> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://jatan.space/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Moon Monday #106: Orion is on its way back to Earth while other craft prep their Moonshot - URL: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-106/ - Published: 2022-12-05T18:11:02.000Z - Updated: 2024-02-21T09:15:17.000Z - Author: Jatan Mehta - Tags: Moon Monday, US Artemis ## Orion blazes past the Moon to head back home ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2024/02/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f7e8389cc-8dcd-4fe9-aec3-637efddad475_1697x973-jpeg.jpg) Artemis I mission, flight day 20: The Earth-ward Orion spacecraft, the Moon, space, crescent Earth, and us. [Credit: NASA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppxaKK9papQ) Today, December 5, the uncrewed [Orion spacecraft](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/meet-nasa-s-orion-spacecraft) part of NASA’s [Artemis I](https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i) Moon mission precisely propelled itself [on a trajectory to Earth](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/11/26/artemis-i-flight-day-ten-distant-retrograde-orbit), a minute after flying 127 kilometers above the Moon at its closest. Orion’s powerhouse [European Service Module](https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/esm) has been performing exceptionally well, delivering [15% more power](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/01/artemis-i-flight-day-15-go-for-leaving-moon-orbit) than expected while consuming lesser fuel as well as lesser power for needs such as heating or cooling parts of the spacecraft. The bottomline is that when future [Artemis](https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis) astronauts head to and fro our Moon on Orion, Artemis I proves there should be a good amount of margin and redundancy in the system to safely handle non-nominal scenarios. NASA completed some more [secondary Orion objectives](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/additional-artemis-i-test-objectives-to-provide-added-confidence-in-capabilities-0) last week, including [testing Orion’s thermal endurance](https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/11/29/artemis-i-flight-day-14-deep-space-testing-continues) to prolonged non-optimal Sun pointing, performing [longer than planned thruster burns](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/01/artemis-i-flight-day-15-go-for-leaving-moon-orbit) to test the capsule’s operational constraints and structural stability, and testing a [specific thruster configuration](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/04/artemis-i-flight-day-18-back-to-moon-influence) to be used during the crewed [Artemis II](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to) flight. Also, NASA and ESA finally did provide an update on the numerous [deep space radiation experiments](https://jatan.space/science-on-artemis-i/) onboard Orion, if [only to say](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/03/artemis-i-flight-day-17-downloading-data) that all the hardware are collecting data as expected, most of which will be received for review after Orion splashes on Earth. For those keenly following Artemis I, ESA’s [Orion Blog](https://blogs.esa.int/orion) consistently has more details, links, pictures and diagrams than NASA’s [official Artemis Blog](https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis)! Here’s an [example](https://blogs.esa.int/orion/2022/12/01/artemis-i-flight-day-15-go-for-leaving-moon-orbit). *And numbers have metric units.* ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2024/02/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f18dc3922-239a-45f7-a033-36c7f533f5f5_2000x1450-jpeg.jpg) Artemis I mission, flight day 13: The lunar-ward Orion spacecraft, space, the Moon, Earth, and us. [Credit: NASA](https://images.nasa.gov/details-art001e000678) ## UAE’s Rashid rover must wait some more for its Moonshot ispace Japan’s [first Moon landing mission](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-99/) and NASA’s [Lunar Flashlight](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/lunar%5Fflashlight.php) CubeSat orbiter now await a new launch date as SpaceX [troubleshoots](https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/11/30/spacex-rocket-trouble-postpones-japanese-moon-lander-launch) an unrevealed issue with the Falcon 9 rocket, which was originally supposed to launch these spacecraft late last month. If the Falcon 9 takes off by mid-December, ispace’s lander will [continue to target](https://ispace-inc.com/news-en/?p=4075) its originally planned landing in April 2023 otherwise there will be necessary operational changes such as targeting an alternate landing site. The delay also means that UAE’s 10-kilogram [Rashid rover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates%5FLunar%5FMission) might have to wait longer to study the Moon’s surface for its planned 8–10 Earth days. The robotic micro-rover sports [three high-resolution “CASPEX” cameras](https://presse.cnes.fr/en/rashid-rover-heading-moon-carrying-three-caspex-cameras-developed-cnes) provided by the French space agency. It’s a smartphone-like camera adapted for space, and flown [on NASA’s Perseverance](https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/supercam) Mars rover and OneWeb satellites. A CASPEX pair on the rover’s mast will provide panoramic views and aid navigation while the third camera will be rear-mounted to analyze drive tracks and infer wheel sinkage as well as mechanical properties of the lunar soil from it. UAE’s second lunar rover, to fly [onboard China’s Chang’e 7 lander](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CkjacBB3c4L%5FUbwNbeFPvA), will [also have CASPEX cameras](https://presse.cnes.fr/en/rashid-rover-heading-moon-carrying-three-caspex-cameras-developed-cnes). ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2024/02/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f42bdba60-cf51-446c-8481-f7176d0695e9_800x450-jpeg.jpg) UAE engineers and the Rashid rover pictured inside the clean room on June 15, 2022\. [Credit: MBRSC](https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-in-space/2022/10/08/rashid-rover-everything-you-need-to-know-about-uaes-moon-mission) --- *Many thanks to [Epsilon3](https://www.epsilon3.io) for sponsoring this week’s Moon Monday.* *Thanks also to [Nitin Pai](https://www.nitinpai.in) of [Takshashila](https://takshashila.org.in)* *for supporting my independent writing.