# jatan.space 🌙
> Website & Blog of Jatan Mehta, a globally published & cited space writer. Read deep dives on global lunar and space exploration.
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## Pages
- [Hi, I’m Jatan Mehta](https://jatan.space/about.md) - Writer of Moon Monday, Indian Space Progress and a poetry pamphlet 🌙 Journalist with articles published globally Tech Communications Lead for the Open Lunar Foundation Quoted and cited in Books, on Nature, Wikipedia, and more Editorial Consultant for space organizations Email me: hey@jatan.space I…
- [My Blogs](https://jatan.space/blogs.md) - Hi, I’m Jatan, a space writer and slow thinker. I like to write on my blogs, linked below. They are the best place to find and read my thoughts on the Internet. You can follow my blogs directly via email or using the cool technology called RSS. No algorithms, no ads, no noisy feeds, and no attentio…
- [Connect with me](https://jatan.space/connect.md) - Emails and direct messages are the best for authentic responses and deep conversations. Write to me to say hi, share your thoughts about my writing, suggest a good read, sponsor my work, or hire my services: hey@jatan.spaceSignal Text / RCSWhatsApp You can also sign my fun digital guestbook!
- [Consult with Jatan’s Space](https://jatan.space/consulting.md) - If your organization is doing something cool in (civil) space or Moon exploration, I can help you boost your orbit. I’ve aided several space companies, organizations, and media publications up their editorial front across these themes: * Blogging and Newsletter Advisory * Article Editing * Report W…
- [Editorial Independence Policy, sponsorship standards, and other disclaimers for Jatan’s Space](https://jatan.space/ethics.md) - Originally published: January 2023 | Last updated: May 2026
- [Follow my space blog via RSS](https://jatan.space/feeds.md) - RSS feed aficionados, you can subscribe to new posts from my space blog in any supported reader of your choice via this RSS feed link: * https://jatan.space/rss If you don’t know what RSS is, here’s an intro and how it would benefit you. Use the buttons below to add my blog to your reader instantly…
- [NASA Lunar Trailblazer Anomaly Review Board Report](https://jatan.space/nasa-lunar-trailblazer-failure-report-pdf.md) - NASA Lunar Trailblazer Anomaly Review Board ReportPDFlunar-trailblazer-anomaly-review-board-report.pdf3 MBdownload-circle Source: NPR / NASA
- [Space Poetry](https://jatan.space/poetry.md) - Verses I’ve written to attempt and capture all the cosmos and its exploration evokes.
- [Publications written for](https://jatan.space/published.md) - Here are most of the key national and international media publications, outlets, and institutions I've written articles on space exploration for. As an independent science writer, I’m proud of this list. * The Planetary Society (also former Editorial Contributor) * Scientific American * Nature * Th…
- [Where my writing has been quoted and cited](https://jatan.space/quoted-and-cited.md) - My independent space writing has been quoted and/or cited globally in books, within published research, by ISRO, by media outlets like Nature, on Wikipedia, and more. I list many of these below, something I’m proud of. If you like the quality of my writing and journalism for space communities world…
- [Space Research](https://jatan.space/research.md) - The brief but exciting research period during my time in academia after which I pursued science writing full-time.
- [Read Seven uni-verses: Poetry on all that space evokes](https://jatan.space/seven-uni-verses-poetry-read.md) - My poetry pamphlet Seven uni-verses is published worldwide in ebook, print, audio, libraries, and public archives. I’m making it available as open access, officially for free digitally and at minimal cost in print. :) – Jatan Format: Epub (Free)Download and enjoy on your e-reader.seven-uni-verses-p…
- [Seven uni-verses: Poetry on all that space evokes](https://jatan.space/seven-uni-verses-poetry.md) - Booklet published worldwide in Ebook, print, audio, libraries, and public archives.
- [Explore jatan.space](https://jatan.space/start.md) - Read articles and blog posts on space exploration and our Moon by globally published & cited space writer Jatan Mehta. The Blog If you’re new to my space blog, start here: * Why explore our Moon * How we test spacecraft before launch * Solar System History 101 * How Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon…
- [Support independent writing and journalism](https://jatan.space/support.md) - Hi, I’m Jatan Mehta, a globally published and cited space writer & journalist on a lifelong mission to promote the exploration of our Moon and space. All of my work on this website, including my flagship Moon Monday blog+newsletter, is absolutely free to access by everyone. And I never display ads.…
- [Curated space talks](https://jatan.space/talks.md) - Hi, I’m Jatan Mehta, a globally published independent space writer and invited speaker. I’ve been invited to give in-person and online public talks by schools, universities, space organizations, media publications, podcasters, and more. This page lists some such curated talks. If you’d like me to s…

## Posts
- [Rocket equation 101: Revealing our Moon’s value as a launchpad](https://jatan.space/the-moon-as-a-rocket-platform.md) - Moon Monday #288: Realizations from fundamental physics at the heart of the rocket equation. Paired with memes for fun and poetry for ethics.
