Category Archives: India

Tuesday / 17 Oct 2023

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Space Leaders in Major Himalayan Neighbors, India and China, Call for Human Moon Landings

While Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander remains in sleep mode, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath (T) emphasizing independent access to space, telling students ‘It is not only ISRO, everybody can do it in space’, citing 5 India companies including Skyroot (Hyderabad) and Agnikul (Chennai) while sharing his prediction of a woman landing on the Moon during Chandrayaan-10, a sentiment shared by India Prime Minister Modi; CNSA Taikonauts preparing for 2020s lunar landings, inaugural launch of new-generation crew spacecraft set for 2027 per first China Taikonaut Yang Liwei in remarks commemorating 20th observance of the Shenzhou 5

Credits: SPC, CNSA, IISc

Tuesday / 10 Oct 2023

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ISRO Working Towards Lunar and Human Spaceflight Goals as Chandrayaan-3 Data Undergoing Analysis

As hope for Vikram lander / Pragyan rover reactivation diminishes, India is moving forward with ambitious space plans as outlined by Chandrayaan-3 Project Director P Veeramuthuvel (T) and Satish Dhawan Space Centre Deputy Director T S Raghuram at International Space Week events in Rajahmundry and Chennai; Space tourism and human Moon landings are on the horizon, with Veeramuthuvel stating ‘ISRO wants to send humans there [Moon]’, while both officials promoted space tourism, with Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) slated for 25 Oct (IST)

Credits: ISRO, Roscosmos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 Sep 2023

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India and World Eagerly Await Chandrayaan-3 Reactivation, ISRO Leader Aiming at Human Moon Landing

Controllers at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command center in Bengaluru working to reestablish communication with Vikram Lander (with ~ 90-kg fuel remaining) and Pragyan Rover at now-illuminated Shiv Shakti Point (69.373°S, 32.319°E) on Moon following failed attempts; ISRO Chairman Sreedhara Somanath tells local media mission has given India ‘great confidence’ to pursue even more ambitious goals such as lunar sample return and merging Gaganyaan human spaceflight program with Chandrayaan lunar series, stating ‘an Indian will definitely land on the Moon’; Director of Space Applications Center Nilesh Desai anticipates 23 Sep awakening

Credits: ISRO, ISRS

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 Sep 2023

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Lunar Mission Cadence Not Letting Up with Japan on Route to Moon, USA CLPS Preparing for Launch

ISRO awaits possible reactivation of Vikram Lander / Pragyan rover 22 September; JAXA SLIM operating nominally following post-launch systems checks with trajectory to Moon within precise range, allowing controllers to forego a planned fine-tuning maneuver; NASA CLPS providers Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic enlarging their Earth-bound organizational footprints with expanded facilities while working towards NET 16 November and TBD launches; CNSA Chang’E-6 sample retrieval sites within Apollo-crater being considered for NET May 2024; ispace and SpaceIL working towards realization HAKUTO-R mission 2 and Beresheet 2

Credits: ISRO, JAXA, Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, ispace, SpaceIL

Tuesday / 12 Sep 2023

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India Planning Next Lunar Missions as Chandrayaan-3 Data Being Analyzed

As ISRO awaits the possible reactivation of Chandryaaan-3 Vikram lander and /or Pragyan rover, scientists are just beginning the task of working with data delivered over the course of the 14-Earth day nominal mission including first in-situ evidence of sulphur observed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS), first recorded Moonquake since Apollo with Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) and findings of sparse ionosphere of 5,000,000 – 30,000,000 electrons per meter2; ISRO expected to collaborate with JAXA on LUPEX polar mission NET 2025, and may announce Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 timelines soon per Chandrayaan-1 mission director Mylswamy Annadurai

Credits: ISRO, Twitter / @EarthTathya

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 1-5 September 2023

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India and China Operating on Moon and Advancing Next Lunar Missions as USA Plans Human / Robotic Return

ISRO continues nominal 1 lunar day (14 Earth diurnal cycles) mission Chandrayaan-3, which may extend another 14 days or more depending on lander / rover charging functionality; Prospects for radio astronomy from the MSP more favorable following findings of sparse near-surface plasma density via RAMBHA-LP Langmuir probe; ISRO to collaborate with JAXA on LUPEX NET 2025; CNSA continues collecting seismic & astronomical data with Lunar-Penetrating Radar on Chang’E-4 rover Yutu-2 and Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope on Chang’E-3 lander while preparing Chang’E-6 sample return NET May 2024 and Chang’E-7 MSP mission NET 2026; NASA working towards Artemis 2 crewed lunar flyby NET Nov 2024 while CLPS providers Intuitive Machines (NET 16 Nov) and Astrobotic (EOY) striving for robotic lander launches

Credits: ISRO, CNSA, NASA

Tuesday / 29 Aug 2023

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BRICS Nations Consider Establishment of Space Exploration Consortium

5-member BRICS economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (with Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE set to formally join 1 Jan 2024) may cooperate on space development per comments given by India PM and Foreign Secretary in the wake of the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 at Shiv Shakti, ~20° from the lunar south pole; Existing BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation could serve as ‘base layer’ from which consortium may grow per Secretary Kwatra; Collaboration between China-led ILRS and Artemis Accords signatory India may accelerate USA Moon action

Pictured: India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (T), India Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Kwatra (B); Credits: ILOA, Twitter / @ani_digital, India Ministry of External Affairs

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 August 2023

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India Exploring Area Near Moon South Pole with Chandrayaan-3

ISRO now conducting the farthest expedition into the lunar south ever, with landing site 69.374454°S, 32.318695°E ~625km from the southernmost point on the Moon (90°S on Shackleton crater rim); Lander Module Vikram and Pragyan rover operating nominally with ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE instruments activated and ready to take seismic, ionic and thermal readings; APXS and LIBS will perform X-ray and laser spectroscopy to determine chemical, mineralogical and elemental composition of regolith from Pragyan, now rolled out and >8 meters from LM

Tuesday / 22 Aug 2023

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ISRO Making Final Checks While Awaiting Lunar Daybreak at Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site

Chandryaan-3 Vikram lunar lander in elliptical 25 x 134 km lunar orbit as ISRO operators at Mission Operations Complex in Bengaluru ensuring craft readiness ahead of powered descent to Moon surface ~20° from MSP set to begin 23 Aug 12:15 UTC, with touchdown on lunar surface now scheduled ~19 minutes later at 12:34 UTC; Landing to be supported by NASA and ESA Deep Space Network antennas in Canberra and Madrid with backup relay via Chandrayaan-2 orbiter; ISRO encourages schools to observe historic moment which will ‘fuel curiosity’ and ‘spark passion for exploration’; Live coverage starts 11:50 UTC

Tuesday / 8 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Tightening Orbit Around Moon Ahead of Landing Attempt as Luna-25 and SLIM Launches Approach

ISRO Moon lander Chandrayaan-3 now in an elliptical 170 km x 4313 km lunar orbit as ISTRAC controllers at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in Bengaluru prepare to execute orbital reduction maneuver 2 of 5, planned for 9 Aug 13:00-14:00 IST (07:30-08:30 UTC) to bring craft into circular, polar 100-km orbit ahead of 23 August landing; Luna-25 rollout set for 8 Aug, with previously reported 10 Aug 2:10:57 MSK (23:10:57 UTC) launch now officially declared by Roscosmos; JAXA SLIM to follow 26 Aug 09:34:57 JST (00:34:57 UTC)