Category Archives: SpaceX

Friday / 23 Sep 2022

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Artemis and Starship: Mega Rockets Intended for Human Moon Exploration Advance Towards Flight

NASA to update on cryogenic tanking test which saw 7% hydrogen leak from 20-cm seal largely mitigated by reducing fueling pressure at 23 Sep press briefing; Next launch opportunity 27 Sep pending weather & flight termination system battery waiver; Starship ‘Ship 24’ and Super Heavy ‘B7’ prototypes to undergo full stack WDR / hot fire testing at SpaceX Starbase in TX, from which possible October or likely November orbital test launch is to occur, with B7 splashing down in Gulf of Mexico and Ship 24 soft landing in Pacific 100-km NW of Kauaʻi

Credits: NASA, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Aug 2022

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Commercial and National Moon Mission Cadence to Continue Through 2022, Increase in 2023

Artemis 1 launching to Moon orbit NET 29 Aug with 10 rideshare cubesats, NASA test dummy Commander Moonikin Campos, DLR / ISA torso radiation ‘phantoms’ Helga & Zohar, mascots Snoopy & Shaun the Sheep; Race to landings led by ispace, aiming for Nov launch, Astrobotic working to launch NET Dec, seeking to acquire Masten assets with US$4.5M bid; Intuitive Machines striving for Jan 2023 followed by ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET Q1, JAXA SLIM NET March and Roscosmos Luna-25 NET September; Xplore of Redmond WA and Turkish Space Agency have also declared for uncrewed lunar orbit in 2023, SpaceX plans crewed dearMoon

Credits: Lockheed Martin, NASA, ispace, ESA

Tuesday / 9 Aug 2022

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KARI Prepares to Conduct Science Operations from Moon Orbit with KPLO, Considering Lunar Outpost

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is headed to 100-km polar orbit around Moon, powered by four 30-N Orbit Maneuver Thrusters on ~ 19-week journey; 6 science instruments include Gamma Ray Spectrometer to monitor y-ray emissions during trip / from lunar orbit within 10 keV to 10 MeV range; NASA ShadowCam based on LRO LROC with 800x sensitivity to map PSRs; Ministry of Science official Kwon Hyun-joon tells NYT Moon has “potential to act as a base for further deep space exploration”; 2nd stage of Korean Lunar Exploration Program to feature lunar orbiter / lander / rover launched from S Korea NLT 2030

Credits: KARI, SpaceX, Yonhap

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Aug 2022

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Danuri and Capstone on Course Towards Lunar Orbit as Artemis 1 and Landers Prepare to Follow

Summer around Moon well underway with KARI KPLO Danuri joining NASA Capstone (operated by Advanced Space) on fuel efficient ballistic lunar transfer trajectory; Danuri expected to reach Moon orbit by 16 Dec, Capstone to arrive 13 Nov; NASA Artemis 1 (SLS megarocket + Orion crew capsule) to take direct 4-day trans-lunar injection route, rollout to KSC pad 39B anticipated 19 Aug, nominal launch date set for 29 Aug; ispace Hakuto-R targets launch to Lacus Somniorum ‘Lake of Dreams’ in Nov; Astrobotic Peregrine working towards Q4 launch to Lacus Mortis ‘Lake of Death’

Pictured: KARI Director Lee Sang-ryool, Advanced Space Capstone Program Manager Tom Gardner; Credits: KARI, Advanced Space, APRSAF

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 July – 1 Aug 2022

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Summer Around Moon Continues with Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Launching 4 Aug

NASA Capstone performing nominally on voyage to Moon with trajectory correction maneuver 3 expected to be performed by Advanced Space in early September, reach NRHO NET 13 Nov; KPLO Danuri targeting 4 Aug launch on SpaceX F9 from KSC; NASA Artemis 1 prepping for 29 Aug launch to DRO; Autumn landers include ispace Hakuto-R carrying UAE Rashid rover on track for Nov launch to Lacus Somniorum (37.56°N, 30.8°E) with US$37M cash infusion from consortium of Japan banks; Astrobotic Peregrine and Intuitive Machines Nova-C CLPS landers racing to land on Moon before EOY

