Category Archives: India

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 23-27 Nov 2017

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Lunar Interests / Plans Accelerate Globally

Moon Village Association / ESA Records Progress At ISU In Strasbourg, France; US National Space Council Working Scenarios For 3-7 Year Human Moon Return; India Early 2018 Chandrayaan-2 Moon South Pole Touchdown Could Startle Global Space Communities; China Expanding Astronomy From The Moon Activities With Chang’e-4 VLF Payloads And Technology; India-Japan Announce Lunar Sample Return Collaboration; Canada Space Agency LEAD Project To Support International HERACLES Moon South Pole Mission Concept; Prospective Candidates For ‘First Woman On The Moon’ Rising

 Credits: ESA/ Foster + Partners, WH.gov, ISRO, CAST, JAXA, SPC / ILOA, CSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Oct 2017

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India Chandrayaan-2 Pioneering
Moon South Pole

ISRO Confirms Q1 2018 Plan To Deploy Orbiter, Attempt Lunar South Pole Touchdown With Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Project Director Mylswamy Annadurai States Specific Landing Site Is Not Yet Determined, Total Mission Cost US$93M, Lift-off Mass 3,250 kg; First Mission Ever To New Frontier Moon South Pole And India 2nd Mission To Moon Could Prove To Be Game Changer For Lunar Base Build Out, Resource Prospecting, Science, Energy / Technology Advancements; Payloads On-board Lander Include Thermal Sensors For Temperature, And RAMBHA To Measure Near-Surface Plasma & Its Changes

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 Oct 2017

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Busiest Year For Moon Landings Since 1970s:
2018 India And China Lunar Lander Plans

India Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Rover & Orbiter Expected To Launch To Moon Polar Region March 2018 On GSLV Mk 2; China Chang’e-3 Lander Still Operating On Moon Surface Could See CE-4 Orbiter May-Jun 2018, Followed By Lander / Rover In Oct To Far Side, And CE-5 Sample Return Mission To NW Near-Side Before End Of 2018; New Chapter In Commercial Space For India, GLXP Team Indus Carrying Japan Team Hakuto Planning To Launch On PSLV Early 2018 To Attempt Moon Landing; Enterprises Moon Express, Synergy Moon, SpaceIL Also Working To Win GLXP With Mission Completion Deadline Set Mar 31, 2018

Credits: ISRO, CNSA, NAOC, CAS, ME, GLXP, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 July 2017

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India Rising Lunar Future With PSLV Team Indus Launch, GSLV Chandrayaan-2 Launch

Dramatically Boosting India Lunar Profile Early 2018, GLXP Team Indus Preparing To Launch 1st Commercial Lander & Rover To Moon (With Japan Team Hakuto Rovers) On India PSLV 28 Dec For Soft Landing At Mare Imbrium 26 Jan 2018; ISRO 2nd Moon Mission Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Rover, Orbiter Poised For Early 2018 GSLV Mk. 2 Launch Likely To Moon South Pole (Chandrayann-1 Impactor Hit South Pole 2008); India 20th Century Pioneering Visionaries Passing On ~ Ad Astra Farewell To Prof U. R. Rao And Yash Pal; APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Being Inaugurated By Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Credits: ISRO, Team Indus

USA Independence Day Edition
Fri-Tue / 30 June – 4 July 2017

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Human 2020 Return To Moon Also Supported By Stephen Hawking

First Women / Americans On Moon As Soon As 2020 Is Within Reach – Advances Made By SpaceX On Falcon Heavy, Dragon Crew & Interplanetary Transportation System, Blue Origin New Glenn, New Shepard & New Armstrong, Bigelow Lunar Inflatable Habitats, Moon Express And Astrobotic Lunar Landers, NASA SLS / Orion And New Astronaut Class With 5 Women & 7 Men; Returning “In Peace For All” To Reclaim Greatest American / Human Advance Is Vital For Long-Term Survival And First Step To Launching Into Solar System And Galaxy; Stephen Hawking States Countries Should Collaborate To Build Moon Settlement Within 30 Years; NASA, ESA, China, India, Russia, Canada And Others Support Moon Base Construct – Focusing On Moon South Pole New Frontier To Utilize Materials And Energy; The Time To Achieve Pioneering 21st Century Return To Moon To Solidify Multi World Species Status Is Now

Credits: NASA, N. Moeller, Space Age Publishing Company, Behrokh Khoshnevis

Inauguration Month Edition
January 2017

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Human Moon Lander Imperative, 2020-2025:
To Enable 21st Century Solar System Complete