- [Poem: On the edge](https://jatan.space/on-the-edge.md) - Craft launched from Luna, no tether can go farther, faster while being lighter Exploring more worlds with joy and curiosity hosting ideas, deploying empathy and even skepticism for humanity From the edge of a gravitational well they can push the discourse and shape its course All of these futures c…
- [Moon Monday #287: Mission updates from China, the US, Europe, and Japan](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-287.md) - Before we begin, I’m thrilled to share that Open Lunar Foundation is continuing as a sponsor of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter for the sixth year! 🌕 Open Lunar is a US-based non-profit organization with a global team that develops bottom-up tools of lunar governance to enable and promote cooperati…
- [Our Moon is two-faced. Science missions unravel its layers.](https://jatan.space/the-two-faced-moon.md) - Moon Monday #286: China’s Chang’e 6 samples have helped scientists decipher enigmatic layers of the lunar farside, leaving a curious trail for future missions to build upon.
- [Upcoming missions to the Moon’s farside—that’s definitely not its dark side.](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-285.md) - Moon Monday #285
- [Articles on asteroids, comets, and dwarf worlds](https://jatan.space/articles-on-asteroids-comets-and-dwarf-worlds.md) - * Why explore asteroids, comets, and other small worlds * When to worry about an asteroid hitting Earth * Psyche, exploring a metal world * Japan wants to sample Mars’ moon Phobos with its MMX mission * Weirdest types of moons in our Solar System Related: Articles on moons other than our Moon Like…
- [Explore our Moon!](https://jatan.space/our-moon.md) - A curated page of resources to learn and share how countries worldwide have explored our stellar cosmic companion.
- [Slightly different articles on Mars and missions to it](https://jatan.space/mars-articles.md) - I’m very much a Moon person but I’ve written a bit about Mars over the years as well, highlighting a few key aspects about the red planet’s exploration which I thought aren’t discussed as much or in detail. NASA explores Mars * Looking back at Pathfinder as the start of modern Mars exploration * Ho…
- [The Moon’s south pole is a place of promise and perils. Effective data sharing will benefit and save everyone.](https://jatan.space/the-lunar-south-pole-needs-global-data-sharing.md) - Moon Monday #283: Some engineers and scientists are leading by example.
- [Achievements and shortfalls in global lunar exploration this half year | Moon Monday #282](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-282.md) - A contextualized overview of the world’s Moon exploration efforts.
- [Lessons on lapses in lunar missions operations from the 20th century | Moon Monday #281](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-281.md) - Announcement before we begin: I’m excited to welcome PierSight as a returning sponsor of my independent space writing for another year! 🌙 Ahmedabad-based PierSight is building a constellation of SAR satellites equipped with AIS sensors for persistent, all-weather ocean studies and monitoring. With…
- [Smashing success: The time NASA figured out our Moon is cratered all the way down | Moon Monday #280](https://jatan.space/its-craters-all-the-way-down.md) - Plus: What the agency’s planning in the lead up to safe Apollo astronaut landings teaches us about preparing for the next frontier this century.
- [Artemis III, test like you won’t fly?](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-279.md) - Moon Monday #279: “Artemis updates inside”, like “intel inside”. All puns intended.
- [India and the dream of an orbital launch trifecta | Part 5 of ISRO’s rocket crisis](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-39.md) - Indian Space Progress #39-40: How a multitude of causes slow down the pace of India’s launch vehicles, and what would it take for the country to achieve an optimum “hat-trick” state given its many needs and ambitions in space.
- [Deep dive into India’s Chandrayaan Moon missions like never before](https://jatan.space/chandrayaan.md) - Moon Monday #278: A master list of organized, linked articles covering ISRO’s Chandrayaan lunar program, mission by mission.
- [What does Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explosion mean for NASA’s Artemis program? A domino of timeline lapses and strategic failures.](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-277.md) - Moon Monday #277: How quickly Blue flies New Glenn again, the timing and outcome of the first Mark 1 lander flight, and what NASA shares about the crewed Mark 2 are the key things to watch out for.
- [What is pending for SpaceX Starship to be a Moonship for NASA astronauts? Nearly everything.](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-276.md) - Moon Monday #276: NASA’s road to putting humans on the Moon through SpaceX Starship continues to face a receding sea of milestones to achieve.
- [Science results from India’s Chandrayaan 3 Moon mission | Moon Monday #275](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-275.md) - The near-polar lunar surface and environment had never been measured in-situ before Chandrayaan 3 arrived. Now our understanding of it has been grounded in measurements just as we prepare to send a wave of Moon missions.
