Evolving Lunar Landscape: 5 Probes, 4 Surface Craft May Welcome 9 Missions before 2023
Hoping to stay on track for 2021 Q4 launch to Lacus Mortis is Astrobotic Peregrine lander on ULA Vulcan Centaur, and Russia Luna-25 lander to Boguslawsky crater on Soyuz possibly Oct 1 from Vostochny. NASA 26-day Aretmis-1 mission launching November 22 on SLS would orbit the Moon, carrying multiple payloads on Orion and deploying 13 CubeSats. Moved to NET January 2022 is Intuitive Machines and its Nova-C lander on SpaceX Falcon 9 to Mare Serenitatis. The newly announced 40-kg CubeSat Doge-1 is planned to rideshare on this flight. The second Nova-C lander to touch down near lunar south pole by NET December 2022 will deliver PRIME-1 and commercial payloads. Now set for first half of 2022 is India Chandrayaan-3 to reattempt south pole landing. Korea Lunar Pathfinder orbiter could be ready for July / August 2022 launch, also aboard a Falcon 9. Hakuto-R mission 1 slated to launch to Lacus Somniorum with JAXA collaboration possibly first half of 2022. While veteran Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is celebrated June 23 for reaching its 12th full year in lunar orbit and entering its 13th, Chang’e-5 lander, Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover continue lunar surface observations and science. Chang’e-3 lander / instruments are also likely operational, but reportedly not currently in use. ARTEMIS P1 and P2, and Chang’e-5 T1 are active in lunar orbits while Change-4 relay Queqiao is at Lagrange L2. (Image Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University, CNSA, Roscosmos, ISRO, KARI, IM, Astrobotic) |
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MONDAY
Highlights…
 Jun 21 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 65 seven-member crew planning release of NG-15 “SS Katherine Johnson” by end of week, stowing and documenting EVA equipment; to date 244 visitors from 19 countries and 3,000+ research investigations have occurred at ISS.
Jun 21 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 12 crew Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming transferring cargo, setting up living spaces, science experiments, communications, performing observations aboard new station.
 Jun 21 — NewSpace: Rocket Lab is close to going public, wins contract to build 2 Mars spacecraft for NASA by 2024; Parabolic Arc continues fund-raising campaign, as does ILOA Hawai’i for HQ and Moon missions.
Jun 21 — Solar System: Raw metadata from Juno closest yet images of Ganymede to be made public; new models with Cassini data considers Saturn 27° tilt / seasonal patterns to help explain rotation speed discrepancies; orbiting at ~550 km, Hubble telescope being investigated for recent computer memory module glitch.
Jun 21 — Galaxy: Research continues on spin of MWG bar which is estimated to have slowed 24% since its formation; new class of ‘blinking giant binary star system‘ may be explanation for stellar beacon 25,000 LY away; Gaia MWG mapping mission expecting Release 3 first half 2022.
Jun 21 — Global: China-Russia announce 3-phase agreement for Human Moon Landing missions, Moon base, satellites; JAXA & Honda begin feasibility study of circulative renewable energy system to support human life in space; UAE planning 2nd Astronaut mission to ISS.
 Jun 21 — USA: First South America partner Brazil joins Artemis Accords; public voting open to help name Artemis 1 mission ‘Moonikin’ non-human passenger launching in Nov.
Jun 21 — Hawai’i: ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center prepares for re-opening to members mid-July, public late July after 15-month pause; 5 UH Institute for Astronomy (IfA) graduates earn awards, scholarships, fellowships; University of Montreal Astronomers using CFHT and TESS data to analyze new rare brown dwarf 244 LY away.
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= All times
for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Venus (WNW), Mars (WNW), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE); Morning Planets: Uranus (E), Neptune (SE).
National Space Society Hosts International Space Development Conference June 24-27
ISDC 2021, 39th since 1982, is set to run Thursday – Sunday, with emphasis on space agencies, settlements, policy, solar power, and commercial / national lunar efforts. Artemis human Moon missions and Mars planning are to be of special focus. 3 of this year’s 4-day conference will be available to the public sans payment / registration via streaming on YouTube, Facebook, e360tv, while a special paid Sunday session 10:00-15:00 PDT offers opportunities to interact with prominent thought leaders drawn from all corners of the national space community over 4 sessions such as: ‘Perspectives on Artemis’ and ‘The Debate: Is Space Settlement a Good Idea?’. Speakers over the first 3 days include (clockwise from TL): NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson (who is to receive NSS Space Pioneer Award), Future Ventures Co-Founder Steve Jurvetson, NSS President Michelle Hanlon, SpaceX President / COO Gwynne Shotwell (receiving NSS Wernher Von Braun Memorial Award), JPL Chief Engineer Robert Manning, Liquifer Director Barbara Imhof, NASA Chief Scientist James Green, and Nanoracks CEO Jeffrey Manber. Notable lectures include: On the Horizon: Lunar Tourism by Vice President of NSS-India Relationships Madhu Thangavelu, Jupiter Up Close and Personal by Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton, The Scientific Feasibility of Space Settlement by Boeing Systems Engineer Hannah Rens and Moonbase 2030 Step One: Mauna Loa by International MoonBase Alliance founder Henk Rogers. (Image Credits: NSS)
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Jun 21-23 — Instituto de Astrofisica e Ciencias do Espaco (Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences), Online / Porto, Portugal: Massively Parallel Large Area Spectroscopy from Space.
