Articles
Rocket equation 101: Revealing our Moon’s value as a launchpad
Moon Monday #288: Realizations from fundamental physics at the heart of the rocket equation. Paired with memes for fun and poetry for ethics.
Articles
By Jatan Mehta | Dives into lunar exploration, space technology, Indian space, planetary science, and more.
Articles
Our Moon is two-faced. Science missions unravel its layers.
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.
Moon Monday
Upcoming missions to the Moon’s farside—that’s definitely not its dark side.
Moon Monday #285
Moon Monday
The Moon’s south pole is a place of promise and perils. Effective data sharing will benefit and save everyone.
Moon Monday #283: Some engineers and scientists are leading by example.
Moon Monday
Lessons on lapses in lunar missions operations from the 20th century | Moon Monday #281
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 $8 million raised in funds,
Moon Monday
Smashing success: The time NASA figured out our Moon is cratered all the way down | Moon Monday #280
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.
Indian Space
India and the dream of an orbital launch trifecta | Part 5 of ISRO’s rocket crisis
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.
Moon Monday
What does Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explosion mean for NASA’s Artemis program? A domino of timeline lapses and strategic failures.
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.
Moon Monday
What is pending for SpaceX Starship to be a Moonship for NASA astronauts? Nearly everything.
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.
Moon Monday
Science results from India’s Chandrayaan 3 Moon mission | Moon Monday #275
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
India’s Chandrayaan 4 lunar sampling mission cross-pollinates science, rockets, governance, and human spaceflight
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
Moon Monday
With Artemis II done, challenges confront NASA to send astronauts on Artemis III and IV | Moon Monday #272
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.
