Tuesday / 8 December 2015

India Chandrayaan-1 Moon Weather Data Being Studied By Swedish Institute Of Space Physics (IRF)

1282015Lack Of Atmosphere & Global Magnetic Fields On Moon Reflect Some Solar Wind Back Into Space From Surface According To IRF Researcher Charles Lue; Measurements Taken By Chandrayaan-1 Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) / Solar WInd Monitor (SWIM) Revealing Up To 10% Of Solar Wind Reflects Back Into Space; Lue States “This Knowledge Is Of Great Importance To The Lunar Space Environment” And Is Mapping Areas Where Solar Wind Is Most Prominent; Findings Could Be Utilized To Estimate How Much Water Is On Lunar Surface

Credit: Charles Lue, NASA

Tuesday / 1 December 2015

GLXP Team Indus Boosted By India Public / Private Space Enterprise

1212015Team Indus Aims For Late 2017 Launch & Expects To Sign Launch Contract By End Of 2016; Indus Co-Founder Dilip Chabria (L) States “We Are Developing Everything Out Of India”; ISRO Success Boosting Space Sector With Roger Moser (BR) (Director Of India Competence Center) Commenting “ISRO Is Already Looking To Fully Operationalize PSLV Development Via Private Industry”; Team Indus & Tata Communications Partnership To Bring State-Of The-Art Content Delivery Network (CDN), Web Hosting & Flight Path Big Data Analytics Including Secured Private Network Solutions With CEO Julie Woods-Moss (TR), Stating “There Are Few Projects That Are As Inspiring And Aspirational As A Space Mission”

Credit: GLXP Team Indus, ISRO, Tata, India Competence Center

Wednesday / 25 November 2015

Korea First Lunar Mission To Begin Flight Development Phase Jan 2016

11252015Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Lunar Exploration Program With Expected 2-Year Budget Of 197.8 Billion Won (US$172.5M) To Begin Call For Instrument Proposals In Jan 2016; Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) To Launch In 2018; Lander & Rover Expected 2020; Goal Is To Develop & Verify Lunar Technologies, Establish Korea Deep Space Network & Cooperate With International Partners In Lunar Exploration; Lander Mission Likely To Use Indigenous KSLV-2 Launch Vehicle; ISRO & KARI To Collaborate In India Deep Space Missions & Utilize Lunar Surface Data Collected By Chandrayaan-1; KARI Lunar Exploration Program Also Planning To Participate With NASA SSERVI To Gain Expertise In Solar System Science

Pictured: Dr. Seung-jo Kim, KARI President

Credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 October 2015

2017 Lunar Lander Prospects:
Astrobotic, Chang’e-5, Chandrayaan-2, Moon Express, SpaceIL, Moonspike

101720152017 Moon Exploration Progressing With Private-Funding & International Initiatives; Team Astrobotic Earlier Announced Potential SpaceX Launch With Confirmation Of Contract Pending; China Chang’e-5 & India Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Missions Reveal International Desire To Advance Human Exploration; Moon Express Five Launch Deal With Rocket Lab, Including GLXP Launch, Demonstrates Momentum; Team SpaceIL To Be World’s First Verified Moon Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9; Moonspike Kickstarter Fundraising Effort Underway To Design & Construct Fully Fledged Three-Stage Moon Rocket

Credit: CCTV, CNSA, CAS, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Space IL, Moonspike, ISRO

Wednesday / 14 October 2015

Space Agency Heads At IAC2015; Discussing “Moon First” Approach To Space Exploration

10142015International Participation & Cooperation, IAC2015 Plenary Session Includes Israel Space Agency Chairman Isaac Ben-Israel, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, CNSA Administrator Xu Dazhe, ISRO Scientific Secretary Krishna Murthy, Roscosmos Head Igor Komarov, JAXA President Naoki Okumura, ESA Director General Jan Woerner With Panel Moderated By German Journalist Uli Bobinger; 3 Goals Emerging: Need For Stronger International Cooperation, Moon As Next Destination, Need For Measurable Benefits To The Public; CNSA Xu Dazhe Discussing China CE5 Moon Sample Return Mission & CE4 Lander on Far Side Moon; HOA Panel Consensus Of Further Moon Exploration & Moon Before Mars As Logical Step

Credit: IAC2015, NASA, ESA

Wednesday / 30 September 2015

Helium-3 Has Tenuous Potential As Lunar Energy Resource

9302015Engineering Capabilities Of Unproven Helium-3 Fusion Reactor Technology May Be Decades Out; Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt (T) Advocates For Lunar Mining Of Helium-3 (He-3); China, Russia, Europe, USA, India Also Showing He-3 Interest; Other Energy Solutions Including Lunar Water-Ice Extraction Proposed By Shackleton Energy Company (SEC); Strategic SEC Partnership With Penguin Automated Systems, Dr. Greg Baiden (B) Declares “There’s Also The Potential For Solar Power Stations”

Credit: NASA, Arizona Geological Society, SEC, ESA, Greg Baiden

Tuesday / 15 September 2015

India Considers RTG For Upcoming Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission

9152015ISRO Work Pace Increases With Goal Of ~2017-18 Launch Of Chandrayaan-2, India Inaugural Soft Landing On Lunar Surface; Second Lunar Mission May Get Boost With Non-Fission Nuclear Energy Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG); Chandrayaan Project Director, Mylswamy Annadurai Affirms ISRO Success With Chandrayaan-1 Confirming Water Traces On Moon & Second Mission To Include Configuration Changes To Orbiter To Accommodate Lander

Credit:  ISRO

Thursday / 10 September 2015

India GSLV Mk2 Success Boosts Chandrayaan-2 Timeline

9102015Chandrayaan-2 Lander / Rover Moon Mission Set To Launch 2017-18; India Space Research Organization (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Demonstrates Reliability & Versatile Orbit Capacity To Enable Chandrayaan-2 Launch Into Lunar Orbit Insertion Via Earth Parking Orbit (EPO) Of 170 x 18,500 Km; Scientific Objective To Understand Origin / Evolution Of Moon & Perform In-Situ Analysis Of Lunar Samples

Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 28 August 2015

GSLV Mk 2 Success Leading India Toward Vital Launch Independence & Advanced Moon, Space, Human Missions ISRO GSLV

India GSLV Rocket With Indigenous Cryogenic 3rd Stage Will Be Declared Fully Operational After Recent Launch Of GSAT-6 Communication To Successful Orbit According To K Sivan, Director Of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre; GSLV Mk 2, Capable Of Carrying 2,500kg To GTO, Scheduled To Launch Chandrayaan-2 In 2017 & Subsequent Moon Missions; GSLV Mk 3, Capable Of Launching 4,000kg To GTO, First Flight Expected Dec 2016 With First Human Mission In 2021

Credit: ISRO, NASA, GSFC

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 August 2015

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Moon Vision Aids India Space Mission Accomplishments

8082015

Human Space Missions To Moon & Mars Proposed By The Late Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam To ISRO Noted Future Economic Benefits; Kalam Moon Impact Probe As Part Of Chandrayaan-I Discovery Of Water On Moon South Pole Prompted Agencies To Further Investigations; India Second Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-II Moon Lander To Launch In 2017 By Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkII)

Credit: ISRO, S. Mahinsha, The Hindu