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 one of the three
A look at the armada of robotic landers NASA is riding to the Moon this decade.
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
Read to the end for a jolly Jovian update!
A special early edition of Moon Monday for International Moon Day, July 20.
A complicated question to answer for a controversial flight intended to advance India’s grand ambition of indigenously sending humans to space.
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.
And encouraging information sharing.
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 review of notable developments by country or region.
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.
Plus: Examples of how Western media narratives of Chinese lunar activities misjudge capabilities and intent
Moon Monday
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
Indian Space Progress
Plus more mission updates.
Moon Monday
And other mission updates.
Moon Monday
Plus: Firefly to carry UAE’s second lunar rover and more.
Articles
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 Monday
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, accomplished despite massive interference from
Moon Monday
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’
Indian Space Progress
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 than
Moon Monday
And more such interesting Moon exploration updates from China’s National Space Day on April 24.
Moon Monday
Plus: Exploration and science updates from the US, South Korea, and Europe.
Moon Monday
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
Plus mission updates and some tangents.
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