* --- ## Upcoming mission updates - France [will provide](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/us-vice-president-french-president-visit-nasa-headquarters) one of the two distinct [lunar-night-surviving seismometers](https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2022/pdf/1576.pdf) on [Draper’s first lunar lander](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-87/), which is targeting touchdown on the Moon’s farside in 2025 as part of NASA’s [CLPS](https://jatan.space/nasa-clps-moon-missions/) program. Based on the [excellent seismometer](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-insight-records-monster-quake-on-mars) on NASA’s [InSight](https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/mission/overview) Mars mission, the France-provided instrument on Draper’s lander will be one of the most sensitive seismometers sent to space. Over at least four months of operations, the two seismometers will help us better understand [the Moon’s internal structure and how it evolved](https://jatan.space/the-two-faced-moon/), and know the amount and rate of [micrometeorite impacts](https://jatan.space/the-tiniest-of-impact-craters/) on the farside to help us plan future crewed missions. - Andrew Jones reports that China’s Chang’e 6 sample return and Chang’e 7 south polar robotic missions [are now targeting a 2026 launch](https://spacenews.com/china-outlines-pathway-for-lunar-and-deep-space-exploration) instead of 2025. - NASA has awarded a [$57 million contract](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-icon-advance-lunar-construction-technology-for-moon-missions) to ICON for [continuing to develop](https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/releases/2020/nasa-looks-to-advance-3d-printing-construction-systems-for-the-moon.html) construction technologies to [build surface infrastructure](https://www.iconbuild.com/projects/project-olympus) on the Moon using lunar regolith, with a test structure build targeted as early as 2026\. Rachael Zisk [has more details](https://payloadspace.com/icon-wins-nasa-contract-for-lunar-3d-printing). - Sisoo Park reports that South Korea [will form a dedicated space agency](https://spacenews.com/134853-2) next year called the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), which will be distinct from the already existing Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) leading the country’s first lunar orbiter [KPLO](https://jatan.space/kplo/). South Korea’s [fully indigenous Moon landing mission](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-93/) is now targeting a 2032 launch instead of 2031. ![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2024/02/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ffc961476-a814-46ab-b85d-41426a333e91_1545x1000-jpeg-1.jpg) Illustration of ICON’s lunar construction technology in action on the Moon. [Credits: ICON / BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-icon-advance-lunar-construction-technology-for-moon-missions) ## More Moon - NASA [is building three new ground stations on Earth](https://esc.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/Expanding%5FDirect-To-Earth%5FCommunications%5FCapabilities%5Ffor%5FArtemis) to ensure continuous, high bandwidth communications for the growing number of [Artemis](https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/) crewed lunar missions starting with the [Artemis III](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/as-artemis-moves-forward-nasa-picks-spacex-to-land-next-americans-on-moon) landing, and also to reduce load on the [Deep Space Network](https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/deep%5Fspace%5Fnetwork/about). These Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS) will each provide high-data-rate radio communications for Artemis human landings, multiple lunar missions as well as the crewed NASA-led [Gateway lunar orbital station](https://www.nasa.gov/gateway). One of these has [begun being built](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/NASA-SANSA-Renew-Lunar-Exploration-Partnership) in South Africa with support from their national space agency. - In honor of the 50th launch anniversary of [Apollo 17](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%5F17) this December 7, NASA has released a freely reusable, educational [public presentation](https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/516/apollo-17-presentation), which has an excellent visual summary of the mission and plenty of resources linked in the slide notes. - NASA is hosting a [technically intense](https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/clps2022/pdf/clps2022%5Fprogram.htm) workshop titled “[CLPS Survive the Night Technology](https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/clps2022)” through December 6–8, wherein government entities and the U.S. industry will share and brainstorm technology development efforts for landers, rovers, and payloads to survive and operate through the frigid lunar nights. Doing so would not only enable sustainable exploration of our Moon but open up exploration of thermally challenging environments across the Solar System. - The [amazing views of our Moon](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/albums/72177720303788800) from NASA’s Artemis I Orion spacecraft inspired me to enhance my special page of curated Moon views called **[Luna Sights](https://blog.jatan.space/lunasights)**. I hope its ample resources keep you happily browsing for weeks, marveling at our lovely cosmic neighbor. [![](https://jatan.space/content/images/2024/02/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f6a114358-654a-449e-b904-adca06d3fb5c_2190x1500-jpeg-1.jpg)](https://blog.jatan.space/lunasights) **[Browse an inspiring world of craters, mountains, lava channels, and much more!](https://blog.jatan.space/lunasights)** ## More space blogs I recommend In last week’s Moon Monday, I [recommended some other independent space writers](https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-105/) whose work is important and inspiring. Considering these got more than 100 link clicks, it seems like a good idea to continue sharing more such voices I like at large: - **[Space coverage](https://payloadspace.com/author/rachael-zisk)** by Rachael Zisk. If you like your space crisp and fun while not losing valuable information, very few pull that off as good as Zisk does. - **[Space essays](https://briankoberlein.com/blog)** by Brian Koberlein, who crafts palpably intriguing stories to distill some notable latest results in Astrophysics research. - **[The Space Investor](https://thespaceinvestor.com)** by Nick, a curated weekly newsletter focused on investing in space. I like how every edition has crisp updates and serves the facts straight. - **[Europe in Space](https://europeanspaceflight.substack.com/archive)** by Andrew Parsonson, who not only deeply analyzes the European space technology industry but is punny with his headings. --- There’s nothing quite as bold and beautiful as committing to exploring the brutal colossal desolation that is space. We humans really are special that way. I hope we can always preserve that. **→ [Browse the Blog](https://blog.jatan.space/start) | [About](https://blog.jatan.space/about) | [Donate ♡](https://jatan.space/support)**