Credits: NASA, KARI, IM, Astrobotic, Lockheed Martin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 July 2022

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International Teams Prepare for Summer Around the Moon, Autumn on Lunar Surface

KARI KPLO / Danuri launching on SpaceX F9 to Moon orbit 2 Aug from KSC, arrival at 100-km lunar orbit expected 1 Jan 2023; NASA mega rocket SLS / Orion crew capsule Artemis 1 mission targeting 29 Aug, 2 Sep or 5 Sep for launch to 100-km Moon flyby / 61,155-km Distant Retrograde Orbit; ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 aiming for November launch, Astrobotic striving to launch Peregrine lander within Q4, Intuitive Machines Nova-C may launch Dec 2022 or Jan 2023; Roscosmos Luna-25 and ISRO Chandrayaan-3 likely delayed to 2023

Credits: KARI, NASA, ispace

Friday / 22 July 2022

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ispace Conducting Final Testing on HAKUTO-R Flight Model for November Launch Window

Operating in Japan, USA and Luxembourg, ispace may reach Moon surface within 2022 with Hakuto-R undergoing final thermal vacuum, vibration and function checks at IABG Space Centre near Munich Germany; Flight-ready Mission 1 lander expected to ship to KSC in Sep, launch via SpaceX F9 NET Nov carrying UAE MBRSC and JAXA rovers, flight computer and cameras from Canada enterprises Mission Control Space Services and Canadensys, NGK solid-state battery, engraved panels with supporter names

Credits: ispace

Friday / 15 July 2022

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Malapert Mountain Beckons Lunar Exploration, Science, Communication, Industry

As world space powers focus future landing & Moon base efforts on Moon South Pole / prospecting H2O hidden in PSRs near Shackleton Rim, critical infrastructure zone atop nearby (~130km) Malapert Massif (86°S, 0°) remains undeclared by NASA, CNSA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, ISRO or SpaceX; Malapert possesses indispensable qualities for MSP buildout: A unique astrophysical vantagepoint; Constant line-of-sight to Earth (long-duration Earth observation / communication redundancy) and Shackleton (local comms and power beaming); 70%+ solar illumination; Geological significance (border area of South Pole–Aitken basin); 4 suitable 150-m landing sites have been identified by Carnegie Mellon / Astrobotic

Credits: NASA / LROC / ASU / N. Petro / ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 July 2022

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New Lunar Era Underway with CAPSTONE On Route to Moon, Many Orbiters / Landers to Follow

Capstone Moon orbit pathfinder on nominal trajectory to achieve 4-body (Earth, Moon, Sun, Spacecraft) Ballistic Lunar Transfer; S. Korea Danuri orbiter next on Moon mission schedule, launching 2 Aug; NASA Mega Moon rocket SLS undergoing final prep with first Artemis 1 launch window open 23 Aug–6 Sep; Roscosmos Luna-25 lander tentatively set for late Sep; Window for ispace Hakuto-R carrying MBRSC Rashid rover open Oct-Nov; NASA CLPS providers Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines race to land Peregrine and Nova-C before EOY; SpaceX Starship 24 / Booster 7 on orbital launch pad at Boca Chica

Credits: NASA, Advanced Space

Tuesday / 28 June 2022

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Advocates Call for Prioritization of Lunar Surface Habitation as NASA Leak Casts Doubt on Artemis Timeline

Whistleblower-provided document reported on by Ars Technica showing alternative Artemis schedules emphasizing ‘Cadence’ and ‘Content’ with focus on Lunar Gateway through 2031/2, relegating surface habitation to NET 2034, prompts calls for adherence to space policy articulated in 2020, “Next American man / first American woman on the Moon by 2024, followed by sustained presence on the Moon by 2028”; Replacing Gateway with SpaceX Starship-based station emerging as viable alternative method to meeting Lockheed Martin Orion fueling needs while accelerating progress towards human multi-world civilization

 

Credits: NASA, Thales Alenia Space