Category Archives: Moon Express

Friday / 12 February 2016

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Luna 9 Inspires Giant Leaps For Future
Moon Landings

Luna 9

NewSpace Companies, Universities, Space Agencies Developing Breakthrough Technologies For Moon, Planetary, NEO Missions As 50th Anniversary Of Luna 9 – 1st Soft Moon Landing Is Observed This Week; Mission Trajectory, Sensors, Deceleration Technologies, Imaging / Instruments, Propellants Proven By Past Missions Being Improved Upon; Morpheus / Landers Using ALHAT, Moon Express Lander To Be A ‘Hopper’, SpaceX & Blue Origin Reusable Rockets Soft Landing On Earth, ESA Philae & Huygens Probes Significant For Landing On & Relaying 1st Ever Images Of Uncharted Areas

Credit: NASA, CAS, CNSA, JPL, ESA

Friday / 5 February 2016

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KSC Investments Promising For Moon,
Space Access

KSC ME Blue Origin

Space Florida Approves Funding For KSC Improvements With Blue Origin (US$26.4M), Moon Express (US$1.6M), CASIS ($1.1M); Blue Origin – With Ultimate Goal Of Launching Humans / Cargo Into Space – Will Operate At Launch Complex 36; Moon Express Testing MTV-1 Lunar Lander, Will Build MTV-2 & MTV-3, Operate From Complexes 17 & 18, Working Under Lunar CATALYST Agreement, Planning To Launch To Moon 2017 Via Rocket Lab; Other Unnamed NewSpace Companies Interested In KSC May Invest $80M+ In Historic Moon Mission Launch Site

Credit: Moon Express, Mike Brown/Space Florida

Wednesday / 9 December 2015

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GLXP Confirms Moon Express, Rocket Lab 2017 Launch Contract; Possible ‘Test Flight’ In 2015

1292015Two 2017 Launches Scheduled For Moon Express (ME) Aboard The Electron Small Launch Vehicle (Still Under Development) By Rocket Lab; GLXP Senior Director Chanda Gonzalez Announced “We Are Extremely Proud To Officially Confirm Receipt And Verification Of Moon Express’ Launch Contract”; Rocket Lab Readying New Zealand Launch Complex After Which Test Flight Of Electron Vehicle Will Occur (Originally Planned For Dec 2015); ME CEO Bob Richards States “We Are Thrilled To Have Our Contract In Place With Rocket Lab” ME Chairman Naveen Jain Adds “Moon Express Is Building Disruptive Technologies…Like 3D Printing And Inexpensive Sensors To Collapse The Capital Needed To Access The Moon”

Pictured: Moon Express Inc Founders: Naveen Jain, Co-founder & Chairman, Bob Richards, Co-founder & CEO, Barney Pell, Co-founder & Vice Chairman

Credit: Moon Express, XPrize Foundation

Tuesday / 24 November 2015

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Lunar & Planetary Exploration Advance With Mining Potential Under U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA)

11242015H.R. 2262 Bill To Allow American Enterprises To Own / Sell Materials Mined From Other Celestial Bodies May Spur New Off-Planet Economy; House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) States “This Bill Will Unite Law With Innovation Allowing The Next Generation Of Pioneers To Experiment”; Honeybee Robotics Beginning Field Testing Of Drill For Hard Surfaces On Mars / Other Planetary Bodies & Has Several Lunar Technologies Addressing Lunar ISRU With Robotic Percussive Digger & Pneumatic Miner; Shackleton Energy Co. Working On Solutions To Mine Lunar Ice For Conversion Into Rocket Fuel; Moon Express CEO Bob Richards (L) Also Praises CSLCA Stating “Our Goal Is To Unlock The Resources Of The Moon For The Benefit Of Humanity”

Credit: Honeybee Robotics, Shackleton Energy Company, Moon Express, Congress.gov

Tuesday / 3 November 2015

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GLXP Teams Gear Up For 2017 Moon Missions:
Six Leading The Competition

11032015Efforts To Kick-Start Commercial Lunar Enterprise Advancing With Verified Launch Contracts, Ride Shares & GLXP Competition Extension; SpaceIL Preparing For SpaceX Launch Mid 2017, Craft To Solar Recharge Batteries Before 500m Race; Astrobotic Offering Ride Share Low-Cost Lunar Delivery Service With CEO Stating Team Will Be “The DHL To The Moon”; Teams Hakuto & AngelicvM Aboard With Astrobotic; Hakuto Additional Goal Will Be The Use Of Second Rover To Explore Caves For Potential Future Human Habitats; Moon Express Aiming For 2017 Launch With Rocket Lab; Part-Time Scientists Developing Space-Grade Parts Via 3D Printing

Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic, Hakuto, SpaceIL, Moon Express, Part-Time Scientists, AngelicvM

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 October 2015

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2017 Lunar Lander Prospects:
Astrobotic, Chang’e-5, Chandrayaan-2, Moon Express, SpaceIL, Moonspike

101720152017 Moon Exploration Progressing With Private-Funding & International Initiatives; Team Astrobotic Earlier Announced Potential SpaceX Launch With Confirmation Of Contract Pending; China Chang’e-5 & India Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Missions Reveal International Desire To Advance Human Exploration; Moon Express Five Launch Deal With Rocket Lab, Including GLXP Launch, Demonstrates Momentum; Team SpaceIL To Be World’s First Verified Moon Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9; Moonspike Kickstarter Fundraising Effort Underway To Design & Construct Fully Fledged Three-Stage Moon Rocket

Credit: CCTV, CNSA, CAS, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Space IL, Moonspike, ISRO

Thursday / 8 October 2015

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Israel Google Lunar XPrize Team SpaceIL Declares Launch Contract With SpaceX

1082015With Competition Extension Deadline Approaching SpaceIL Ticket Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 For Second Half Of 2017 Extends Competition; GLXP Vice Chairman Bob Weiss (BL) Confirms SpaceIL “As The First And Only” Team To Have Verified Launch Contract; Launcher Was Purchased Via Spaceflight Industries With President Curt Blake (BC) Sharing Excitement In Achieving “SpaceIL’s Quest To Win The Google Lunar XPRIZE”; In Order To Win Team Will Need To Land On Moon & Rover Must Explore 500 Meters Then Transmit Images Back To Earth; Contender Moon Express Announcement With Rocket Lab Also Supporting Its Competition Goals; Teams Astrobotic & Hakuto Planning Cooperative Launch Also Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket

Pictured (BR): SpaceIL Team

Credit: GLXP, SpaceX, SpaceIL, Spaceflight Industries, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Hakuto

Friday / 2 October 2015

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Moon Express Purchases Rocket Labs Launches For 3 Moon Missions Starting 2017

Moon Express Launch

ME MX-1 Lunar Lander Planning To Fly To LEO On Rocket Labs Electron Rocket (Under Development) From New Zealand Launch Pad Or KSC Florida In 2017; MX-1 Powered By Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion, Would Use Phase-Looping Trajectory To Get To Moon, Land On Surface, Hop 500 Meters To Fulfill GLXP Requirements; 2 Launches Planned For 2017, 1 For 2018, With Option Of 4th & 5th Launch Thereafter; Lander Is Being Scaled Down To 200kg (Including Fuel); Rocket Labs Launch List Price Is US$4.9M; Agreement May Extend GLXP Deadline To 31 Dec 2017

Credit: ME, NASA, Goddard/NSTA Web Seminars, Rocket Labs

Thursday / 1 October 2015

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Launch Contract By End Of Year Vital For GLXP Competition To Continue

1012015Of Remaining 16 Google Lunar X Prize Teams, One Must Secure Launch Contract By 31 Dec To Extend Competition To 2017; Front Runners Are Moon Express & Astrobotic; Moon Express Developing Lunar Lander Test Facilities At Florida KSC; Astrobotic Technology Lunar Mission One Partnering On Campaign ‘Footsteps On The Moon’ To Place First Digital Archive Of Human Life On Moon

Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Lunar Mission One

Wednesday / 16 September 2015

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Florida Coast Attracts More NewSpace Enterprises

9162015Moon Express (ME) Positioning At Florida Kennedy Space Center Promotes Opportunity & More Launch Possibilities To Advance Moon / Deep Space Accessibility; Blue Origin Jeff Bezos (TR) Reveals Use Of Launch Complex 36 For Building & Operations, States “We’ll Be Launching From Here Later This Decade”; ME Continuing Developments With NASA Lunar CATALYST On MX-1 For GLXP; ME Bob Richards (TL) Comments That “Entrepreneurial Innovations…Will Expand Our Sphere Of Influence, To The Moon, The Asteroids – And Beyond”

Credit: Moon Express, NASA, Blue Origin, U.S. Air Force