USA Returns to the Moon: NASA CLPS January 2024 Landings Lead the Way for Artemis 3 / First Woman – NLT July 4, 2026?
Two robotic Moon landings under the NASA Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services program are set to occur early in New Year 2024. Astrobotic Technology Peregrine lander is being prepared for a December 24, 01:49 EST launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41 on the inaugural ULA Vulcan rocket. Peregrine landing is planned for NET January 25 near Gruithuisen Domes, and operate for at least 10 days. Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander recently arrived at Florida for its launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center during a multi-day launch window which opens NET January 12. Landing of Nova-C would occur ~6.5 days after launch, potentially putting it on the surface near Malapert A crater (near “The Mountain on the Moon” Malapert Massif) around Jan 18, 2024. These lander attempts will be the first from USA in 51 years—the last time humans explored the surface of the Moon was December 1972. In total 8 CLPS landing missions are slated for launch between 2024-2026, while the crewed flight around the Moon for Artemis 2 on Space Launch System is set to occur November of next year. USA Congress and NASA should confirm the goal for Artemis 3 to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon no later than July 4, 2026—the Quarter Millennial / 250th observation of USA Declaration of Independence. Staying on track for the Human Return to the Moon is a vital and significant advancement toward Multi World Civilization in Peace for All. (Image Credits: ILOA Hawai’i, NASA, Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic Technology)
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MONDAY☆ Dec 11 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 70 seven-member crew transferring cargo to SpaceX CRS-29 for return to Earth this week, along with waste transfer to NG Cygnus-19 for departure / destruction / SAFFIRE experiment next week. ☆ Dec 11 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-17 three-member crew nearing second full month in space, working with Tianzhou 6; how to view and track TSS from Earth analysis posted on Space.com. Highlights… o NewSpace: 70tf methalox Longyun engine made by Jiuzhou Yunjian ready for integration on commercial rockets following hot fire test; SpaceX to launch 3 batches of Amazon Project Kuiper satellites in mid-2025; Ursa Major to further develop Lynx solid-fuel rocket engine with US$138M new funds. ☆ Solar System: NASA researchers granted exemption to Wolf Amendment allowing requests for use of Chang’E-5 Moon regolith sample; Chandrayaan-3 PM in 150,000-km orbit with 27° inclination and ~13-day period, where SHAPE payload may operate up to a year; RAND Corporation offers recommendations on space law, rescue, habitats, SBSP, geoengineering from Earth-Sun L1 in new report. ☆ Galaxy: Psyche neutron-detecting sensors to be activated this week following first light 68-image star mosaic in Pisces constellation; UF-led study using JWST shows large amounts of carbon monoxide ice within low-star formation area of MWG dubbed ‘the brick’. o Global: Australian Space Agency Moon rover set for launch NET 2026 dubbed ‘Roo-ver’ following naming competition which drew 8,000 submissions; First African woman in space Sara Sabry working to open access to space through Deep Space Initiative; Iran working to achieve human spaceflight following successful launch of animal-containing 500-kg capsule to 130km altitude. ● USA: NASA JSC finds redundant naming convention likely root cause of OSIRIS-REx drogue failure, will confirm when Bennu sample capsule is opened; Government Accountability Office warns of Artemis 3 delay unless SpaceX HLS and Axiom space suit development are accelerated; 14 companies selected to contribute to 7-month DARPA LunA-10 Capability Study including Helios, Sierra Space, CisLunar Industries, Nokia. ● Hawai’i: Model created by IfA astronomers Kai Yang and Xudong Sun being used to verify coronal loop origin of super flares; NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates accepting applications for 10-week paid astronomy internships on Maunakea and Haleakalā until Jan 31. |
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● = Terrestrial and… o = International terrestrial events
☾ = Moon activity ★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’). |
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Mercury (SW), Jupiter (E), Saturn (SW), Uranus (E), Neptune (S); Morning Planets: Venus (SE).
