Express Delivers Presentation Tuesday 16 Oct, Signs Memorandum Of Understanding With CSA-ASC For Moon Missions; Airbus Featured Wednesday 17 Oct, Sponsoring Moon Race With Blue Origin And Developing Key Components Of Lunar Orbital Platform; Soyuz Flight Of Canada Astronaut David Saint-Jacques Expected To Be Delayed

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, CSA-ASC

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Oct 2018

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Patrols Ahead Of Future Missions

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Returns Data And Images 9 Years After Entering Moon Orbit; Diviner Instrument Aboard LRO Along With NASA Moon Mineralogy Mapper On Chandrayaan-2 Find Widespread Water On Moon; CRaTER Cosmic Ray Telescope Characterizes Lunar Radiation Environment For Future Missions; LRO Finds And Photographs Crash Site Of Europe SMART-1 Probe Deliberately Impacted Into Moon; Produces 5-Minute Virtual Tour Of Moon In 4K; LRO Engaged To Photograph Israel SpaceIL Landing In 2019

Credits: NASA, ESA, NASA/GSFC

Friday / 12 Oct 2018

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ispace Joins Draper And 2 Other Companies To Pursue NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Contract

One Of Many Teams Competing On CLPS Contracts Releases Details On Moon Mission Planning: ispace Of Japan For Artemis-7 Lander Design, Draper Lab For Guidance & Nav System, General Atomics For Manufacturing & Testing, Spaceflight Industries To Broker USA Rocket Rideshare; Teams To Be Notified By End Of 2018 If Initial Proposals Qualify Them As Finalists; CLPS Contract Value Could Reach US$2.6B Total Over 10 Years For Multiple Providers; Public List Of CLPS ‘Interested Parties‘ Includes 29 Companies

Pictured: CLPS Interested Parties Point of Contacts for ispace, Draper, Spaceflight Industries; Credits: ispace, SEC, AIAA / UTU, KARI

Wednesday / 10 Oct 2018

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Enterprises Working On Moon Race Competition, Lunar Regolith, Lunar Library Mission

“Moon Race” Sponsored By Airbus, Blue Origin And Partners Challenges Private Enterprise With Four Goals: Extract Water From Lunar Regolith, Manufacture Useful Objects From Lunar Resources, Use Lunar Regolith Plus Water To Grow Plants, And Generate Energy On Moon; Startup Company “Off Planet Research” Producing Simulated Lunar Regolith, Offering Samples To Backers Of Indiegogo Project; Lunar Library Project Sponsored By Microsoft Will Use Synthetic DNA To Archive Human Knowledge; Public To Contribute Images Via MemoriesInDNA Project; Library To Land With Astrobotic-Built Peregrine Lander In 2020 

Credits: Moon Race, Off Planet Research

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Oct 2018

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Lockheed Martin Unveils Lunar Lander Concept, Joins Multiple Nations And Enterprises Planning Moon Missions

Lockheed Martin Releases Detailed Concept For 62,000 Kg Reusable Human Lunar Lander, Launching From Lunar Orbital Platform To Support 4-Person Crew For 2 Weeks On The Surface; Also Soliciting Proposals For Payloads To Fly On Orion; Russia And China Express Interest In Joint Projects, Including Space Center On Hainan Island To Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles; India Chandrayaan-2 And Israel SpaceIL Planning Moon Landings In Early 2019; Private Companies Aiming For Moon Include Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, Astrobotic, Moon Express, ispace Japan, Golden Spike Company.

Credits: Lockheed Martin, Airbus

Friday / 5 Oct 2018

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IAC 2018 Generating ‘Moon Rush’ Of Mission Agreements, MoUs, Collaborations

International Astronautical Congress 69th General Assembly Providing Major Opportunities For Lunar Advances: Moon Express & Canadian Space Agency MoU Establishes Potential Collaboration On Moon Landers, Orbiters, Payloads; Blue Origin Signs Letter Of Letter With Germany Companies OHB & MT Aerospace; Astrobotic Announces Deal With Space Agencies Of Ecuador (EXA) & Colombia (AEC) For Lunar Exploration Campaign Using Multiple Peregrine Missions; Tech Development Competition 2024 “Moon Race” To Be Detailed Soon; NASA Declares Intent To Contribute Laser Retroreflector Array To Israel 2019 Moon Lander

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, Astrobotic, EXA, AEC, NASA, SpaceIL, Moon Race / Airbus, et al,

Wednesday / 19 Sep 2018

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NASA Moving Ahead With Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway Despite Questions

Planning For Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, NASA Requesting Industry Proposals For Power-Propulsion Element To Launch On Commercial Rocket By 2022; Orion To Rendezvous With PPE During Exploration Mission 3; EM-3 Will Also Bring European System Providing Refuelling, Infrastructure And Telecommunications (ESPRIT) Plus US-Built Habitation Module; Additional Modules To Be Brought On Exploration Missions 4 And 5; Critics Claim LOP-G Lacks Clear Mission Of Moon Or Mars

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Sep 2018

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NASA, ESA Working To Survive And Operate Through The Lunar Night

NASA / USRA Hosting Lunar Night Workshop 13 November Before Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Meeting; European Space Agency Investigating Capacity Of Lunar Regolith To Absorb And Store Heat; ESA System Would Use Mirrors To Channel Sunlight Through Regolith To A Heat Engine; Canadensys Aerospace Is Investigating Thermal And Energy Storage Technologies For Low-Temperature Environment Of The Moon

Image Credit: JAXA/NHK

Thursday / 13 Sep 2018

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NASA, JAXA Announce Cooperation On Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway

NASA And Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Sign Joint Statement Of Cooperation On Space Exploration Including Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway; Following Summit Meeting Nov 2017 Of US President And Japan Prime Minister; Building On History Of Cooperation Between NASA And JAXA On ISS And Other Programs; Intending To Extend Human Presence To Cislunar Space And Eventually To Solar System; Aiming For Future Missions To Mars

Credits: William Gerstenmaier NASA, Takashi Hamazaki JAXA