Tuesday / 6 July 2021

‘921 Rocket’ Could Carry China Taikonauts To Moon Surface By Mid-Decade

Crewed Launch Vehicle Being Developed By China Aerospace Science and Technology Codenamed 921, Reference To Chinese National Manned Space Program (Shenzhou) 1992 Founding Date, May Be More Timely Alternative Than Super Heavy Lift Vehicle Long March 9 To Achieve China Human Moon Landing; LM-9 Most Recent Design Iteration Calls For 10.6-m Diameter Core Stage With 16 YF-135 Engines Sans Auxiliary Boosters, Suggestive Of Reusability Goals; ‘921 Rocket’ Speculated To Be Designated Long March 5DY And Could Be Used To Ferry Crew To TLI With 2-Craft Configuration By 2025

Credits: CNSA, CASC

Thursday / 18 June 2021

China-Russia Joint Working Group Developing International Lunar Research Station Plan

Wu Yanhua Of CNSA And Sergey Saveliev Of Roscosmos Present Guide For Partnership v1.0 At GLEX 2021 In St Petersburg, Russia; 3 Development Phases (Reconnaissance, Construction, Utilization) Encompassing 5-Facility Station (Cis-Lunar Transportation In Space + Long-Term Support, Transport And Operation, Science, And Ground Support & Application On Surface), With 8 Science Objectives (Lunar Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, ISRU, Astronomy / Earth Observation From Moon, Cis-Lunar Space); Limited Collaboration Opportunities For Chang’e 7-8 And Luna 25-28, With Broader Participation In ILRS Missions 1-5 Between 2031-35

Credits: CNSA, Roscosmos, SCIO

Tuesday / 15 June 2021

Russia Strives For Human Presence On Moon Surface, Jupiter Probe By 2030

Luna 25 Launch Set For 1 October, Marking Resumption Of Lunar Exploration Activities After 45+ Year Hiatus For Russia, First Nation To Robotically Explore Moon; Luna 25 To Attempt Landing At Boguslavsky Crater Near Moon South Pole (72.9°S, 43.2°E) To Investigate Subsurface Ice Deposits; Luna 26 (2024), Lunar 27 (2025), Luna 28 (2027) To Culminate With International Lunar Research Station Buildout With China & Human Lunar Missions By Decade End; Nuclear-Powered Zeus To Launch From Moon Orbit 2030, Exploit Venus Gravity-Assist On Jupiter Trajectory During 50-Month, US$58M Mission

Credits: Roscosmos, NASA, ISRO

Tuesday / 18 May 2021

Lunar / Deep Space Exploration, Commercialization Are Top Priorities For New NASA Leadership

Administrator Bill Nelson Outlines Vision For Future Of USA Space Activity, Telling Florida Today A “Dual Track” Approach Will Emphasize “Commercial Activity” In Support Of Artemis Moon Mission Sequence And Related Technologies, While NASA Exploration Extends “Out Of Low-Earth Orbit”; Nelson Also Expresses Hope That International Cooperation May Be Furthered As “Space Is The Unique Environment Where Enemies Can Come Together” And Reflects On NASA’s Positive Image Around The World And Diplomatic Significance

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 11 May 2021

DOGE-1 Mission To Moon May Revolutionize Space Enterprise Funding

“To The Moon” Rallying Call Of Investors, Enthusiasts And Idealists Who Believe A Reformation Of International Monetary Policy Towards Decentralized, Distributed Ledger Cryptocurrency In Lieu Of Government-backed Fiat Money Will Democratize Transactional Commerce, Is Set To Become Reality With Q1 2022 40kg CubeSat, Launching To Lunar Orbit Via SpaceX Falcon 9; DOGE-1 Being Constructed By Geometric Energy Corporation Of Calgary, Canada With Collaboration Of Mimir Solutions And Iteration Syndicate

Credits: SpaceX, Reddit, Youtube

Holiday Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 Apr 2021

Lunar Commercial Communication Ecosystem Is Major NASA Initiative For Coming Years

Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN), Overseer Of NASA Deep Space Network, Near Earth Network And Space Network Is Aiming For Full Commercialization Of Direct To Earth Ground Stations By 2023, Tracking And Data Relay Satellites Commercialization By 2030; Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) To Ride With CLPS Provider Firefly Aerospace On Blue Ghost Lander In 2023 To Investigate Feasibility Of Extending GNSS Signals For PNT From Earth To Cislunar Space; Orbital Relay Constellation Linked To Surface Nodes Governed By Voluntary Interoperability Standard LunaNet To Be Implemented 2024-2028

Credits: NASA

Friday / 19 Mar 2021

Moon Orbiter Missions Set To Deliver Valuable Science, Resource And Landing Site Surveying

India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Currently Maintaining 100 km Polar Path Around Moon, Is Now Expected To Continue Mission For Up To 7 Years Rather Than 1, Per Department Of Space Minister Jitendra Singh; Chandrayaan-2 Will Share Cislunar Space With: LRO, Now In Variable Fuel-Saving Elliptical Orbit And Approaching 12 Full Years Of Operations After Nominal 1-Year Exploration Mission; Chang’e-5T1 Service Module; ARTEMIS P1 / P2; Chang’e-4 Queqiao Relay Communications Craft At Earth-Moon L2; To Be Joined By Rocket Lab Capstone In Q3 2021

Pictured: Sarabhai Crater
Credits: ISRO, NASA

Tuesday / 9 Feb 2021

Lunar Manufacturing Capability To Be Advanced By Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 

DARPA (Budget ~US3.5B) To Host Proposers Day Webcast 26 February, 13:00-16:00 (EST), Orienting Potential Applicants In Anticipation Of Broad Agency Announcement On Novel Orbital And Moon Manufacturing, Materials And Mass-Efficient Design Program; Initiative Seeks To Apply DARPA (Formerly ARPA, Founded In Response To Sputnik-1) Ethos Of “Explicitly Reaching For Transformational Change” To Lunar Surface And In-Space Construction; Three 18-Month Phases Will Focus On 1-MW Solar Array Materials / Design Proof Of Concept (Phase 1); 100m-Diameter RF Reflector (Phase 2); Long-Wave Infrared Telescope (Phase 3)

Credits: DARPA, Pictured: Acting Director Peter Highnam (L), Defense Sciences Office Program Manager Bill Carter (R)

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Dec 2020

China / Zhongguo Becomes 3rd Nation To Achieve Lunar Sample Return, 2nd To Do So Robotically

Chang’e-5 / Phase 3 Of CLEP Achieves Successful Transport Of 2kg Surface Regolith + 0.5kg Subsurface (1.8m Depth) From Oceanus Procellarum To Inner Mongolia Via High Speed Skip Retry; Recovered From Remote Tundra By Team Outfitted With 4kg Exoskeleton Suits, Providing 10% Strength Assist, And Joined By Curious Rabbit; First Samples Procured Since 170g From Luna 24 To Be Followed By Commercial / National Robotic And Human Efforts; International Collaboration On Analysis Invited, Chang’e-6/7/8 And Phase 4 Lunar Research Base Build-Out To Commence, Per Deputy Commander Wu Yanhua

Credits: CNSA, Xinhua

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Wed-Mon / 25-30 Nov 2020

Proactive Measures On Property Rights Needed To Achieve Harmonious Lunar Development

Thought Leaders At Center For Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, King’s College London And Missouri University Of Science & Technology Urge Serious Consideration Of Finite Materials (Water, Helium, Iron) And Locations (Peaks Of Eternal Light, Cold Traps, Level Building Sites) On Moon; Artemis Accords And Outer Space Treaty Need To Be Enhanced With Clear Guiding Principles Such As Those Set Forth By Moon Village Association To Avoid “Diverse Actors Pursuing Incompatible Ends” Vying For Areas “Both Few And Small” With Unfavorable Outcomes

 

Credits: NASA, SETI