Category Archives: International Cooperation

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 June 2023

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India Aims for the Moon with Chandrayaan-3 and Artemis / Technology Partnership with USA

Chandrayaan-3 awaiting 8-day launch window opening 12 July at Satish Dhawan Space Centre / landing attempt at 4 x 2.4 km landing area at 69.367621°S, 32.348126°E; Science payloads to be utilized over 1-lunar day mission include Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) to characterize near surface lunar plasma; India to enhance lunar & space capabilities via Artemis membership and steps outlined in New Technology Partnership for the Future section of document issued by White House, which calls for facilitation of technology transfer and export control reform

Pictured (L-R): U.S. State Dept Deputy Assistant Secretary for India Nancy Jackson, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, India Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Sandhu, ISRO representative Krunal Joshi; Credits: NASA, ISRO
 

Friday / 21 April 2023

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ISRO and Moon Village Association Holding Chandrayaan-3 Student Outreach Video Contest

Under theme Importance of Chandrayaan-3 Mission for India and the Global Moon Exploration and Settlement, in honor of former Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S. Ramakrishnan (L), students around the world in 2 age groups (13-17 / 18-21) are invited to submit 2-3 minute videos accompanied by a transcript and 150-word biography in English; Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be given within both categories, with Golds receiving free entry to 7th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium 6-10 Dec in Kurashiki and Tottori, Japan; Submissions due 31 May

Pictured: ISRO Director of Capacity Building and Public Outreach Sudheer Kumar (M),
MVA President Giuseppe Reibaldi (R); Credits: MVA, ISRO, IAF

Tuesday / 28 March 2023

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Institute on Space Law & Ethics to Consider Moral Theory for Off-Earth International Conflict Resolution

Space heritage preservation organization For All Moonkind (FAM) to engage legal and philosophical issues around human activity, resource utilization and hostilities with newly launched institute; President (L-R) Michelle Hanlon of UMiss Air and Space Law cites recent use of commercial Earth observation in the Russia-Ukraine War as highlighting need for ethical investigation and understanding; SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell has spoken on non-weaponization of Starlink; FAM Institute on Space Law & Ethics cofounders include Dan Hawk of United First Nations Planetary Defense, Space Analyst Namrata Goswami, SETI scientist John Rummel

Credits: For All Moonkind Institute on Space Law and Ethics, LinkedIn, NASA

Friday / 24 March 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 on Track for Mid-Year Launch, ISRO Chief Adamant on Precision Landing Near Manzinus Craters

Speaking at 3-day Indian Planetary Science Conference (IPSC) at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad attended by ~225 delegates, ISRO Chairman S Somanath identifies precision landing near 70.83°S, 22.67°E as “primary objective” of Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission, adding that science objectives will remain largely similar to those of failed Chandrayaan-2 (study and mapping of lunar resources especially hydroxyl / water ice); Somanath also indicated ISRO-JAXA joint mission dubbed ‘LUPEX’ may proceed, Shukrayaan-1 Venus mission to launch NET 2028, and “meaningful” science rational for Gaganyaan human spaceflight program must be developed

Credits: ISRO

Tuesday / 21 March 2023

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Australia / International Space Companies to Develop 2 Rover Prototypes for Moon to Mars Trailblazer Initiative

Launching to Moon NET 2026, Trailblazer rover program supported by commerce-centered Australian Space Agency with Stage 1 awards of AU$5M (US$2.7) to 2 industry consortia: AROSE led by Fugro (NL) / Nova Systems (AU) and group led by EPE (AU) / Lunar Outpost Oceania, subsidiary of Lunar Outpost (USA) with support from CO School of Mines, Saber Astronautics (AU); Coinciding with the announcement, NASA Administrator Nelson and Deputy Melroy tour Australia this week with stops at ASA HQ in Adelaide, Parliament House & National Press Club 23 March

Pictured: L-R: EPE Director Ben Sorensen, ASA Head Enrico Palermo, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Deputy Director Pamela Melroy, ASA Chair Megan Clark, ASA CTO Aude Vignelles, Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus Credits: EPE

