By Jatan Mehta | The world’s only newsletter dedicated to covering and contextualizing global lunar exploration updates, including plans to return humans this decade.
Moon Monday
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
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
CLPS
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
Moon Monday
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
CLPS
I’m over the Moon to share that Moon Monday is now featured as a resource on the homepage of the Moon Village Association’s website. ^_^ Also, so much happened in lunar exploration last week that this 2000-plus-word issue is packed with exciting news updates, and lots of context and
Moon Monday
NASA pushes for September launch of Artemis I After a persistent, large hydrogen leak on the SLS rocket’s core stage forced NASA to scrub the September 3 launch attempt of the Artemis I mission to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back, the agency decided to
Moon Monday
A notorious hydrogen leak stops brimming SLS rocket from blasting off of Earth On September 3, NASA scrubbed the second launch attempt of the super heavy-lift SLS rocket for the Artemis I mission to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back. While the first launch was cancelled
Artemis
The Sun isn’t rising for the SLS just yet The super heavy-lift SLS rocket just can’t catch a break. NASA scrubbed today’s launch of SLS for the Artemis I mission to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back. The launch was called off because
Artemis
Potential zones for the first Artemis Moon landing Following an uncrewed and crewed flight around the Moon with Artemis I and Artemis II respectively, NASA will land astronauts on the lunar surface mid-decade with Artemis III. Its astronauts will reach lunar orbit in an Orion spacecraft blasted from Earth by
Artemis
Today marks 75 years of India’s independence from colonial rule. Just as my country has since been contributing to and learning from the world via our existence as Earth’s largest democracy, I hope our growing Chandrayaan ambitions and resurgence in collaborative planetary science efforts will play an important
Moon Monday
KPLO on its way to our cosmic neighbor! On August 5, 2022 (KST), a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched and deployed the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) towards the Moon. With KPLO, South Korea forays into planetary exploration, begins its ambitious lunar exploration program, and finds a collaborator in
CLPS
NASA’s VIPER rover endures a steep SLOPE The VIPER rover, launching in 2024 on an Astrobotic lander as part of NASA’s CLPS program, will closely study lunar water and other volatile resources on the Moon’s south pole to inform future robotic and crewed missions. On top of
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