Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Tuesday / 6 Dec 2022

Posted on by

ispace HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Reportedly Launching on Falcon 9 Wednesday Morning from CCSFS

A leading contender in an increasingly crowded race to the first commercial Moon landing, ispace of Tokyo, hopes to launch Mission 1, first in HAKUTO-R (White Rabbit) series of lunar missions, on 7 Dec at 3:04 EST from SLC-40 via SpaceX F9, accompanied by JPL Lunar Flashlight CubeSat; The 340-kg dry / 1,000-kg wet M1 lander has payload capacity of 30 kg, to carry an array of international payloads including rovers from UAE and Japan; While launch was delayed by SpaceX for launch vehicle inspection, ispace plans “no major operational changes”, nominal landing in late April 2023

 Pictured: ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, CTO Ryo Ujiie, CFO Jumpei Nozaki, CRO Atsushi Saiki; Credits: ispace, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 Dec 2022

Posted on by

Wave of Independent Moon Missions to Trail Artemis 1, Followed by National Efforts, Then Another Raft of Indies

As NASA / ESA Orion Moonship returns to Earth, Advanced Space-controlled, Tyvak-built, NASA-funded Capstone remains in NRHO and Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Danuri on course to reach Moon orbit 16 Dec, planned commercial missions include ispace M1 awaiting SpaceX launch at KSC pending F9 review; Intuitive Machines IM-1 March 2023; Astrobotic PM1 Q1 2023; Followed by national missions from JAXA (SLIM, April 2023), ISRO (Chandrayaan-3, June 2023), Roscosmos (Luna-25, July 2023); Independents IM-2 (late 2023), SpaceX landing demo mission (2024), IM-3 (Q2 2024), Astrobotic GM1 (Nov 2024)

 Credits: NASA, ISRO, KARI, IM, SpaceX, Astrobotic,

Tuesday / 29 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Japan Focuses on Moon with OMOTENASHI and EQUULEUS in Cislunar Space, ispace M1 Launching to Luna Surface

Despite 6U CubeSat OMOTENASHI ‘semi-hard impact’ failure, JAXA team led by Tatsuaki Hashimoto still working to reestablish communications and carry out testing in lunar orbit around March, at which time solar panels will be oriented towards Sun; Meanwhile fellow Artemis rideshare EQUULEUS, powered by 6-water thruster AQUARIUS propulsion system, on 18-month route to Earth-Moon L2 following 5,550-km lunar flyby / imaging; ispace expected to launch Hakuto-R lander via SpaceX F9 on Nov 30 with landing within Mare Frigoris (56°N, 1.4°E) in April-May 2023

 Credits: NASA, JAXA

Thanksgiving Holiday Edition
Wed-Mon / 23-28 Nov 2022

Posted on by

8 International Lunar Missions May Follow Artemis 1, Capstone, Danuri in Remainder of 2022 and 2023

As Artemis Orion spacecraft occupies cislunar distant retrograde orbit (130 x 64,000 km) with splashdown expected 11 Dec, NASA Capstone tests cislunar near rectilinear halo orbit (1,600 x 70,000 km) and KARI Danuri on course to reach 100km lunar orbit 16 Dec, numerous global efforts work to follow with ispace M1 launching NET 29 Nov 2022; Throughout 2023: Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One NET Q1, Intuitive Machines IM-1 NET March, JAXA SLIM NET April, ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET June, Roscosmos Luna-25 NET July; IM-2 and Turkish Space Agency AYAP-1 aim for late 2023

Credits: NASA, KARI, Astrobotic, IM, JAXA, ISRO, TSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Cislunar R&D: Antarctica Peace Treaty May Serve as Model for International Cislunar Activity

Peaceful use norms regulated by Antarctic Treaty Secretariat in Buenos Aires, Argentina may be useful example as Cislunar Technology Strategy Interagency Working Group of USA OSTP predicts human activity in cislunar space over coming decade ≥ all previous since 1957, issues 4 main guidelines in National Cislunar S&T Strategy: support for long-term growth, international cooperation, space situational awareness and comms / PNT; JHAPL issues advice for Cislunar Security; AFRL Cislunar Highway Patrol Satellite now ‘Oracle’ to be operated by Advanced Space near Earth-Moon L1 under US$72M contract