2018 SLS / Orion EM-1 First Mission Planned For Cislunar Capability Signals Opportunity For Human Lunar Lander Enterprise And Development; American Independents Such As Golden Spike, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Shackleton Energy, Canadensys, ILOA, As Well As Blue Origin, SpaceX, Bigelow Among Others, May Collaborate Through Public-Private Partnerships Bi-Nationally, Multi-Nationally With Canada, China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Japan, Russia, USA, And Other Nations Globally; American And International Space Community May Welcome Progressive, Constructive Initiatives From New U.S. President And Administration, While Remaining Vigilant Against Regression; New U.S. President Could Enable Humanity To Reestablish And Advance Itself As Multi World Species, With Women, Men On The Moon And 21st Century “Stretch Goal”

Credits: SPC, ILOA, NASA, Space Dev

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 January 2017

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China And India Next-Gen Moon Missions, Planning For Mars, Venus, Jupiter

China CE-5 Sample Return Mission To Launch Late 2017; CE-4 Orbiter To Support Moon South Pole / Far Side Aitken Basin Lander & Rover Mission Launching 2018; Chief Lunar Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan Says Precise Lunar Digital Map And 4.36 x 2.2 Meter Drawing To Be Finished 2018, Released 2020; First China Mars Probe Expected 2020, Jupiter Exploration To Follow; India Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter, Lander & Rover Likely 2018 For Polar Mission To Study Atmosphere, Temperature, Plasma Environment; ISRO Associate Director M. N. Rao Says Its Planning Cost Effective Jupiter & Venus Missions, Analyzing Satellites & Rockets Needed; Mars Orbiter 2 To Launch 2018; Team Indus To Launch Two Lunar Rovers On PSLV Late 2017

Credits: ISRO, CAS, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 November 2016

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India Chandrayaan-2 Landing Tests Underway For 2017-18 Lunar Mission, Possibly To Moon South Pole

chandrayaan2

ISRO Performing Chandrayaan-2 Ground & Aerial Tests At Challakere “Science City” Site With 10 Craters Simulating Lunar Surface ~400 km From Bengaluru; ISRO Satellite Center & Chandrayaan-1 Project Director M. Annadurai States Sensors, Avionics, Electronics, Lander Legs, 8 Throttleable Engines To Be Tested Through March 2017, Followed By Full Combined Test; GSLV Mk 2 To Launch Orbiter Carrying 1,250 kg Lander & Rover End 2017 Or Early 2018; India 2nd Moon Mission, Chandrayaan-2 Destination May Be Moon South Pole / Malapert Mountain, Which Could Make India 1st To Land In & Explore New Frontier

Credits: ISRO, The Hindu

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 Oct 2016

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 Schrödinger Basin @ Moon South Pole Gives Clues To Earth Chicxulub Crater & Solar System Evolution

lunar-and-earth-craters

Study Using NASA LRO & ISRO Chandrayaan-1 Remote Sensing Data Shows Similarities, Including Peak Rings, Between Moon 312-km Diameter Schrödinger Basin & Earth 180-km Chicxulub Crater (Impact Thought To Have Killed Dinosaurs ~66 Million Years Ago); Head Researcher David Kring Explains Impact On Moon Created In An Hour Able To Be Studied Because Of Clearly Visible, Preserved State, Whereas Impact On Earth Created In Just Minutes (Due To Higher Gravity) Is Hard To Study Lying Underneath Yucatán Peninsula & Half Submerged In Ocean; Moon South Pole Remains High Priority For Research, Exploration

Credits: NASA, Detlev Van, Ravenswaay / Science Source

Friday / 9 September 2016

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India GSLV Mk 2, May Take Chandrayaan-2 To New Frontier Moon South Pole, Performs 3rd Successful Flight

gslv-chandrayaan2

During 1-2 Sep Meetings With ILOA, Former ISRO Chair Prof UR Rao (L) Confirms Likelihood That Chandrayaan-2 Is Destined To Open Moon South Pole / Malapert Mountain New Frontier, Launching 1st Half 2018 With Lander, Rover, Orbiter; GSLV Mk 2 With Indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage Proving Its Reliability With 8 Sep 16:50 Launch, Boosting India Capability / Launch Independence; 3 Future Flights Planned: SAARC Satellite End 2016 / Beginning 2017, GSAT-9 Satellite May 2017, Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission Early / 1st Half 2018; GSLV Mk 3 Expected To Carry Human Missions

Also Pictured: ISRO Chairman Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar

Credit: ILOA, ISRO