- [Moon Monday #274: Artemis updates and Japanese missions galore](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-274.md) - Artemis updates * Science communicator Hank Green made this interactive website of photos spread across the timeline of the Artemis II lunar mission and flyby. * Among the technological checkpoints passed by Artemis II, the NASA-MIT-developed optical laser communications terminal on the Orion space…
- [Articles on Venus, the ignored](https://jatan.space/venus-articles.md) - * Why explore Venus * VERITAS, NASA’s Venus mapper * EnVision, Europe’s mission to Venus * ISRO’s plan to study Venus in unprecedented detail alongside NASA and ESA Related: Slightly different articles on Mars and missions to it Like my efforts to provide free resources for space communities worldw…
- [Articles on moons other than our Moon](https://jatan.space/moons-other-than-our-moon-articles.md) - The not-Moon-Monday edition. 🌝
- [India’s Chandrayaan 4 lunar sampling mission cross-pollinates science, rockets, governance, and human spaceflight](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-273.md) - Part 4 of India’s space launch crisis: Why India needs to launch Chandrayaan 4 in time to ensure maximum national and international benefits | Moon Monday #273 and Indian Space Progress #38
- [Articles on future Chandrayaan missions](https://jatan.space/india-future-chandrayaan-articles.md) - * Chandrayaan 4 will bring unique Moon materials—and maybe a giant scientific leap for India * The case for India and China to exchange lunar samples * Why India needs to launch Chandrayaan 4 in time to ensure maximum national and international benefits * Chandrayaan 5 LUPEX mission will drill for…
- [Articles: Science from Chandrayaan 3](https://jatan.space/india-chandrayaan-3-science-articles.md) - * An overview of all Chandrayaan 3 science results * How Chandrayaan 3 contributed insights on our Moon’s origin and evolution * Results from Chandrayaan 3 thermal experiment benefit future missions eyeing lunar water * Chandrayaan 3 rover may (or may not) have stumbled upon the Moon’s mantle mater…
- [Articles: From a crashing Chandrayaan 2 to an upright Chandrayaan 3 on the Moon](https://jatan.space/india-from-chandrayaan-2-to-3-articles.md) - * On Chandrayaan 2’s landing attempt failure * Overview of Chandrayaan 2, India’s first Moon landing attempt * Watching Chandrayaan 2 launch * Explainer: Why did it take so long to find the Chandrayaan 2 lander? * Chandrayaan 2, the orbiter to remember * India aims for the Moon again with launch of…
- [Poem: Don’t screw up the Moon](https://jatan.space/dont-screw-up-the-moon.md) - Let’s explore explore our Moon and its archival boon of Earth’s midnight and afternoon Let’s return return to the gray blemishes for its scientific promises and its technological wishes Let’s also preserve preserve Luna’s natural dents its phases and cultural crescents and the serene sights Selene…
- [With Artemis II done, challenges confront NASA to send astronauts on Artemis III and IV | Moon Monday #272](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-272.md) - Key developments to watch out for this year as both China and the US aim to land humans on the Moon by the end of this decade.
- [Articles on Chandrayaan 2, the orbiter to remember](https://jatan.space/india-chandrayaan-2-orbiter-articles.md) - * ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter has been creating the highest resolution map of the Moon * Lunar science results from Chandrayaan 2 * The sharpest lunar imager * How the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter is a Sun watcher at the Moon * The search for lunar water deepens * International collaboration and outlook:…
- [Articles on Chandrayaan 1, India’s first Moon mission](https://jatan.space/india-chandrayaan-1-articles.md) - * Looking back at Chandrayaan 1 and forward to Artemis * How NASA and India discovered water on our Moon * Interviewing Chandrayaan 1’s Mission Director * How Chandrayaan 1 viewed a solar eclipse from the Moon * Tangent: Kids in South Korea and a Moon mission Like my efforts to provide free resourc…
- [Did NASA’s Artemis II mission really do lunar science or go to the Moon for all humanity?](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-271.md) - An unfortunate breakdown of too many giant leaps of imagination. | Moon Monday #271
- [Poem: Back to the Moon..](https://jatan.space/back-to-the-moon.md) - For me not thee, but still for humanity..
- [Poem: Selene, smashed not shattered](https://jatan.space/selene-smashed-not-shattered.md) - Tucked in a tiny timed capsule against its wonky, worldly windows mesmerized the momentary Moonfarers at sweeping sights of Selene Creased by craters and crowning peaks melts and mountains molded in weeks amid barrages of ballistically laid beads lingered the landscape of Luna What the world could…
- [Artemis II astronauts gazed at our Moon with joy, curiosity, and reverence. Through finer robotic orbital views, so can you.](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-270.md) - Thanks to our robotic explorers, and the great leveler that is the Internet, you too can “Copy, Moon joy.” | Moon Monday #270
- [Why haven’t humans gone back to the Moon no longer a valid question thanks to NASA Artemis II lunar flyby](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-269.md) - Plus: A poetic ode to our exploration of Luna | Moon Monday #269
- [Poem: Antariksh ki pyaas / अंतरिक्ष की प्यास / The thirst for space](https://jatan.space/antariksh-ki-pyaas.md) - Original in Hindustani, as English transliteration and in देवनागरी, followed by its English translation (though not as lyrical): Antariksh ki pyaas Woh bachpan ki kitaabe jisne dikhaye sitaare aaj bhi yaad se nihaare Durbin ki drishṭi me jagmag falak aur yaano ki gati se graho ki jalak Kalpana se C…
- [India’s rockets will not meet its civil space and strategic launch manifest even at peak performance](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-37.md) - Part 3 of India’s space launch crisis | Indian Space Progress #37
- [Ignition, not yet liftoff, of NASA’s ambitious Artemis Moonbase plan | Moon Monday #268](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-268.md) - Plus: NASA in final prep to launch Artemis II astronauts around Luna.
- [China surfaces details of spacecraft to land humans on Luna by 2030 | Moon Monday #267](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-267.md) - From landing system development to trajectory design and landing site selection to abort scenarios.
- [Moon Monday #266: Future governance questions and current mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-266.md) - We can build cities on the Moon—but who will govern them? Amid a global lunar rush, will we land peaceful norms alongside our spacecraft? Last month SpaceX and its founder Elon Musk flipped their stance on the Moon from treating it as a distraction to positioning it as central to their idea of pres…
- [NASA falters in communications yet again with Lunar Trailblazer failure | Moon Monday #265](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-265.md) - Plus: Parallel developments show how open access NASA is when the agency is at its best.
