Category Archives: Lunar Rovers

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 July 2023

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India Chandrayaan-3 Successful TLI Will Propel Craft to Join USA, PRC, S Korea in Cislunar Space; Soon Followed by Russia, Japan

Rounding out July ‘International Space / Moon Month’ is TransLunar Injection (18:30-19:30 UTC 31 July / 00:00-01:00 IST 1 August) planned for Chandrayaan-3, setting it on course for lunar orbit, lander / propulsion-module separation 17 Aug, lunar touchdown 23 Aug; Luna-25 and SLIM landers may be on track for NET 10 Aug and 26 Aug respectively, while commercial Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines hope for 2023 launches; Continually operating are: landers CE-3 & CE-4, rover Yutu-2, and orbiters LRO, ARTEMIS P1 & P2, CE-4 Queqiao, Chandrayaan-2, CE-5-T1 Service Module, CAPSTONE & Danuri

Credits: NASA, CNSA, KARI, ISRO, Advanced Space

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

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

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Jan 2023

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CNSA Continues Exploration and Science on the Surface of Moon as Phase 4 of Chang’E Program to Begin NET 2024

Chang’e-4 Moon Lander and Yutu-2 (‘Jade Rabbit’) rover are again busy gathering data / traversing the lunar surface following 16 and 15 Jan activation commands marking start of their 51st lunar day (equivalent to 1,479 Earth days); Yutu-2 has traveled 1,455-m; As Queqiao (‘Magpie Bridge’) replay satellite nears end of 5-year mission life in June, Queqiao-2 with 8-year lifespan being prepared for launch in early 2024, an essential communication link for farside SPA sample-return mission Chang’E-6 NET 2024, MSP CE-7 NET 2026, and CE-8 NET 2028

Pictured: Chang’E-7 Deputy Chief Designer Tang Yuhua (T), CLEP Phase 3 Deputy Chief Designer Li Chunlai (B); Credits: CNSA / CLEP, CCTV via Inside Outer Space, IAF

Tuesday / 24 Jan 2023

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JAXA Tests Skills of Astronaut Candidates in Lunar Simulation with Eye Towards Artemis Surface Missions NET 2025

2 woman and 8 men (out of 919 and 3,208 respective applicants) awaiting JAXA new astronaut class selection following final testing of rover / EVA aptitude in Space Exploration Field, a 400m2 lunar training replica containing 425,000 kg of silica sand (SiO2) within Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center at JAXA Sagamihara Campus; 2023 class of Japan Astronauts to be first including women since 1999 group, may also include candidates lacking formal postsecondary education; Space tourists Yusaku Maezawa and Steve Aoki may make lunar flyby on SpaceX Starship with #dearMoon NET 2023

Pictured: Exploration Hub Director Ikkoh Funaki, 2009 JAXA astronaut group; Credits: JAXA, @Astro_Wakata

 

Friday / 16 Dec 2022

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Hakuto-R Lander en Route to Moon as ispace Mission Control Works to Check Out Commercial Payloads

ispace Mission 1 is progressing nominally, with Hakuto-R spacecraft now ~550,000 km from Earth on low-energy cislunar transfer trajectory following completion of first orbit control maneuver – milestone 4 in mission profile; Milestone 3 partially complete with communications and data transfer of 2 Earth images (1 taken by Canadensys camera, 1 by ispace camera) accomplished while payload checks are ongoing; Hakuto-R is to cruise for ~1 month, reaching a distance of 1,400,000 km by 20 January, at which time another maneuver will begin 2-3 month return to lunar orbit

Credits: ispace, Canadensys

Tuesday / 13 Dec 2022

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ispace Hoping to Spark ‘Vibrant Economic System’ on Moon with First Commercial Lunar Landing

HAKUTO-R Mission 1 team preparing to execute first orbital control maneuver putting M1 on low-energy ballistic transfer following successful 11 Dec launch and subsequent attainment of attitude and power supply stability; 35-m ESA antenna in New Norcia, Australia tracking M1, other Estrack / Goonhilly stations to monitor lander as it progresses into deep space; ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada heralds beginning of “sustainable ecosystem” and “growing this industry together with [competitors]”; ispace targeting Atlas Crater (47.5°N, 44.4°E) NET 25 April; Rideshare JPL Lunar Flashlight on route to DRHO around Moon

Credits: ispace, SpaceX, Twitter, NASA

Friday / 9 Dec 2022

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Peregrine Testing Advances, Astrobotic Joins Blue Origin-led Sustaining Lunar Development Team

Astrobotic Peregrine 120-kg payload class (35 kg dedicated commercial) lunar lander currently undergoing electromagnetic compatibility / interference testing at 32-acre Dayton T. Brown lab with thermal vacuum testing to follow; Aerotech Inc to integrate Peregrine into payload fairing of ULA Vulcan Centaur at CCSFS; PM1 reportedly launching first half of 2023 to either Lacus Mortis (45.13°N, 27.32°E) or Gruithuisen Domes (36.56°N, 40.72°W); Astrobotic now member of ‘National Team’ vying for NASA SLD human / cargo lander (uncrewed demo NET 2026) contract with Blue Origin, Draper, Honeybee, Boeing, Lockheed Martin

Credits: Astrobotic, Blue Origin, NASA

Tuesday / 29 Nov 2022

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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