Pictured: (Clockwise) OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar, Assistant Director Matthew Daniels, Policy Fellow Kathrine Bretl, Acting Executive Director Kei Koizumi; Credits: OSTP, NASA, LinkedIn, Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Apollo 11 ‘Peace For All’ Ethic Observed Around the World as Veterans, Remembrance, Armistice Day 11 Nov

“We came in peace for all mankind” reads inscription left on plaque mounted between 3rd and 4th rung of Lunar Module Eagle within Moon Sea of Tranquility (0.67°N, 23.47°E), words inspired by first Congressional Declaration of Policy and Purpose of the National Aeronautics and Space Act, updated in 2010 to read “Devotion of Space Activities to Peaceful Purposes for Benefit of All Humankind”; Celebrated as Veterans Day in USA, Remembrance Day in Commonwealth Nations and Armistice Day in France and other nations, 11 Nov is an appropriate date to meditate on importance of peaceful off-world exploration

Credits: NASA

Friday / 11 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Japan Authorizes ispace to Prospect on Moon During HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Launching NET Nov 22

First license under Japan Space Resources Act now held by ispace, which is set to lead wave of commercial Moon landing activity with M1, currently awaiting launch opportunity via SpaceX F9 at KSC SLC-40 to ~3-month low energy transfer, landing at Lacus Somniorum (37.56° N, 30.8° E) on Moon; ispace plans to collect and sell lunar regolith ‘in place’ to NASA during M1 under US$5,000 contract; CEO Takeshi Hakamada says “Space resource utilization is another step toward our goal of establishing the cislunar economy” in release

Pictured: ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, Japan Minister of State for Space Policy Sanae Takaichi; Credits: ispace, Twitter, PM Office of Japan

Friday / 4 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Astrobotic PM1 Advances with Precision Landing Validation as BE-4 Engines Being Integrated on Vulcan Centaur

100-km test flight of Optical Precision Autonomous Landing system aboard King Air B200 twin turboprop confirms functionality 9 km above mountainous northern region of Mojave Desert analogous to lunar surface while providing Astrobotic with data to be utilized for US$79.5M Peregrine Mission 1 to Lacus Mortis (NET Q1 2023) and $320.4M Griffin Mission One to Nobile Crater (NET Nov 2024); Meanwhile Blue Origin working with ULA to complete Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle with BE-4 LNG / LOX (“methalox”) engines at Decatur, Alabama ULA facility

Credits: Astrobotic, ULA

Tuesday / 1 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Lunar Flashlight to Prospect for Water on Moon, Launch with ispace Mission-1 NET 22 November

Utilizing 4 shortwave IR lasers (1.064, 1.495, 1.85, 1.99 μm) and indium gallium arsenide spectrometer, 6U / 14kg Lunar Flashlight 2-month nominal cubesat mission led by PI Barbara Cohen of NASA GSFC to search for water ice hidden within permanently shadowed regions on Moon from 15 x 70,000 km elliptical near-rectilinear polar orbit with ~6 day period; Lunar Flashlight now launching with Hakuto-R M1, which has arrived at KSC for launch on SpaceX F9 NET 22 Nov carrying UAE Rashid rover, Canadensys-built 360° cameras, JAXA spheroid robot

Credits: NASA, ispace, Wikipedia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 Oct 2022

Posted on by

NASA Economic Impact Study Shows US$71.2B Effect on Output, NASA OTPS Issues Lunar Exploration Policy Recommendations

While NASA itself employs some 19,000+ civil servants, its operations support an estimated 339,600 jobs nationally, per Economic Impact Report generated by IMPLAN modeling software, compiled by researchers at Voorhees Center in Chicago; Study estimates 1,000,000+ people in 90 nations employed in $469B global space industry; Lunar Landing and Operations Policy Analysis issued by Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy identifies 7 lunar challenges / mitigation approaches: Landings, Surface Operations, Surface Movement, Radio-Frequency Interference, Areas with Special Characteristics, Unexpected Activities and Human Heritage Protection

 

Pictured: (TL-TR) Amanda Hernandez, Gabriel Swiney (NASA OTPS), (BL-BR) Yittayih Zelalem, Joshua Drucker, Zafer Sonmez (Voorhees Center); Credits: NASA, NSS, LinkedIn