Tuesday / 19 Jan 2021

‘Lunar Resources’ Enterprise Details Plans To Support Artemis Buildout And AFTM

Space Manufacturing Forays Largely Focusing On Thin Layer Additive Processes, Taking Advantage Of Vacuum In LEO And In-Situ Oxygen Refining From Mineral Oxides Abundant In Lunar Maria / Highlands; Lunar Resources Principals Alex Ignatiev (R) and Ronald Polidan (L) Aim To Marry These Initiatives On Lunar Surface, With 3 Major Infrastructure Planks: Magma, Whereby Molten Regolith Electrolysis Produces Raw Building Material; FarView, Construction Of Far Side Low-Frequency Radio Observatory, Championed By Jack Burns; And 1MW, Powering Settlement With ~450kW Within 1 Year, 1 Mega-Watt By 2030

Credits: Lunar Resources, ISDC

Friday / 6 Nov 2020

Canada Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program Announces New Opportunities, US$2.5M Awards

Canadian Space Agency LEAP Offering Capability Demonstration Funds From US$115M / 5-year Allocation; Projects Intended To Display Canada-Produced Technology Useful To International Artemis Partnership; $1.9M Already Granted To Canadensys Aerospace Of Ontario For Development And Deployment Of 360° Panoramic Lunar Surface Imager, $644,000 Awarded To NGC Aerospace For GNSS-style Moon Network Which Will Aid Precision Landing, Both Are Expected To Launch NLT April 2024; Upcoming LEAP Cycles 3 And 4 (Due 26 Feb And 27 Aug 2021, Respectively) Are To Distribute Up To $3.1M/Each

Pictured: CSA President Lisa Campbell; Credits: CSA, CSYS, NGC, NASA

Tuesday / 20 Oct 2020

Lunar Human Science Objectives & Artemis Accords Jurisprudence Are Subjects Of 22 Oct Meetings

Artemis III Science Definition Team To Present Findings Of Report On 2024 Human Moon Mission Priorities Including Planetary Processes, Lunar Volatiles, Earth-Moon Impact History, Risks, Astronomical / Solar Record And ‘Observing Universe And Local Space Environment From Unique Location’ At LPI  Virtual Town Hall 12:00-14:00 EDT; Space Court Foundation Holds Meeting On Coming Space Law Realities, Moderated By (T-B) Daniel Porras Of SWF, Featuring Cassandra Steer Of ANU InSpace, Mike Gold Of NASA International / Interagency Relations At Online Event Starting 13:00 EDT

Credits: NASA, LPI, Space Court Foundation

Tuesday / 6 Oct 2020

USA To Explore Radio Astronomy From The Moon Starting 2021

Intent On Gathering Data Relevant To Primordial Cosmology, Future Lunar-Based Astronomy Missions Were Presented By CU Boulder Professor Jack Burns At LEAG 2020: ROLSES, Set To Land On Moon In Oct 2021 As Part Of CLPS Carrier Intuitive Machines Nova-C Science Payload, Will Monitor 10 kHz – 10 MHz Spectrum With Antennae At 1 & 2 m Above Lunar Surface, Testing Response; LuSEE In 2024 Will Measure Electromagnetic Fields On Farside; DAPPER Orbiter Aims For 2025 And 10-km Diameter FARSIDE In Planning Stages Would Have Major SETI Potential

Credits: CU, NASA, JPL, ESO, Jack Burns

Tuesday / 29 Sep 2020

United Arab Emirates Announces Lunar Mission And Other Space Goals

UAE Vice President / Ruler Of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid (L) Declares 10-Year (2021-2031) Plan Of National Space Program Just Over 1 Year After First UAE Citizen Reached Space / ISS; US$6B Plan Includes Emirates Moon Exploration Project – A 2024 Lunar Mission “With National Competencies”, Astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri (R) And Reserve Candidate Sultan Al Neyadi Are Currently Students At JSC NASA Astronaut Candidate Training Program, With Another Pair From UAE Also To Join 2021 Class – Indicating Possible Artemis Ambitions; Earth Observation And Mars Hope Probe Also Emphasized

Credits: Dubai Media Office, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Twitter, JAXA