- [Everything you should know and track about NASA’s Apollo-style Artemis rejig in its chase of China to the Moon](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-264.md) - NASA is also borrowing the “manned” from Apollo while at it. | Moon Monday #264
- [Moon Monday #263: Artemis II, a Canadian capcom, Chandrayaan, and Long March 10](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-263.md) - Also, fun new guestbook for those who read till the end. 🌝
- [China conducts a multi-element test unlike any other nation in firm march to Luna | Moon Monday #262](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-262.md) - Plus NASA Artemis updates.
- [When ISRO loses a PSLV rocket, India loses a launchpad in the present and the future](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-35.md) - To understand the pride and perils of the PSLV is to understand India’s launch infrastructure and its risky commonalities | Indian Space Progress #35-36
- [Moon Monday #261: A shortfall in Artemis II testing and NASA’s communications](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-261.md) - Dear NASA, China’s space missions exist too. So do your own planetary science missions.
- [How NASA has planned to keep Artemis II astronauts safe throughout their Moon mission](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-260.md) - Moon Monday #260: Safety planning spans all phases and aspects of the crewed lunar mission, weaved into hardware, operations, and astronaut training. 🦺
- [Moon Monday #259: Lunarbound astronauts enter quarantine as Artemis II launch approaches](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-259.md) - Plus mission updates.
- [Publicly sharing my poetry booklet’s downloads & sales stats](https://jatan.space/seven-uni-verses-poetry-initial-stats.md) - Does a no-nonsense approach to being an indie author work?
- [The next 10 years in space](https://jatan.space/the-next-10-years-in-space-orbital-index.md) - And sunset on a valuable resource.
- [Moon Monday #258: Tests China will conduct this year in prep towards landing humans on Luna](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-258.md) - Plus: Artemis and other updates, and articles on Japan’s lunar endeavors.
- [Moon Monday #257: NASA preps to send astronauts to Luna](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-257.md) - Plus mission updates.
- [Coverage of India’s exploration of Mars](https://jatan.space/india-mars-articles.md) - * Reviewing Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars mission * India’s Mars orbiter completes six years at the red planet, but where is the science? * Debate: Mangalyaan’s low science output still reflects on ISRO * Mangalyaan spacecraft terminated—it was never a science mission * My article on Mangalyaan wa…
- [All the rovers heading to the Moon over the next 10 years | Moon Monday #256](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-256.md) - As lunar exploration ramps up worldwide, our celestial companion is slated to be explored by increasingly advanced rovers of all sorts over the next 10 years. Not all of them will be successful, and so the reason for this post is not just to garner excitement about the possibilities of near future…
- [Articles on Japan’s Moon missions](https://jatan.space/japan-moon-articles.md) - * The joint Indo-Japanese Chandrayaan 5 LUPEX mission will drill for water on the Moon * JAXA welcomed us into the era of precision Moon landings * How ISRO aided this feat * Japan’s road to landing astronauts on the Moon * The need for resilience in private Moon landing missions through expansive…
- [Poem: The dawn of your light](https://jatan.space/the-dawn-of-your-light.md) - Like the dawn of the blaze of a lander over the grays touches your light and spans the open lunar sky A descent energetic yet graceful methodical and careful Spawned from the blue marble verse you bring the best in us. Poem notes: I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of working with amazing editors,…
- [Achievements and shortfalls in global lunar exploration in 2025](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-255.md) - Moon Monday #255: Capturing the state of the world’s lunar exploration efforts this year.
- [ISRO and India had a mixed year in space in 2025](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-34.md) - Indian Space Progress #34: An honest review of the country’s space activities this year
- [Moon Monday #254: The one following last week’s embarrassing typo](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-254.md) - What could’ve been the real headline instead: Lunar mission updates and India’s ultimate Moonshot.
- [A space program can only move as swiftly as its rockets. It’s India’s time to act on that.](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-33.md) - Indian Space Progress #33: A review of the state of ISRO’s orbital launch vehicles reveals a bleak picture of ambitious goals sliding to the right—in stark contrast to the incessant chest thumping about efficiency.
- [Moon Monday #253: A peek at new lunar samples and mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-253.md) - Here is a peek at some lunar samples from China’s Chang’e 5 nearside landing mission as well as the Chang’e 6 farside one! Holding them is an incredible feeling that vividly reminds you of the immense and irreplaceable value of exploring our Moon. 🌙 Check my coverage of the volcano of new science…
- [Lunar sample science updates straight from Hong Kong | Moon Monday #252](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-252.md) - A volcano of new results which have improved our understanding of our cosmic companion.
- [Moon Monday #251: Prepping to live on Luna via analogs on Earth](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-251.md) - Plus mission updates and more memes.
- [Celebrating 5 years and 10,000 subscribers of Moon Monday with globally published poetry on space](https://jatan.space/presenting-seven-uni-verses-poetry.md) - It also lays the foundation for the next phase in my space writing: Merge the worlds of blogs and books.
- [Moon Monday #250: One small step, mission updates, and a much needed giant leap](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-250.md) - Welcome to the 250th edition of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter! 🚀🌕 One small step: About two months ago, Moon Monday crossed 10,000 subscribers. I did not announce it until now because I wanted to celebrate it in some way. Having readers and supporters be truly spread around the world in various…
- [A giant leap in orbital imagery is what we need to realize advanced Moon missions](https://jatan.space/we-need-a-giant-leap-in-lunar-orbital-imagery.md) - At over 1.6 petabytes, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission hosts by far the largest dataset from any planetary science spacecraft ever launched. LRO’s high-resolution lunar imagery and topographic data has been the bedrock for selecting landing sites of most Moon missions launched thi…
- [Moon Monday #249: The one published on Sunday](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-249.md) - Mission updates from China and the US.
