Friday / 26 June 2020

India To Strengthen Its NewSpace Industry Through IN-SPACe Dept, May Accelerate Cislunar Startups

 Indian Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe),To Be Established Within 3-6 Months And Regulate / Support Local Industry Partners To Provide Services For ISRO, A Regime Proven By USA / NASA Most Recently Through Commercial Crew, CLPS And Artemis Program; India Estimated To Work With ~150 Private Companies Currently, NASA >375; With Human Spaceflight And Chandryaan-3 Plans On Horizon, Groups Including Team Indus & Earth2Orbit Could Reap Benefits And Advance India Lunar, Deep Space Programs Via Low-Cost, Sustainable Methods

Pictured: ISRO Chairman K Sivan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh

Credits: ISRO, Team Indus, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Press Information Bureau, USA DoD

Friday / 15 May 2020

2020 Q4 Moon Landings: China Chang’e-5 Sample Return On Track, India Chandryaan-3 May Still Be Possible

China Lunar Exploration Program Pushes Forward With CE-5 Launch Planned Late 2020, Return To Earth With Up To 2-kg Sample From Mons Rümker Within 1 Month; Recent Successful Long March 5 Launch From Wenchang Site 19°N At Hainan Vital For Program; India Accelerated Chandrayaan-3 Plans To Achieve Moon Landing Near South Pole Before 2021 Could Be Possible, Potentially With Lower Cost, Depending On Health Concern Delay — Ad Astra Per Aspera

Pictured: CLEP Chief Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan, ISRO Chair K. Sivan
Credits: CNSA, NOAC-CAS, ISRO

New Year 2020 Edition
Fri-Tues / 20 Dec 2019 – 7 Jan 2020

Artemis Moon Generation:
Multi-Partisan, International, Entrepreneurial

NASA Gains Funding In Bipartisan Budget For Space Launch System, Exploration Upper Stage, And Artemis Lunar Lander For First Women On The Moon In 2024; Private Companies Are Participating In Commercial Crew, Cargo, And Lunar Landers; Canada Supplying Robotic Arm For Lunar Orbit; JAXA Contributing Habitation Modules And Lunar Rover; ESA Partners Agree To Greatly Increased Budget And Providing Orion Service Modules For Artemis 1-4; Cooperation Possible From India, Russia, Crescent Moon Countries And Zhongguo (China)

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA / CAS

Friday / 20 December 2019

Chandrayaan-3 Planning Rush To Lunar Surface In 2020

Indian Space Research Organization Planning Chandrayaan-3 At Full Speed For November 2020 Launch; Mission Will Include Propulsion Module, Lander And Rover; 682-Kg Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Is Successfully Operating In Lunar Polar Orbit; Orbiter High Resolution Camera And Onboard Terrain Mapping Camera-2 Will Be Part Of Chandrayaan-3 Mission, Which Will Likely Land In South Pole Region; India Partnering With Japan On Joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, Which Could Become Chandrayaan-4

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 November 2019

Chandryaan-3: India Reportedly Sets November 2020 Goal For Landing Near Moon South Pole

ISRO Second Effort At Soft Landing On Surface Of Moon In Late 2020; Chandrayaan-3 To Be Configured With Detachable Propulsion Module, Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Currently Functioning And Imaging With Onboard Terrain Mapping Camera-2 And Orbiter’s High-Resolution Camera From ~100-km Elevation; Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre Head V Narayanan (R) Leads Inquiry Into Chandrayaan-2 Lander Failure; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S Somanath (L) Leads Chandrayaan-3 Planning Committee

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 25 Oct 2019

International Space Agencies And Private Enterprises Sign Agreements To Land On Moon

Heads Of Space Agencies Meet At 70th International Astronautical Congress In Washington DC; NASA Unveils New Woman-Focused Logo For Artemis; Scientists Report First Results From Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer Aboard Queqiao Orbiter; Japan Formally Commits To Artemis And Partners With India For 2023 Moon Landing; Blue Origin Teams With Lockheed Martin And Northrop Grumman For Artemis Lunar Lander; Israel Renews Commitment To Land On Moon And Tours World With Moon-Themed Escape Room

Credits: NASA, SpaceIL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 Sep 2019

Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter And LRO Seeking Vikram Lander On Surface

India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter On 8 September Has Located Vikram Lander On Surface; 1,470-kg Vikram Is Believed To Have Inverted 11 Minutes After Beginning Descent, Causing Loss Of Control 2.1 Km From Surface; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Scheduled To Overfly Landing Site 17 Sep; LRO Will Attempt To Image Vikram And Laser Retroreflector; Lunar Night Will Cover Landing Site Near Manzinus C Crater Around 21 Sep; India Prime Minister Modi Says “ISRO Spirit” Has United Country, Forecasts “New Dawn And Brighter Tomorrow”

Credits: NASA, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Sep 2019

India Attempts First Moon South Pole Landing – In Peace For All

India Chandrayaan-2 Makes Historic Attempt At Landing In South Pole Area, Likely Region Of Future Human Settlement / International Moon Base; 682-kg Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter To Operate In Lunar Polar Orbit For >1 Year; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Have Not Signaled Yet; PM Modi States ‘Whatever Has Been Accomplished So Far Is No Small Feat; We Remain Hopeful & Will Continue Working Hard On Our Space Programme’; India And USA Lunar Orbiters May Try To Locate / Image Craft On Moon Surface

Pictured: Prime Minister Modi (R) And ISRO Chair Sivan (L) At Bengaluru Monitoring Centre 7 September 2019 (India Standard Time)

Credits: ISRO, Times of India

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 August 2019

Chandrayaan-2 In Lunar Orbit Prepares For Landing And Chandrayaan-3 Joint Lunar Mission

India Chandrayaan-2 Photographs Moon From 4,212 km x 118 km Orbital Ellipse, Will Perform Another Orbit Change 28 Aug; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Scheduled To Land 7 Sep Near Manzinus C And Simpelius N Craters At 70° S Latitude; Project Director M Vanitha (L) And Mission Director Ritu Kridhal (R) Expect To Operate 14 Days On Surface; ISRO In Talks With JAXA Planning Chandrayaan-3 Joint Lunar Polar Exploration Mission In 2023

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 26-29 July 2019

Chandrayaan-2 and Rising India-Zhongguo Space Age Cooperation

India Chandrayaan-2 Successfully En Route To Moon; Third Earth Orbit Raising Maneuver Expected 29 July; Trans Lunar Insertion Is Planned For 14 Aug And Lunar Orbit Insertion 20 Aug; 1,470-kg Vikram Lander And 27-kg Pragyan Rover Scheduled To Land 7 Sep Near Manzinus C And Simpellius N Craters At 70° S Latitude In South Polar Region; Payloads Include 22-g Retroreflector; Wu Weiren Of Chang’e-4 Mission And Hua Chunying Of Zhongguo Foreign Ministry Call For Cooperation With India In Lunar Exploration

Credits: ISRO, NASA