Tuesday / 8 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Tightening Orbit Around Moon Ahead of Landing Attempt as Luna-25 and SLIM Launches Approach

ISRO Moon lander Chandrayaan-3 now in an elliptical 170 km x 4313 km lunar orbit as ISTRAC controllers at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in Bengaluru prepare to execute orbital reduction maneuver 2 of 5, planned for 9 Aug 13:00-14:00 IST (07:30-08:30 UTC) to bring craft into circular, polar 100-km orbit ahead of 23 August landing; Luna-25 rollout set for 8 Aug, with previously reported 10 Aug 2:10:57 MSK (23:10:57 UTC) launch now officially declared by Roscosmos; JAXA SLIM to follow 26 Aug 09:34:57 JST (00:34:57 UTC)

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 August 2023

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August Moon Landings by Russia, India, Launch by Japan, Raise Major Challenges for USA

As Roscosmos readies Luna-25 / Soyuz-2.1b rocket at Vostochny Cosmodrome for launch to Moon from Site 1S reportedly set for 11 Aug 2:10 MSK (backup launch 12 Aug 2:35 MSK, landing NET 20 Aug), ISRO preps for 5 Aug 19:00 IST lunar orbit insertion / 23 Aug landing of Chandrayaan-3, and JAXA planning SLIM lander launch via H-2A on 26 Aug 09:34 JST, 21st Century USA Moon landings remain unrealized; Impact on USA world standing and space leadership may be profound if CLPS robotic landers / Artemis human Moon return are further delayed

Friday / 4 Aug 2023

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China Now Accepting International Requests for Chang’E-5 Lunar Samples

International governments, space agencies and organizations are invited to borrow portions of the 1,731 g of Moon regolith collected by CE-5 lander within Oceanus Procellarum (43.1°N, 51.8°W) and returned to Earth 17 Dec 2020; 1-year loans will be granted for both scientific research use and for public outreach / education, with application review occurring every 6 months managed by CNSA Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center (LESEC); CE-6 launching NET May 2024 to return first far side samples from South Pole–Aitken basin area between 150–158° W, 41–45° S

Tuesday / 1 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 on Course for Lunar Orbit Insertion Following Successful Trans Lunar Injection

ISRO lunar lander Chandrayaan-3 on 5-day cruise to lunar orbit, expected to arrive 5 Aug after set on its way with TLI maneuver firing at 1 Aug perigee (00:15 IST) commanded from ISRO ISTRAC facility in Bengaluru; India is set to become 4th nation to soft-land on Moon, and may become 1st to explore Moon South Pole region; Meanwhile origin of wreckage found near Jurien Bay, Western Australia affirmed by Australian Space Agency to be PSLV stage 3; ASA to store material for ISRO retrieval as obligations under the United Nations space treaties considered

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 July 2023

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India Chandrayaan-3 Successful TLI Will Propel Craft to Join USA, PRC, S Korea in Cislunar Space; Soon Followed by Russia, Japan

Rounding out July ‘International Space / Moon Month’ is TransLunar Injection (18:30-19:30 UTC 31 July / 00:00-01:00 IST 1 August) planned for Chandrayaan-3, setting it on course for lunar orbit, lander / propulsion-module separation 17 Aug, lunar touchdown 23 Aug; Luna-25 and SLIM landers may be on track for NET 10 Aug and 26 Aug respectively, while commercial Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines hope for 2023 launches; Continually operating are: landers CE-3 & CE-4, rover Yutu-2, and orbiters LRO, ARTEMIS P1 & P2, CE-4 Queqiao, Chandrayaan-2, CE-5-T1 Service Module, CAPSTONE & Danuri

Credits: NASA, CNSA, KARI, ISRO, Advanced Space

Friday / 28 July 2023

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Nokia on Track for 4G Cellular Communication Technology for Future Moon, Mars Missions NET 2024

Planning to brave unexplored conditions of Moon south pole Shackleton crater, Nokia Bell Labs (subsidiary of Finland parent company) intends to provide first-ever lunar 4G/LTE cellular internet technology via NASA Tipping Point award and in partnership with Intuitive Machines; IM-2 Nova-C lander will host space-hardened version of 4G/LTE microcell base station unit while 2 lunar vehicles (Lunar Outpost Rover and IM Micro-Nova Hopper) will host radio frequency antennae; IM-2 mission to launch from KSC on SpaceX Falcon 9 NET 2024, plan to provide critical communication networks for future crewed Artemis and robotic missions

Credits: Intuitive Machines, Nokia Bell Labs, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 July 2023

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India, Russia and Japan Landers to Summer on Moon as USA Commercial Outfits Aim for Autumn / Winter

Chandrayaan-3 lander (449 kg dry) on track for 5th / final Earth orbit raising maneuver to be performed by ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network from Bengaluru 25 July between 14:00–15:00 IST, followed by lunar transfer 31 July and landing on lunar surface 23 August 17:47 IST; Roscosmos Luna-25 (800 kg) set for 11 Aug launch with Moon landing NET 20 Aug, being promoted with ‘Sonota’ mascot; JAXA SLIM (190 kg) to launch 26 Aug, demonstrate computer vision-based precision landing system; CLPS providers Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic preparing for Q4 launches

Credits: ISRO, Roscosmos, JAXA

Friday / 21 July 2023

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Russia Set to Resume Moon Exploration with Luna-25

Following a 47-year absence from the Moon, modern Russia is continuing Luna program initiated by USSR with Luna-25 lander currently at Vostochny Cosmodrome awaiting integration into fueled Soyuz Fregat upper stage / payload fairing ahead of NET 11 Aug launch; Luna-25 expected to land near Boguslawsky and Boussingault craters (69.545°S, 43.544°E) or backup site near Mazinus and Simpelius craters (68.773°S, 21.210°E) after 5 day transfer + up to 7 days in lunar orbit, overlapping Chandrayaan-3 expected landing at 69.368°S, 32.348°E NET 23 Aug; Roscosmos Director Yury Borisov estimates 70% chance of success

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin

Tuesday / 18 July 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Operating Nominally as its Orbit is Raised in Preparation for Trans-Lunar Injection

ISRO is working to conduct next raising maneuver of Chandrayaan-3, which is currently maintaining 41,603 km x 226 km orbit; Apogee firing to occur 17 July between 14:00-15:00 IST will be 3rd of 5 such maneuvers prior to TLI, which is set for 31 July, followed by ~5.5-day transfer and Lunar Orbit Insertion around 5 Aug; Propulsion Module to maintain 100 x 100 km circular orbit while Vikram lander containing Pragyan rover to descend to MSP area surface from 100 x 30km lunar orbit

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 July 2023

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India Moon Lander Launch Leads Wave of Back-to-Back-to-Back National Missions Headed to Moon

ISRO ~US$75M Chandrayaan-3 on Earth Centric Phase 1 of Moon transit, in which 5 orbital raising maneuvers are set to occur prior to Lunar Transfer Phase 2 and Moon Centric Phase 3-10 with lander & rover landing at MSP region (69.367°S, 32.348°E) NET 23 Aug and Propulsion Module placed in 100-km circular orbit; Roscosmos to launch Luna-25 on 11 Aug at 23:10 UTC with direct TLI route, possibly reaching MSP region landing site (69.545°S, 43.544°E) before Chandrayaan-3; JAXA Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) “Moon Sniper” launching with XRISM space telescope 26 Aug at 00:34:57 UTC

Credits: ISRO, JAXA, Roscosmos