- [Moon Monday #248: The one that starts with a meme](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-248.md) - China preps complex Chang’e 7 mission to study lunar water while US Artemis III rejigs.
- [Shining light on solar activity and the Moon’s exosphere—a Diwali gift from Chandrayaan 2](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-247.md) - Moon Monday #247 and Indian Space Progress #32
- [An assortment of lunar papers from around the world | Moon Monday #246](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-246.md) - Like Moon-made M&Ms. 🍬😋
- [Moon Monday #245: Blue origin to hunt for a lunar oasis](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-245.md) - Plus mission updates.
- [Moon Monday #244: Towards lunar construction](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-244.md) - Before we begin, a clarifying note about the title of the previous Moon Monday: An Amazon delivery for NASA’s VIPER rover? Well, I’ve received many emails saying how Amazon has a distinct space entity from Blue Origin. It’s fair to point that out but I do know that 😄. I just hoped my readers would…
- [Moon Monday #243: An Amazon delivery for NASA’s VIPER rover?](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-243.md) - Plus Chandrayaan 3 research updates and more.
- [Verses: Hope in desolation](https://jatan.space/hope-in-desolation.md) - Space just desolate… and yet humans launch hope to explore some more On our Moon from where the Sun never shines, a new era will dawn. Poem notes: 1. There’s nothing quite as bold and beautiful as committing to venturing the brutal colossal desolation that is space. Every (civil) space launch carri…
- [Moon Monday #242: Artemis II advances, and so does Long March 10 🔥](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-242.md) - Plus mission updates.
- [We’re building future technologies for the Moon without closing missed milestones](https://jatan.space/pitfalls-in-lunar-exploration.md) - A review of upcoming and past lunar missions of this decade shows a wide gap between notions of technological progress versus achieved reality.
- [Chandrayaan 4 will bring unique Moon materials—and maybe a giant scientific leap for India](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-241.md) - Moon Monday #241 and Indian Space Progress #31
- [No, Starship’s latest success doesn’t favor the US over China in landing humans on Luna | Moon Monday #240](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-240.md) - Plus mission updates.
- [Our Moon is valuable even beyond itself | Moon Monday #239](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-239.md) - And how science does not exist in a (lunar) vacuum.
- [Moon Monday #238: The long march to Luna continues](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-238.md) - Plus Artemis updates.
- [Notable nuances about NISAR and how it flows into planetary science for NASA and ISRO | Indian Space Progress #30](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-30.md) - NISAR demonstrates peak peaceful uses of cutting-edge space technologies to solve humanity’s fundamental problems, and then some more.
- [Moon Monday #237: China completes large lander test in latest milestone to put humans on the Moon](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-237.md) - Reviewing all recent advances from China as it prepares to perform crewed Moon missions. Plus more mission updates.
- [Moon Monday #236: A third orbiter-lander-rover trio to fire-and-fly](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-236.md) - I’m thrilled to welcome Astrolab as a continuing yearly sponsor of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter! California-based Venturi Astrolab Inc. (Astrolab) is developing the large multi-purpose rovers of FLEX and FLIP for advanced exploration of our Moon this decade and next. Through FLEX, Astrolab leads…
- [Everything you need to know about NASA CLPS Moon landing missions](https://jatan.space/nasa-clps-moon-missions.md) - A look at the armada of robotic landers NASA is riding to the Moon this decade.
- [A story about open knowledge sharing in space](https://jatan.space/a-story-about-open-knowledge-sharing-in-space.md) - It was eight years ago that I wrote a guide on how to correctly and reliably install NASA’s popular HEASoft software on Linux, a software which is extensively used in high energy Astrophysics research. I wrote it because the official guides on NASA HEASoft’s website were failing to let us correctly…
- [Moon Monday #235: Artemis and other mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-235.md) - Read to the end for a jolly Jovian update!
- [Explore our Moon’s wild places and wonderful samples | Moon Monday #234](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-234.md) - A special early edition of Moon Monday for International Moon Day, July 20.
- [Was Shukla’s Axiom-4 flight to the International Space Station worth it for ISRO? | Indian Space Progress #29](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-29.md) - A complicated question to answer for a controversial flight intended to advance India’s grand ambition of indigenously sending humans to space.
- [Moon Monday #233: Visualizing a new Moon based on scientific discoveries by China’s Chang’e 6 mission](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-233.md) - Highlighting all major findings with a visual that lets you picture the scientific value the Chinese have added to humanity’s exploration of our Moon.
- [Moon Monday #232: Still free mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-232.md) - And encouraging information sharing.
- [On SpaceNews going paywalled, and the broader disregard for archiving in journalism](https://jatan.space/paywalled-spacenews-and-disregard-for-archiving-in-journalism.md) - This article is a break from my usual because space communities worldwide are affected by this important topic, and I have some thoughts to offer to add to the discussions. SpaceNews, a well known media publication in the global space industry, went paywalled for its website on July 1 with a short…
- [Moon Monday #231: Achievements and shortfalls in Moon exploration this half year](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-231.md) - A review of notable developments by country or region.
- [Moon Monday #230: China leaps again in its steady march to Luna while NASA’s progress on Artemis remains a mixed bag](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-230.md) - A look at recent Chinese milestones in the build up to crewed lunar missions, another blow(up) for Artemis, how Firefly’s Ocula can fill critical gaps for NASA, and more.
