Labor Day Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 2-6 Sep 2022

Artemis 1 Launch Now Set for Saturday 3 September with Next Window Opening on 5 Sep

With predicted weather conditions 60% favorable, leaky propellant lines replaced / retorqued and faulty RS-25 engine temperature sensor identified, NASA is “Go” for launch of flagship Artemis 1 (SLS + Orion); Engine bleed cooldown schedule modified 30-45 minutes earlier than originally planned; 2-hour launch window opens 14:17 at KSC, ~400k spectators expected to view historic launch nearby while space / Moon explorers around the world will witness launch on NASA Live and track 37-day mission with Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW)

Pictured: SLS Chief Engineer John Blevins; Credits: NASA, @NASA_Orion

Friday / 2 Sept 2022

As Danuri Orbiter Approaches L1 Trajectory Correction, KARI Seeks Funding for 2031 Moon Lander

Nearing Lagrange Point 1, ~1.5 million km (0.01 AU) distant from Earth, Korea Aerospace Research Institute preparing to execute Trajectory Correction Maneuver 2 Sept (14:00 KST, 05:00 UTC) to propel 678-kg Danuri spacecraft away from Sun gravity towards Moon per fuel efficient ballistic lunar transfer protocol; Meanwhile KARI, led by (BR) Lee Sang-Ryool, reportedly requesting US$459M (₩618B) from South Korea government to support 1,800-kg Moon lander powered by solar & RTG, carrying 15-kg rover, to launch NET 2031 on next generation Nuri rocket

Credits: KARI, Korea Ministry of Culture

Wednesday / 24 Aug 2022

Several Lunar Businesses to Participate During NewSpace 2022 Conference in Seattle

Space Frontier Foundation continues annual NewSpace series with 49 speakers including dynamic Moon businesses & ventures: Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost contractor Paragon Space CEO (L-R) Grant Anderson; Xcraft interplanetary / lunar orbital vehicle builder Xplore of Seattle WA COO Lisa Rich; Breaking Ground trust lunar regolith contracted customer Orbit Fab CEO Daniel Faber; Ardoride spacecraft builder Momentus CTO Rob Schwarz (launching to Moon orbit NET 2024 with Qosmosys); Blue Origin, continuing to advance Blue Moon lander and lunar-hardened technology, will be represented by private Astronaut / keynote speaker Audrey Powers

Credits: SFF, Northrop Grumman

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Aug 2022

Artemis Program Getting New Director as Critics Sound Alarm on Need for Organizational Coherency

As directed by congress in NASA Authorization Act of 2022, the agency is to appoint Director of Moon to Mars office, responsible for development of “an integrated master plan, integrated master schedule, and integrated risk management procedures” and reporting to Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Administrator (T-B) Jim Free; Executive restructure comes amid stern warnings from prominent space community members to Politico, including NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Chair Patricia Sanders and AIAA Director Daniel Dumbacher; VP Kamala Harris to discuss “new rules framework” at National Space Council meeting 9 Sep

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 16 Aug 2022

CAPSTONE Team Celebrates 2022 Mission of the Year Award for Cislunar Orbital Pathfinder

AIAA Small Spacecraft Technical Committee honors Capstone at 36th SmallSat Conference in Utah; Partners on the <US$30M mission include Advanced Space / PI Bradley Cheetham, providing overall project management, Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (set to interface with LRO) and Ballistic Lunar Transfer / Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit trajectories; Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems (founded by Jordi Puig-Suari of Cal Poly, co-inventor of the CubeSat standard) and parent company Terran Orbital, who designed, built and operate 25kg, 12U Capstone; Stellar Exploration, manufacturer of hydrazine propulsion system; Launch provider Rocket Lab

Credits: AIAA SmSTC, 2022 SmallSat Conference, Advanced Space, Terran Orbital, Rocket Lab, Stellar exploration

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Aug 2022

Commercial and National Moon Mission Cadence to Continue Through 2022, Increase in 2023