Friday / 3 Feb 2023

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India and USA Advance Cooperation on Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Spaceflight, Space Science

Several areas of space collaboration between nations to be nurtured following first meeting of U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in Washington DC: CLPS providers to meet with India commercial space companies to identify partnership opportunities; Astronaut exchange will see an ISRO astronaut undergoing training at JSC; Purview of Professional Engineer & Scientist Exchange Program to include space science; U.S. Commerce and India Space departments to lead commercial working group; iCET to solidify details at next meeting in New Delhi within 2023

Pictured: USA National Security Advisor Jacob Sullivan, India National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister Ajay Kumar Sood, ISRO Chairman S Somanath; Credits: @IndianEmbassyUS via Twitter

Friday / 13 Jan 2022

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ShadowCam Mapping of Perennially Dark Regions on Moon Begins with Shackleton Crater

2,040-m wide area of the interior of Shackleton Crater (89.9°S, 0.0°E) is first light for ShadowCam instrument on Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Danuri; Based on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Narrow Angle Camera with 200x light-gathering ability (equivalent to an increase from ISO 100 to 12,800), ShadowCam is a product of San Diego-based company Malin Space Science Systems operated by Arizona State University for NASA; 1.7 m/pixel resolution images to aid in water ice prospecting, landing site analysis for Artemis 3 human landings NET 2025 and KARI indigenous lander mission NET 2032

Credits: KARI, NASA

Tuesday / 10 Jan 2022

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Radio Astronomy from the Moon Initiatives Progressing via NASA NIAC, Preliminary Missions Scheduled Through 2025

CLPS Science 3 delivery to Moon farside to be 9th in program NET 2025 by TBD lander provider; CS-3 payload LuSEE-Night to observe radio frequencies <50MHz, 21-cm big bang signals via spectroscopy; Also launching NET 2025 is CLPS PRISM-12 with LuSEE-Lite precursor on Draper Series 2 lander; IM-1 mission to carry Radio-wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES) NET March; Mega structure radio observatory concept LCRT receiving support via NIAC, FARSIDE may partner with Blue Origin, Farview working with Lunar Resources; Open Lunar study with SGAC suggests ‘single international radio observatory’ be planned to preserve lunar radio-quiet

Pictured: FARSIDE PI Jack Burns, ROLSES PI Natchimuthuk Gopalswamy, LCRT PI Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, LuSEE PI Stuart Bale; Credits: NASA, UC Boulder, UC Berkeley, Vladimir Vustyanky / JPL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Jan 2022

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A Host of Robotic Moon Landings in 2023 to Precede New Era of Human Lunar Orbital Missions

Artemis Age of lunar exploration will continue full-steam in coming year with NASA CLPS lander missions from Intuitive Machines (IM-1) and Astrobotic (PM1) targeting Q1 launch followed by JAXA SLIM NET April, ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET June, Roscosomos Luna-25 NET July; SpaceX aims to send 9 passengers on lunar flyby on Starship dearMoon by EOY; NASA working towards Artemis-2 mission launching NET May 2024 with 4-member crew (3 USA, 1 Canada) to be announced soon; Meanwhile ispace Hakuto-R expected to join 9 international orbiters NET April; 4 Artemis-1 CubeSats in vicinity

Credits: NASA, JAXA, Lockheed Martin, Tyvak

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 Dec 2022

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KPLO ‘Danuri’ Begins Lunar Orbit Insertion Process, Joining Capstone, Artemis 1 CubeSats, Chandrayaan-2, ARTEMIS-P1 / P2, LRO

Cislunar spacecraft are now joined by 678-kg wet / 418-kg dry Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Danuri following first orbital insertion burn and near 100-km perilune 16 Dec at ~17:53 UTC (17 Dec 02:52 KST); 4 lunar orbit insertion maneuvers over the next 12 days are to deliver Danuri to a 100 x 100km polar (90°) inclination orbit where it will circle Luna 12x per Earth-day utilizing 6 science payloads including ASU ShadowCam for nominal 1-year on-orbit mission duration; 35-m Korea Deep Space Antenna in Yeoju, S. Korea providing tracking and comms

Credits: KARI