CLPS
The bevy of rovers heading for the Moon
A look at all the big and small mobile robots that will explore the lunar surface over the next five years.
Latest
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #101: Three November launches, an exciting Artemis IV mission, and more updates
Lunar Flashlight to launch alongside ispace’s Moon lander in November In a delightful update, NASA announced last week that the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat will launch as a secondary payload between November 9–15 onboard the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will lift ispace Japan’s first Moon lander.
Chandrayaan
Moon Monday #100: Chandrayaan 3 and OneWeb, Orion’s true cost, and more lunar updates
I’ve never been more proud and happy to publish a post on the Internet, for this is the 100th edition of Moon Monday. When I started the newsletter nearly 2 years ago, it didn’t seem there would be enough happening in lunar exploration to reflect on every week
Articles
The time NASA figured out that our Moon is cratered all the way down
And a parallel to what we’re building now as we return to the Moon.
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #99: Two November launches, an instant origin scenario, prepping for future exploration, and more
ispace to launch for the Moon in November ispace Japan has completed space environmental testing of its first lunar lander in Germany, and is now targeting launch in the November 9–15 timeframe on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Mission payloads include the UAE’s 10-kilogram Rashid rover (sporting two
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #98: ESA Moonlight, a surviving CAPSTONE, Turkey’s Moonshot, community events, and more
ESA’s Moonlight constellation plans forge forward Why build a constellation of lunar satellites that provide navigation and communications services around the Moon? For one, a NavCom service will enable cost-effective Moon missions, as spacecraft would no longer need their own hefty communications hardware and rented ground infrastructure. Nations with
Indian Space
Reviewing Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars mission
Despite falling short on scientific promises, the orbiter boosted India’s fledgling planetary program.
Indian Space
Again, Mangalyaan was never a science mission
When India’s Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014, it made ISRO only the fourth organization in the world to achieve the feat, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and ESA. The fact that Mangalyaan was India’s first interplanetary mission, and cost just $70
CLPS
Moon Monday #97: Australia aims for Luna, CLPS evolves towards enhance science, and more updates
A look at Australian efforts to explore our Moon A little over 3 years after being founded, the Australian Space Agency announced its first Moon mission in October 2021. The agency will soon competitively fund an Australian industry consortia to develop the mission’s lunar rover for a maximum cost
Articles
How the Apollo missions transformed our understanding of the Moon’s origin
And how going back to the Moon will tell us how Earth and Luna formed.
Moon Monday
Moon Monday #96: Another storm for SLS, a lunar power service, a refined Lunar-Mars vision, and more updates
NASA wants the SLS rocket and its teams to withstand a storm On September 21, NASA successfully conducted the cryogenic leak test to verify the integrity of the newly replaced seals on the SLS rocket’s core stage, where a persistent, large hydrogen leak forced the agency to scrub the
Articles
Everything we know about the rover NASA's Artemis astronauts will drive on the Moon
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle will be vastly more capable than the rover rode by Apollo astronauts.