Jun 21-25 — Rencontres du Vietnam, Online / Vietnam: Rencontres Exobio pour Doctorants / Astrobiology Introductory Course; free registration.
 Jun 21-25 — Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, Dynetics, et al, Online: Virtual: National Space & Missile Materials Symposium NSMMS) & Commercial and Government Responsive Access to Space Technology Exchange (CRASTE) Conference.
Jun 21 — Venus: 5.2° S of Pollux, 12:00.
Jun 21 — Asteroid 450263 (2003 WD158): Near-Earth Flyby (0.012 AU)
Continued From…
Jun 18-25 — Spaceport America, Online / Las Cruces NM: 2021 Virtual Spaceport America Cup.
Jun 20-27— French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), Paris Le Bourget, France: International Paris Air Show 2021.
Jun 14-25 — NASA, Online: PI Launchpad – Developing Your First Flight Mission Proposal.
Jun 14-25 — National Science Foundation, Rising Stargirls, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Online: Workshop: The Universe: More than Meets the Eye.
Jun 14 – Jul 1 — Keck Institute for Space Science, Caltech, Online / Pasadena CA: Workshop: Venus In-Situ Sample Capture Mission. |
TUESDAY
Jun 22-23 — EOS, Optus, Viasat, Inmarsat, Maxar, AIrbus, Intelsat, SES, OneWeb, Lockheed Martin, et al, Sydney, Australia: Australasia Satellite Forum 2021; at Fullerton (formerly Westin) Hotel.
Jun 22-24 — Secure World Foundation, Online / Washington DC: 3rd Summit for Space Sustainability; diverse group of international experts to look across a range of economic, security, and environmental issues promoting long-term sustainable use of space for all.
Jun 22 — Moon: 4.6° NNE of Antares, 21:00; at perigee (distance 359,983 km), 23:52.
Jun 22 — Mercury: 6.1° ENE of Aldebaran, 12:00.
Jun 22 — Amor Asteroid 2021 LV6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)
Jun 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 LS5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Jun 23 — Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Moon Orbit: NASA spacecraft reaches 12 full years / enters 13th year in Moon orbit today; launched Jun 18, 2009, arrived at Moon 5 days later.
Jun 23 — Moon Village Association, Online / Vienna, Austria: 5th Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA); 15:00 CET.
Jun 23 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 – Panel on Small Solar System Bodies Meeting #13.
Jun 23-24 — SMi Group, Online / Arlington VA: MilSatCom 2021.
Jun 23 — Mars: 0.03° SE of Beehive Cluster, 13:00.
THURSDAY
Jun 24 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Transporter 2, SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS: Falcon 9 to launch Transporter 2 mission, a rideshare flight to sun-synchronous orbit with satellites for commercial and government customers.
Jun 24 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Space Technology Industry-Government-University Roundtable (STIGUR) Meeting; discussions with industry, universities, NASA and other government agencies; 11:00-16:00 EDT.
Jun 24-27 — National Space Society, Online: International Space Development Conference 2021 (ISDC 2021): Continuing the Journey / The Moon, Then Mars; Keynote speaker Astronaut Peggy Whitson.
Jun 24 — Moon: Full Strawberry Moon, 08:39.
Jun 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 LS5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)
FRIDAY
Jun 25 — University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Online / Honolulu HI: Webinar: Dispatches from ʻOumuamua: New Research on a Mysterious Visitor from Outside Our Solar System; by Karen Meech 13:00 HST.
Jun 25 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 – Panel on Mercury and the Moon Meeting #19.
Jun 25 — Apollo Asteroid 441987 (2010 NY65): Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)
SATURDAY
Jun 26 — AIAA Los Angeles / Las Vegas Section, Online: Planetary Defense Workshop with Asteroid Exploration Updates; 10:00 PDT.
Jun 26-30 — Space Renaissance International, Online / Fino Mornasco, Italy: 2021 Space Renaissance Congress: Civilian Space Development.
Jun 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 LV2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.012 AU)
SUNDAY
Jun 27 — ISS, Release of Cygnus NG-15, ~405-km LEO: Northrop Grumman “SS Katherine Johnson” Cygnus cargo craft now filled with waste to be released from ISS 12:25 EDT, live coverage available; to disintegrate upon Earth atmosphere reentry.
Jun 27 — Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), Sun-Synchronous Orbit: NASA observation satellite investigating the physical conditions of the chromosphere of Sun reaches 8 full reaches / enters 9th year in space, launched 2013.
Jun 27 — Moon: Full Strawberry Moon, 08:39.