Friday / 25 Sep 2020

Cis-Lunar Exploration, Science, Security Are Focus Of NASA – USSF MoU

New Agreement Signed Sep 21 Supersedes Prior MoU Between USAF / NASA; Document Notes Realm Of USA Space Activity In Process Of Expansion From Geostationary (35,785 km) To Cis-Lunar (437,741 km), Increasing ‘Space Domain Awareness’ Mandate 1000x; Rationale For Cooperation Based On Mutual Planetary Defense Objectives Such As Meeting Goal Of Detection / Characterization Of 90% Of All NEOs <8,046,720 km From Earth By End Of 2020 Through e.g. Shared Use Of USSF Space Surveillance Telescope; Areas Of Cooperation Identified Include Communications, Navigation, Manufacture, Logistics, Recruitment, Launch Support, Search / Rescue

Credits: NASA, USSF

Friday / 11 Sep 2020

New NASA Patented Route To Moon For Small Craft Will Reduce Costs, Flight Time To 2.5 Months

Orbital Maneuvers Patent (#10696423) Published 30 June Grants Intellectual Property Rights To NASA For Innovative Lunar Trajectory Which Could Allow Smaller Craft, Such As Dark Ages Polarimeter Pathfinder (Dapper), To Reach Moon Faster With Less Fuel, And Avoid Van Allen Belts Radiation; Led By CU Boulder PI Jack Burns, US$150M Dapper Mission Contained In 80-cm Bradford Explorer Bus, Could Be First To Take New Path In 2024; Mission Will Record Low Frequency Radio Waves Emitted During “Dark Ages” Earliest Epochs Of Universe, Perhaps Give Insight Into Dark Matter 

Credits: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Jack Burns, CU Boulder, Business Insider, Jeff Steck

Friday / 28 Aug 2020

Lunar Ice Deposits May Be In Jeopardy Of Contamination From Lander Exhaust

Ancient Lunar Ice, Possibly Trapped In Permanently Shadowed Craters For Billions Of Years, May Offer Insight Into Origin Of Water In Solar System; Johns Hopkins / UT-Austin Study Warns Computer Simulations Show Exhaust From 1,200-kg Lunar Lander, Approximately The Size Of CLPS Vessels Peregrine (Astrobotic) And Nova-C (Intuitive Machines) Set To Launch In Second Half Of 2021, Would Cause 30-40% Of Lander Vapor To Remain 2 Months Later, Creating Anthropogenic Atmosphere, With 20% Eventually Solidifying Around Poles

Pictured: Study Authors (T-B) Parvathy Prem, Dana Hurley, Philip Varghese
Credits: JHU, UT-Austin, NASA, Masten, IM, Astrobotic

Tuesday / 25 Aug 2020

2-Crew Artemis III South Pole Mission Lunar Science Ideas Solicited 

NASA Science Mission Directorate Planetary Science Division, Led By (L) Lori Glaze, Forming Science Definition Team To Prioritize Lunar Science To Be Conducted By Artemis III Crew At Undetermined Site Within 6 Degrees Of Moon South Pole; RFP For 2-Page White Paper For Human Moon Surface Science Ideas To Be Integrated With Aggregated Recommendations From Lunar Exploration Analysis Group / Decadal Survey Publications; NASA Planetary Scientist Sarah Noble Is Lead On Vetting Submissions Via USRA Portal, Due 17:00 CDT 8 September

Credits: NASA, Twitter

Friday / 17 July 2020

NASA JPL Miniaturized Payload Concept Contest Advances Lunar Exploration Technology

Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Awards US$160K Through ‘Honey I Shrunk The Payload’ Competition; Design Parameters Constrain Surface Probes To Mass Of 0.4kg, Physical Dimensions Of 100mm x 100mm x 50mm; 14 International Teams And Individuals Selected From 132 Entries; Team Sun Slicers Led By Phil Jobson Takes Lunar Environment Category 1st Place ($30K) For XRAY Spectrometer, Puli Space Technologies Led By (L-R) David Lucsanyi And Tibor Pacher Wins 1st In Resource Potential Category For Lunar Water Snooper ($30K); Crowdsourcing Platform HeroX, Created By Peter Diamandis, Utilized Throughout Contest

Credits: NASA, Puli Space Technologies, Team Sun Slicers, HeroX, Team Stardust, Monash Nova Rover Team