- [Moon Monday #229: China extends lead in lunar orbital infrastructure, gets an edge in future crewed missions over the US](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-229.md) - Plus: Examples of how Western media narratives of Chinese lunar activities misjudge capabilities and intent
- [Moon Monday #228: The need for resilience in private lunar landing missions through expansive and collaborative testing](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-228.md) - ispace Japan’s second Moon lander RESILIENCE launched in January with the aim of a Moon landing. But just like its predecessor Hakuto-R’s fate about two years ago, RESILIENCE crashed into the Moon during its landing attempt on June 6. It was a moment of heartbreak for several lunar communities and…
- [A pressing PSLV rocket failure and orbital congestion to brood over | Indian Space Progress #28](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-28.md) - Plus more mission updates.
- [Moon Monday #227: Proposed cuts, cancellations, continuations, and changes to NASA’s lunar missions](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-227.md) - And other mission updates.
- [Moon Monday #226: Blue Origin aims to launch its first two Moon missions by next year—with nearly no NASA payloads](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-226.md) - Plus: Firefly to carry UAE’s second lunar rover and more.
- [Why Moon missions need their own Wikipedia and beyond](https://jatan.space/a-registry-of-moon-missions.md) - Our Moon may be one of the largest satellites in the Solar System but its exploration has been concentrated on select areas. One of these is low lunar orbit, where mapping spacecraft from three countries have been concurrently flying from pole to pole between 50 to 150 kilometers above the Moon’s s…
- [Moon Monday #225: Lots of global lunar mission updates 🌙](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-225.md) - Key news of the month: China has achieved daytime Earth-Moon distance measurement wherein a 1.2-meter telescope reflected an infrared laser off of a small retroreflector on the 61-kilogram Tiandu 1 lunar orbiter. This was the first ever daytime laser distance measurement using an orbiter, accomplis…
- [Moon Monday #224: A curious find from Chandrayaan 3, Artemis updates, and more](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-224.md) - Two announcements before we begin: 1. I’m honored to be moderating a fantastic panel on modern themes in global lunar exploration at the international Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) on Friday, May 9. If you’re attending GLEX in New Delhi, join us for the session. And, if you’re in India…
- [Indian Space Progress #27: Three months of mission updates, and fixing ISRO’s monthly summaries](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-27.md) - ISRO has been publishing monthly summaries of the varied activities and programs of India’s Department of Space (DOS) for years. Lately though, there have been consistent delays in publishing them by a month or two, and sometimes even more. The summaries have been trimmed too, now conveying less th…
- [Moon Monday #223: International researchers to study Chang’e lunar samples, including US ones but without NASA funding](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-223.md) - And more such interesting Moon exploration updates from China’s National Space Day on April 24.
- [Moon Monday #222: How China navigated failure to nail down lunar navigation success](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-222.md) - Plus: Exploration and science updates from the US, South Korea, and Europe.
- [Moon Monday #221: The US is failing to explore lunar water as the principal goal of Artemis](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-221.md) - And, countries allied with the US are facing delays in their own missions, allowing China to lead in this aspect of lunar exploration too.
- [Moon Monday #220: Lunar science galore from the Chandrayaans](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-220.md) - Plus mission updates and some tangents.
- [Newly approved Chandrayaan 5 LUPEX mission will drill for water on the Moon and aid Artemis | Indian Space Progress #25-26](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-25.md) - Plus: A host of new lunar science results from Chandrayaan 2 and 3. Enjoy this 3200-word Chandrayaan-special. 🌙
- [Moon Monday #219: Results from India’s Chandrayaan 3 experiment to benefit future missions eyeing lunar water](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-219.md) - 👀 🧊 🌘
- [Fun with Moon exploration headlines](https://jatan.space/fun-with-moon-exploration-headlines.md) - I’ve been having so much fun with headlines on my Moon Monday blog+newsletter lately: * Not the fault in our stars but certainly stressful faults on our Moon * Little LUNA on Earth * A bao-burrito-bhel of global lunar updates * Suit up to walk under Moonlight * Let’s be high on launch and low on pr…
- [Moon Monday #218: A molten Moon, a date for the SPA, sunset for Blue Ghost as well as inclusive Artemis language, and more](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-218.md) - There’s a lot in this Moon Monday edition to unpack. Grab yourself a coffee or another mild drug of choice and let’s get started. 🤓 Chang’e 6 samples produce two more big results Until now, all the direct evidence of our Moon being covered in a global magma ocean shortly after its formation has co…
- [Moon Monday #217: Red A-CLPS 🔥💍](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-217.md) - Also drills, flying regolith, a hard landing, Moonlight, and many more mission updates to quench the lunatic in you.
- [If nasaspaceflight.com and its forum are blocked for you too, here’s how to access them](https://jatan.space/how-to-access-blocked-nasaspaceflight-and-its-forum-websites.md) - Sometime last year, nasaspaceflight.com (NSF) stopped loading for me. I could not access any page on its website, all of which said “Sorry, you have been blocked” no matter which browser I tried. Since then I’ve been accessing the NSF site in alternate ways because of their valuable space journalis…
- [Moon Monday #216: Firefly Blue Ghost brings precision landing and lunar sci-tech bounties](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-216.md) - Plus: Contextualizing the failure of Intuitive Machines’ second Moon mission and that of Lunar Trailblazer as grave losses for NASA.
