New Moon Express (ME) Facility In Huntsville AL Now Operational Says Chief Propulsion Engineer Tim Pickens; Several Propulsion Milestones Already Achieved Including Test Firing Green 1780-Newton Demo Rocket Engine, Developing Mono-Prop & Bi-Prop Propulsion In 0.44-4450-Newton Thrust Class For ME Lander; ME Seeking To Land 1st Commercial Spacecraft On Moon In 2015
Image Credit: Moon Express
South Pole Destination Of NET 2016 ILO-Moon Express Lunar Mission Selected To Ensure Long-Duration Nature Of Mission – Thermal Environment (~-50°C) / Solar Power Access On Malapert Mountain / PEL, Continuous Line Of Sight To Earth For Commercial Communications, Ability To Image Milky Way Galaxy Center; ILO Also To Observe & Report Human Lunar Buildout, Private & Public Parties Pointing To South Pole / Aitken Basin – With Prevalent Water Ice / Mineral Deposits – As Ideal Location For Development
Image Credit: ILOA, Moon Express, NASA
GLXP Team Astrobotic Technologies Inc. Offers 30% Price Reduction For Payload Delivery To Moon Aboard Its Lunar Lander / Rover With Launch Set Oct 2015 Via SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket; US$99K/kg For Trans-Lunar Injection, $1.2M/kg For Lunar Surface Delivery On Lander, $2M/kg On Rover; Lander & Rover Will Power & Support Payload Operations For 10 Days, Then Hibernate For 14-Day Lunar Night & Recover After Sunrise, Continue Operations
Image Credit: Astrobotic
Aerospace Research & Engineering Systems Institute, Inc Developing CubeSat Mission To Demonstrate Ability Of Solar Sail Spacecraft To Navigate Itself Into Lunar Trajectory & Insert Itself Into Lunar Orbit; 1000 Cubic Cm Craft Would Be First To Reach Lunar Orbit Under Its Own Power For Entire Journey; ‘Citizen Space Mission’ Seeking Crowdfunding To Build Craft For US$50,000, Solar Sail Via Government Grant; Launch Target Date End 2016
Image Credit: Lunarsail.com
US Space Agency Seeks Concepts For Industry-Developed Robotic Lander To Support Independent And / Or NASA Lunar Surface Missions As Early As 2018; NASA Not Offering Funds, Solely Technical Expertise, Use Of Test Facilities, Hardware / Software; Interested In Landers Capable Of Delivering Payloads Of 30-100kg & 250-450kg Range; Missions Of Interest Include Prospecting Volatiles At Lunar Poles, Sample Return; 2018 Mission Still Well After China Chang’e-3, 4, 5 (Inset) & Possibly Chang’e-6 Moon Landers.
Image Credit: NASA, CNSA
USA Historic Accomplishments On 20 July Make This Month Opportune Time To Advance Next Giant Leaps Into Galaxy; 1st Humans On Moon (Apollo 11 – 1969), 1st Spacecraft To Land On Another Planet (Viking 1 – 1976); To Reassert USA Leadership In Lunar / Solar System Exploration NASA Can Use Inspiration Of Space Month 2013 To Complement Bold Activities / Plans Of NewSpace Companies
Image Credit: NASA
Universal Space Payment Initiative ‘PayPal Galactic’ Headed By PayPal, Apollo Moonworker Buzz Aldrin, Space Tourism Society, SETI Institute To Address Multi-World, Multi-Star Species; As Space & Moon Tourism Becomes Reality With GSC, SpaceX, VG, XCOR, Humans Will Need Interplanetary Payment System For Flights, E-Books, Moon-Rock Souvenirs, Pizza Deliveries In Space; Moon Travel 1st Step Toward Asteroids, Mars, Jupiter, Deep Space, Galaxy Stars
Image Credit: STS, K. Belew/CNN
International Lunar Development Corp. Proposed By Buzz Aldrin To Facilitate Unified International, Commercial & Academic Partnerships To Advance Moon Exploration & Settlement; China, India, Russia, Japan, Europe, USA, NewSpace Companies Such As Bigelow, Shackleton Energy, Golden Spike Urged To Implement Step-By-Step Space Plan; Humans Need To Become Multi-World Species For Long-Term Survival, Will & Should Settle On Moon Long Before Mars, Europa, Etc
Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, PISCES, Shackleton Energy Co., GSC
ILO-X 180 X 70mm Telescope Built For ILOA Of Hawaii USA By Moon Express Launching To Moon 2015; Will Observe Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Moon, Earth; ILOA MoU With National Astronomical Observatories of China Enables Exchange Of ILO-X Observing Time With Lunar Telescope On Chang’e-3 Launching Late 2013; Also Collaborating With Golden Spike Co For Human Moon Missions (2018-2020); Learn More At Galaxy Forum China 22 Sep ‘Human Moon Missions: Giant Steps Into The Galaxy’
Image Credit: ILOA, NAOC
Golden Spike Company Conducts Design Reviews In Denver CO With ULA, Paragon, Masten, ILOA, SwRI, Zero Point Frontiers & SpaceX For Human Lunar Lander Systems Studies; Team Considering Benefits Of Human South Pole Landing; Follow Up Lander Study Expected Later This Year, Aug-Sep
Image Credit: GSC, B. Campbell