Artemis 1 launching to Moon orbit NET 29 Aug with 10 rideshare cubesats, NASA test dummy Commander Moonikin Campos, DLR / ISA torso radiation ‘phantoms’ Helga & Zohar, mascots Snoopy & Shaun the Sheep; Race to landings led by ispace, aiming for Nov launch, Astrobotic working to launch NET Dec, seeking to acquire Masten assets with US$4.5M bid; Intuitive Machines striving for Jan 2023 followed by ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET Q1, JAXA SLIM NET March and Roscosmos Luna-25 NET September; Xplore of Redmond WA and Turkish Space Agency have also declared for uncrewed lunar orbit in 2023, SpaceX plans crewed dearMoon

Credits: Lockheed Martin, NASA, ispace, ESA

Friday / 12 Aug 2022

NASA Mega Moon Rocket Inaugural Flight Approaches as Astronaut Corps Trains for Lunar Orbit NET 2024

Long-awaited USA flagship spacecraft Artemis 1, comprised of $US23B+ Boeing / Northrop Grumman developed Space Launch System (SLS) and $20B+ / 4-crew Lockheed Martin Orion capsule slated to roll out to LC-39B at KSC 18 Aug ahead of 29 Aug launch to Moon; 42-day mission includes 4-day outbound phase, 6-day retrograde orbit; 5-m diameter, 186-piece AVCOAT heatshield must withstand 2,760°C while travelling 11 km/s upon reentry, a record for human-rated craft; “Any one of our 42 active astronauts is eligible” for Artemis 2/3 human Moon Missions, per Astronaut Office Chief Reid Wiseman

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 9 Aug 2022

KARI Prepares to Conduct Science Operations from Moon Orbit with KPLO, Considering Lunar Outpost

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is headed to 100-km polar orbit around Moon, powered by four 30-N Orbit Maneuver Thrusters on ~ 19-week journey; 6 science instruments include Gamma Ray Spectrometer to monitor y-ray emissions during trip / from lunar orbit within 10 keV to 10 MeV range; NASA ShadowCam based on LRO LROC with 800x sensitivity to map PSRs; Ministry of Science official Kwon Hyun-joon tells NYT Moon has “potential to act as a base for further deep space exploration”; 2nd stage of Korean Lunar Exploration Program to feature lunar orbiter / lander / rover launched from S Korea NLT 2030

Credits: KARI, SpaceX, Yonhap

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Aug 2022

Danuri and Capstone on Course Towards Lunar Orbit as Artemis 1 and Landers Prepare to Follow

Summer around Moon well underway with KARI KPLO Danuri joining NASA Capstone (operated by Advanced Space) on fuel efficient ballistic lunar transfer trajectory; Danuri expected to reach Moon orbit by 16 Dec, Capstone to arrive 13 Nov; NASA Artemis 1 (SLS megarocket + Orion crew capsule) to take direct 4-day trans-lunar injection route, rollout to KSC pad 39B anticipated 19 Aug, nominal launch date set for 29 Aug; ispace Hakuto-R targets launch to Lacus Somniorum ‘Lake of Dreams’ in Nov; Astrobotic Peregrine working towards Q4 launch to Lacus Mortis ‘Lake of Death’

Pictured: KARI Director Lee Sang-ryool, Advanced Space Capstone Program Manager Tom Gardner; Credits: KARI, Advanced Space, APRSAF

 

Friday / 5 Aug 2022

Astronomy from the Moon Presented at 31st IAU General Assembly in Busan, S. Korea

International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) to speak on the resumption of astrophysical investigation from the surface of Moon during Division A (Fundamental Astronomy) talk at 14:40 KST, just hours after Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Danuri set to launch at 8:08 KST; IM-1 carrying ILO-X to Moon NET Jan 2023 along with co-payload Radio Wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES); Future AFTM includes ILO-1 (NET 2024), LuSEE (2025), DAPPER, FARSIDE, Lunar Crater Radio Telescope

Credits: IAU, ILOA, NASA