- [Moon Monday #215: Firefly performs first actual soft lunar landing for the US in the 21st century, bags key firsts](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-215.md) - Plus: Intuitive Machines and Lunar Trailblazer launch for Luna while KASA plans the same. And, maybe nobody should “dominate” space.
- [Joining Open Lunar’s orbit as their Science Communications Lead](https://jatan.space/joining-open-lunar-as-their-science-communications-lead.md) - I’m thrilled to share that over and above my flagship Moon Monday blog+newsletter, I’ve joined the Open Lunar Foundation as their ‘Science & Tech Communications Lead’. In that role, I’ll help communicate Open Lunar’s research work on technical and policy building blocks towards cooperative and sust…
- [Moon Monday #214: Blue Ghost preps for lunar landing, gets its fix in lunar orbit](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-214.md) - Plus: Intuitive Machines set to launch second Moon lander, Australia continues lunar tech investments, and more.
- [Moon Monday #213: Mission updates from the US, Japan, China, and this Indian](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-213.md) - CLPS and Artemis updates * On February 13, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Moon lander part of NASA’s CLPS program successfully fired its engines for 4 minutes and 15 seconds to enter an elliptical orbit around Luna. Over the rest of February, Blue Ghost will fire its engines multiple times for shor…
- [Critical scientific documents go missing from NASA-backed lunar community website](https://jatan.space/scientific-documents-go-missing-from-nasa-lunar-community-website.md) - A whole host of documents presenting work and recommendations of US scientists and engineers in service of NASA’s Moon exploration goals have gone missing from the website of the agency-backed Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG). The missing documents include but is not limited to the key 2023…
- [Moon Monday #212: UNO Skip, then UNO Flip, ft. VIPER and Artemis](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-212.md) - Plus: Scientific archives as your Wild Card, a Draw Four for Boeing, UNO Reverse with Japan, and a stack of Artemis updates.
- [Sharing Moon Monday’s approach to avoiding (Artemis) hot takes and speculative coverage](https://jatan.space/how-i-avoid-hot-takes-and-speculations.md) - Some of you have been wondering and asking why I haven’t covered potential Artemis changes in the new US administration on my Moon Monday blog+newsletter. So here’s the thing. In the nearly three months since the US electoral outcome, speculations on shifts in the Artemis program have come and gone…
- [Indian Space Progress #24: High on docking, low on navigation. Cool new projects, same old budget](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-24.md) - This edition marks two years of publishing the monthly Indian Space Progress blog+newsletter. I started it with the goal of trying to compile, capture, and globally contextualize true trajectories of India’s evolving (civil) space capabilities. More than 7500 of you subscribers spread across the gl…
- [ISRO provided ground tracking support for Intuitive Machines’ NASA CLPS Moon landing](https://jatan.space/isro-supported-ground-tracking-for-im-1-nasa-clps.md) - Last week I wrote how the annual report of NSIL, an Indian government arm tasked with commercializing ISRO’s space technologies, notes that ISRO provided commercial ground tracking support for a lunar mission by another country in 2023. For some reason, the NSIL report doesn’t specify the mission n…
- [Moon Monday #211: A long march of lunar papers from China, and mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-211.md) - Chinese researchers have published a whole range of papers lately on their recent lunar exploration outcomes as well as ongoing scoping of future ambitions. Here’s a contextualized compilation. 1. Studying rocks from the first lunar farside samples brought to Earth by the Chang’e 6 mission has reve…
- [Moon Monday #210: Mission updates from Japan, the US, China, South Korea, India, and Finland](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-210.md) - Read to the end to know how I avoid (Artemis) hot takes on Moon Monday.
- [Moon Monday #209: Let’s be high on launch and low on provocation](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-209.md) - Updates on CLPS, ispace, Artemis, Chandrayaan 4, and more. Read to the end for a fact check on an op-ed.
- [How to follow CLPS Moon mission updates](https://jatan.space/how-to-follow-nasa-clps-updates.md) - With a fleet of NASA-supported robotic Moon landers part of the agency’s CLPS program launching throughout this decade, I’ve compiled an exhaustive rundown for you to be up to speed on these novel missions: All about CLPS Moon landing missions 🌗 I update this page every month or two. Other than re…
- [Moon Monday #208: What makes a lunar landing mission “successful”?](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-208.md) - Before we begin, a note that my thoughts are with everyone affected by the fires in southern California as well as by last week’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Xizang, China. The Moon lander duo from ispace Japan and US-based Firefly Aerospace are being targeted for launch by SpaceX on January 15 as…
- [Moon Monday #207: A whole bunch of global mission updates and lunar developments](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-207.md) - And three little things to share.
- [Indian Space Progress #23: How ISRO et al. laid the groundwork for a decade this year](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-23.md) - I’m delighted to welcome GalaxEye Space as the latest sponsor of my Indian Space Progress blog+newsletter! 🚀 Bangalore-based startup GalaxEye is developing hybrid Earth observation satellites with multi-spectral optical imaging plus synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capabilities, with the first launc…
- [Moon Monday #206: The state of global lunar exploration in 2024](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-206.md) - Plus, my experience at the Galaxy Forum in Wenchang, China to that end.
- [Moon Monday #205: The one from Wenchang!](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-205.md) - Hello from China! I’m at the four-day 2024 international Galaxy Forum, where I along with speakers from over 12 countries are discussing global plans on lunar exploration, science from the Moon, and cooperative approaches to those ends. This week’s Moon Monday thus includes several fresh, firsthand…
- [Moon Monday #204: The one with no tying theme, like a VIPER-less Artemis](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-204.md) - Read to the end to see a reader gift made of processed lunar regolith.