American Geophysical Union Holding Annual Meeting in San Francisco
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● Dec 11-15 — American Geophysical Union, Hybrid / San Francisco CA and Online: AGU Annual Meeting 2023. ● Dec 11-15 — Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Online: Celestis Webcast; CEO Charles Chafer and Ambassador Marc Lee to update on Enterprise and Tranquility memorial spaceflight missions, 18:00 CST. ☾ Dec 11 — Moon: With Mars, and Antares within circle of diameter 4.99°, 18:00; 0.89° NNE of Antares, 20:00. ☆ Dec 11 — Aten Asteroid 2010 XF3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU). Ongoing… ☾ Sep 6 – NET Jan/March — Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), Lunar Landing Trajectory: SLIM Moon mission 4-6 month trajectory to soft land east of Shioli crater (13.2°S, 25.2°E) on Moon near side equatorial region. ☆ Sep 6 – NET Mar — X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), ~550-km LEO: XRISM undergoing 6 month check out testing phase before start of science operations to study galactic plasma. o Nov 30 – Dec 12 — United Nations, Dubai, UAE: 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28); NASA administrator Bill Nelson will attend, joining 70,000 participants from nearly 200 countries. o Dec 3-12 — National Space Foundation, NOIRLab, International Dark-Sky Association, AURA, Online / Global: Globe at Night December Campaign; campaign to raise awareness of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit night sky brightness observations. ★ Dec 10 — X-37B Spaceplane, LEO: Seventh mission of X-37B, designated USSF-52, undergoing new orbital regimes, experimenting space domain awareness tech, investigating radiation effects on materials provided by NASA. TUESDAYo Dec 12 — UK Space Command, Air & Space Power Association, London UK: Defence Space Conference 2023; at Institution of Engineering and Technology. ● Dec 12 — AIAA, Online / Las Vegas NV: Call for Content Submissions Due: 2024 ASCEND Conference; being held Jul 30 – Aug 1. ● Dec 12-14 — Satellite Industry Association (SIA), Arlington VA: 19th annual DOD Commercial Satcom Workshop. ☾ Dec 12 — Moon: 3.5° S of Mars, 00:00; New Moon, 13:31. ☆ Dec 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 WO3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU). |
WEDNESDAY
☆ Dec 13 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / QPS-SAR-5, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Launch of 42nd Electron rocket for ‘The Moon God Awakens’ mission for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS) high-resolution X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation satellite dubbed TSUKUYOMI-I; 17:00 local time.
o Dec 13 — Moon Village Association, Online / Vienna, Austria: Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) 4th Operational Meeting.
● Dec 13-14 — Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson AZ: Overnight Telescope Observing Program; visitors use one of four Visitor Center telescopes.
THURSDAY
★ Dec 14 — NEOWISE, LEO: NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft (redubbed Near-Earth Object WISE – NEOWISE) reaches 14 full years / begins 15th year in space; launched 2009.
☾ Dec 14 — Chang’E-3 Lander, Guang Han Gong (Moon Palace), Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface: Spacecraft reaches 10 full years / enters 11th year on Moon surface, landed 2013.
● Dec 14 — National Space Society, Astronaut Memorial Foundation, KSC FL: Second Space Launcheon Series (SLS): How Big Systems Fail, and Why That Can’t Happen in Human Spaceflight; featuring Astronaut Chris Ferguson.
☆ Dec 14 — Geminids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Gemini, shower can produce 80-130 meteors per hour; bright, medium-slow meteors (35 km/sec), few leave persistent trains.
☾ Dec 14 — Moon: 4.4° S of Mercury, 20:00.
FRIDAY
★ Dec 15 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Ovzon-3, SLC-40 Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Launch of communications satellite Ovzon-3 built by Maxar for company Ovzon; 16:00 local time.
● Dec 15-30 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: 2023 Holidays in Space; nightly projected show of a voyage through the stars, Earth and beyond.
SATURDAY
☾ Dec 16 — Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter ‘Danuri’, Moon Orbit: KARI first lunar spacecraft Danuri reaches 1st full year / enters 2nd year in lunar orbit today.
☆ Dec 16 — Roscosmos, Launch Soyuz-2 / Arktika-M 2, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Soyuz rocket to launch Arktika remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites for Russia.
● Dec 16 — AIAA LA-LV Section, Los Angeles CA and Online: Safe Is Not An Option: Overcoming The Futile Obsession With Getting Everyone Back Alive That Is Killing Our Expansion Into Space; 09:00.
☾ Dec 16 — Moon: At perigee (distance 367,892 km) 08:44.
SUNDAY
● Dec 17 — The Space Show, Online / Las Vegas NV: Dr. David Livingston hosts Michael Listner, space law expert and policy consultant.
☾ Dec 17 — Moon: 2.30° SE of Saturn, 15:00.