Category Archives: NewSpace

Friday / 24 January 2014

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Golden Spike & Draper Lab Evaluate
Moon Landing Sites

GSC MSP

Draper To Examine GSC Lunar Lander Concepts / Enhancements, Landing Sites, And Recommend Guidance System Architecture; Study Lead John West Notes Draper Has Provided GNC & Flight Computers For All Crewed Lunar Landings; Moon South Pole Near-Eternal Peaks Of Illumination With Temperature Constant -50° ± 10°C Should Be Considered For Simplifying Thermal Design / Reducing Energy Required, Gathering Unique Science & Volatile Data; Ben Bussey Study Shows Peak Near Shackleton Crater Would Be Illuminated 86% Over Lunar Year In 2020

Image Size: GSC, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon 17-20 January 2014

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Partnership Opportunities For Commercial Lunar Landers Offered By NASA

LunarCATALYST0114

Lunar Cargo Transportation And Landing By Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) Initiative Announced By NASA Calls For Proposals From USA Private Sector, Will Lead To 1 Or More No-Funds Exchanged Space Act Agreements; NASA Will Offer Technical Expertise, Access To Test Facilities / Equipment & Software For Lander Development / Testing; Pre-Proposal Teleconference 27 Jan, Proposals Due 17 Mar, Selections Made In Apr

Image Credit: NASA

Thursday / 16 January 2014

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GLXP Teams Advancing To Moon As Penultimate Year Of Competition Commences

GLXP0114Update

Penn State Lunar Lion  Team Becomes 4th Team To Announce Launch Contract – Q4 2015 Via Team Phoenicia LLC, Lion Now Listed 3rd On Unofficial Contest Leaderboard; Team SpaceIL Of Israel Announces Successful Development Of Probe Propulsion System, Produced By Israel Aircraft Industries; Team Puli Of Hungary Completes Successful Simulation Of Lunar Rover Mission  Including ‘Maunacast’ At PISCES Center In Hawaii 

Image Credit: GLXP

New Year / Holiday Edition
Wed 25 Dec 2013 – Fri 3 Jan 2014

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2020 Vision: Humanity A Multi World Species

LED-12-12-13Multi Nation Science And Commerce Human Lunar Expeditions 2019-2020 Preceded By Moon South Pole International Traffic Jam 2015-2016 With Robotic Landings From USA, PRC, Japan, India, Russia, as well as Moon Express / ILOA, Golden Spike, Shackleton Energy, Astrobotic, Lunar Lions, Others; NEOs, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Next

Ad Astra — Happy New Year / Holidays To All

 Image Credit: NASA, ILOA, ME, Penn State Lunar Lions, Astrobotic Technology

Friday / 20 December 2013

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Moon Mining May Be Game-Changer For Space Exploration

Moon Mining

Use Of Abundant Resources On Moon ‘Will Change Humanity’s Future’ Says Bob Richards Of Moon Express; Iron, Nickel, Titanium, Platinum For Fuel Cell & Clean Tech Development, Lithium For Batteries, Helium-3 Fuel For Future Nuclear Fusion Plants, Water For Life Support / Propellant; May Find Undiscovered Resources As Well; Depots On Moon & In Orbit Can Fuel Robotic & Human Missions, Lunar & Mars Habitats; Kg-Sized Samples Of Lunar Material May Be Valued At US$1B

Image Credit: Popular Mechanics, Shackleton Energy Co.

Wednesday / 11 December 2013

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Moon Express Unveils Innovative Lunar Lander

MX-1Lander1213

MX-1 Lander Lacks Legs & Typical ‘Bus’ Structure, Instead Using Fuel Tanks For Structural Integrity And Landing Stability; Craft Weighs 600kg When Fully Fueled (75% Of Mass = Fuel), Capable Of Delivering 60kg To Lunar Surface; Moon Express Co-Founder & CEO Bob Richards Says Engineering Prototype May Be Ready For Testing By May 2014; 2015 Mission Will Deliver International Lunar Observatory Precursor Instrument (ILO-X) To Moon, Compete For GLXP

Image Credit: Moon Express

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 22-25 Nov 2013

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JFK 50 Years Downrange And Sputnik 2.0

JFK 50 Years & Sputnik 2

China Moon Landing Next Month
Likely To Energize USA New Space, Moon,
Solar System R&D, And Galaxy Awareness,
Including Moon South Pole Power Station Prototype

 

Image Credit: NASA, CNSA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 15-18 Nov 2013

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Moon Express Mission Advancing

moonXtest1113

Silicon Valley-Based GLXP Team Analyzing Data From Successful Tethered Hover Flight Test Of Its Guidance, Navigation & Control Software Aboard NASA Mighty Eagle Prototype Lander; Team Will Determine If It Is Ready To Proceed With Closed Loop Free Flight Test; Philanthropist Klee Irwin (L) Announces 6-Figure Investment In Moon Express; Pictured (R): ME Principal GNC Engineer Jim Kaidy 

Image Credit: Moon Express

Thursday / 14 November 2013

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Bigelow Report: COTS Model & Property Rights Can Facilitate Lunar Base

BigelowNASAReport1113

Report Prepared By Robert Bigelow Under NASA Space Act Agreement Recommends That NASA Pursue A Partnership With Industry To Develop Beyond LEO / Cislunar Space; Permanent, Semi-Commercial Lunar Base Achievable & Affordable In Next 10 Years; Private Companies / Individuals Would Need To Acquire Property Rights On Moon / Other Bodies If Plan Is To Be Viable; Bigelow Already Applying To FAA / AST For Review Of Lunar Property Rights Policy

Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, NASA

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 1-4 Nov 2013

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Opportunities Abound For Lunar Explorers

BagaBucks1113

London Economic Market Study Commissioned By GLXP Projects US$Billions Of Profit From Commercial Opportunities On Moon In Next Decades; $1.9B Over Next Decade Mainly From Government Customers, 25-Year Projection Is $6.9B In Profits Predominantly From Private Sector Customers; Moon Express CEO Naveen Jain Says $150M Robotic Moon Mission Could Return $Billions Worth Of Material To Earth

Image Credit: Wired, NASA, Dreamstime