- [Indian Space Progress #22: How Chandrayaan 1, 2 and 3 leveraged their view from the Moon](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-22.md) - ISRO’s Chandrayaan craft have viewed a solar eclipse, studied the Sun’s flares, and observed Earth as an exoplanet, all from the vantage point of lunar orbit.
- [Moon Monday #203: Artemis updates, China and Luna, ESA<>JAXA, and more](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-203.md) - Thank you for having signed up for my no-award winning Moon Monday blog+newsletter! Its motivation was to exist because nothing like it did to capture the world’s march to the Moon. 🌝 If you’re one of the 8,000+ lunatics who enjoys this free curated community resource, you can copy this subscribe…
- [Moon Monday #202: A bao-burrito-bhel of global lunar updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-202.md) - Dating farside volcanic samples, awaiting the next wave of landers, and disliking opaque orbital operations.
- [Moon Monday #201: Scientists can now study exotic Chang’e 6 lunar samples](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-201.md) - Plus: New round of Chang’e 5 sample studies, gifting part of the Moon, and Sino-US cooperation
- [Moon Monday #200: Thank you, a crewed Chinese rover, Artemis updates, and more](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-200.md) - Welcome to the 200th edition of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter! 🚀🌗 I’d like to take this moment to highlight four things working on Moon Monday has enabled: 1. An extensive 4-year archive of curated and contextualized global lunar exploration developments, with embedded links to everything. All e…
- [I write for you, not social media or SEO](https://jatan.space/i-write-for-you.md) - Many of my headlines make little sense to Google, Web Search Engines, and for SEO. For example, I titled Moon Monday #199 as “Not the fault in our stars but certainly stressful faults on our Moon”. Most likely, mainstream social media algorithms don’t care much for such headlines either. Screw them…
- [Moon Monday #199: Not the fault in our stars but certainly stressful faults on our Moon](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-199.md) - Let’s study Moonquakes to not let them shake a Moonbase.
- [Moon Monday #198: Suit up to walk under Moonlight, and grab global mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-198.md) - First look at the Artemis Moonwalking suit Following China’s unveiling of its lunar spacesuit last month, Axiom Space has revealed the latest design of its AxEMU suit that astronauts will wear on NASA’s crewed Artemis III lunar surface mission later this decade. The first-time unveiling of the suit…
- [Discussing India’s lunar exploration heading with Carnegie India (podcast)](https://jatan.space/podcast-discussing-indian-lunar-exploration-with-carnegie.md) - I was a guest on Carnegie India’s podcast Interpreting India. In light of the recently approved Chandrayaan 4 sample return mission, we discuss for a good 45 minutes where India’s Moon exploration plans are heading, and what are the enablers and constraints on the increasingly complex road for ISRO…
- [Moon Monday #197: Starship Artemis, and lunar mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-197.md) - NASA’s road to the Moon inches through Starship SpaceX’s fifth launch of its fully integrated Starship Super Heavy rocket on October 13 was a resounding success, with both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship second stage completing their flight as well as soft return objectives. With this miss…
- [Indian Space Progress #20–21: ISRO’s plan to study Venus alongside NASA and ESA](https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-20.md) - Also in this special edition: ISRO’s ambitions to fetch samples from the Moon, build a space station, and develop a heavy-lift rocket!
- [Moon Monday #196: Confusion about lunar water and LUPEX, and papers plus mission updates](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-196.md) - You can now follow my articles on some non-questionable social networks that also federate (interoperate): Flipboard, Mastodon and Bluesky. The hunt for water on the Moon continues US researchers find that permanently shadowed regions up to 77° latitude—which is outside the Moon’s south pole—could…
- [Let’s explore our Moon’s mountains! 🌖](https://jatan.space/explore-lunar-mountains.md) - The Moon is home to some amazing mountains. Unlike the millions of years it takes for most mountains on Earth to form via slowly colliding tectonic plates, most lunar mountains form near-instantly through asteroid or cometary impacts. Here are some resources to explore them. 🗻 1. With cool elevati…
- [Moon Monday #195: Little LUNA on Earth, a Sino spacesuit, and communicating navcom](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-195.md) - You know how I remarked in the previous Moon Monday about having two feature stories instead of one to adequately contextualize big new developments? Well, this week’s Moon Monday has three! For Europe, China, and the US. 🙈 Europe’s new test facility brings more of those lunar vibes on Earth On Se…
- [Video: The next Moon landing missions by Intuitive Machines for NASA CLPS](https://jatan.space/the-next-moon-missions-by-intuitive-machines-for-nasa.md) - A popular YouTube channel has worked with me to create another video based on my Moon Monday blog+newsletter, this time on the next three Moon landing missions by Intuitive Machines for NASA as part of the agency’s CLPS program. Note: I didn’t choose the video title. My job is to provide the core i…
- [Moon Monday #194: On the approval of India’s Chandrayaan 4 sample return mission, and first look at Chang’e 6 samples](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-194.md) - This week’s Moon Monday has not one but two feature stories! So much has been happening in lunar exploration this whole year that I’ve transitioned to writing deep dives more frequently so as to adequately capture and contextualize big updates. If you appreciate my efforts to bring you such a highl…

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