India Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) Launch NET Dec 30 to Aid Chandrayaan-4 and Human Missions
ISRO final 2024 launch, planned for NET December 30, will carry the dual-satellite Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) aboard PSLV-XL C60 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India to an altitude of ~470 km. Launch window remains open until January 13, 2025. The twin 220-kg sats, known as ‘Chaser’ and ‘Target’, will be placed into slightly differing orbits (about 10-15 km from each other). The distance between them will gradually be reduced as they attempt to rendezvous and fly in formation. Within 10 days of launch they will work to demonstrate autonomous docking between two satellites in orbit. This technology development for India will benefit the Chandrayaan-4 and other sample return missions, future Gaganyaan human spaceflights, the planned 2035 Bharatiya Antariksha Space Station and potential satellite servicing operations. After a successful docking, Chaser and Target will be separated to carry out experiments with their equipped compact optical imagers and radiation monitoring instruments. This will be the 97th launch from the 3 main orbital pads at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and the 62nd launch of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). SPADEX will take off from Pad 1 while Pad 2 is being prepared for Gaganyaan G1 mission—the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan program, which is now tentatively set for March 1, 2025. ISRO Chair S. Somanath states the complex Chandrayaan-4 robotic mission could occur 2028 to collect 3 kg of samples from Moon South Pole region. (Image credits: ISRO, NASA) |
MONDAY☆ Dec 23 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 72 seven-member crew, commanded by Suni Williams, working with experiments regarding Antarctic moss, cold welding and advanced exercise equipment; will welcome New Year 2025 with in-flight celebrations with family and friends; SpaceX Cargo Dragon will perform future reboost maneuvers for ISS as confirmed by CRS-31. ☆ Dec 23 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: The Shenzhou 19 three-member crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze celebrating final month of 2024 Year of the Dragon while working in space until May 2025 when Shenzhou 20 crew is planned to arrive; Cai and Song break record for longest duration EVA at TSS (over 9 hours), completing the space debris protection equipment installations. ● Dec 23-27 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: Meet Astronaut Norm Thagard. ☾ Dec 23 — Moon: At apogee, 404,048 km. ☆ Dec 23 — Mercury: 6.8° NNE of Antares, 21:00. Ongoing… o Dec 19-29 — Space2Sea, Crown and Summit, Financial Times, Zero-G, ThinkTank, Peak Design, SanDisk, et al, Buenos Aires, Argentina / Antarctica: Luxury Voyage To The Last Frontier – Antarctica; with William Shatner, Charlie Duke, Scott Kelly, José Hernández, Céline Cousteau, Neil deGrasse Tyson, et al, hosts Future of Space co-founders Daniel Fox / Tristan Tanovan-Fox and Australian astronaut Chris Boshuizen; see krill swarms that are also visible from space; US$35,500-91,500. ● Dec 20-30 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: Holidays in Space 2024; admission to visitor complex and nightly projected show: The Deep Space Launch Complex. |
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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: Venus (SW), Mars (ENE), Jupiter (E), Saturn (SSW), Uranus (SE), Neptune (S). Morning planet: Mercury (SE).
3 Moon Landers Ready for SpaceX Launches in Early 2025
With 409 launches, its 365 landings of and 229 reflights of the most expensive rocket parts confirms SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has revolutionized the transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and on to the Moon. Early in 2025, 3 companies will send Moon landers to our planetary companion via this rocket, two of them sharing a ride. Although an exact day has not been announced, January is expected to see the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 1 atop the same Falcon 9 as the Hakuto-R M2 “Resilience”. Firefly Aerospace developed the Blue Ghost with a NASA CLPS award and is sending it to Mare Crisium for a 14-day life during which it will test regolith samples, compute radiation, monitor navigation abilities, mitigate lunar dust and capture imagery of lunar sunset, among other tasks. Japanese company ispace hopes its second try for a lunar landing with a Hakuto-R will be successful, regolith will be collected via a rover, and high-definition photos of it will be submitted to NASA. In February, Intuitive Machines plans to send a second lander after last February’s historic, first-commercial touchdown. Heading to Mons Mouton near the Moon South Pole, this second lander “Athena” will prospect for water ice and other volatiles. The companies who have developed all three landers hope to further knowledge, technical abilities and other expertise that will move forward the mission of bringing humans to the Moon for good. (Image credits: SpaceX, Firefly Aerospace, ispace Japan, Intuitive Machines) |
★ NET Dec — Blue Origin, Launch New Glenn / Blue Ring, LC 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Maiden New Glenn flight, to carry Blue Origin Blue Ring payload tug; initial USSF National Security Space Launch certification flight. ☆ NET Dec — Isar Aerospace, Launch Spectrum / Maiden Flight Andøya Spaceport, Tromso, Norway: First test flight to SSO of Spectrum vehicle developed by Munich, Germany company founded in 2018; first launch from new spaceport. ☆ NET Dec — ISRO, Launch LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) / Gaganyaan G1, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: India plans uncrewed 1st test flight for Gaganyaan, planning for 2 more uncrewed flights during 2025, 1st crewed near end of 2026. TUESDAY★ Dec 24 — Parker Solar Probe, Heliocentric Orbit: Spacecraft reaches 22nd and closest perihelion today, coming within 6.1 million km of the Sun surface while traveling ~690,000 kph; both nearness to the Sun and speed are records for a human-made object; 01:40 HST. ☆ Dec 24 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Soyuz 2.1b / Resurs-P No.5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Russia: Sending to SSO commercial Earth observation satellites with resolution up to 1.0 m; 21:45 HST. ☾ Dec 24 — Moon: 0.36° E of Spica, occultation, 11:00. ☆ Dec 24 — Mercury: At westernmost elongation, 16:00. ☆ Dec 24 — Amor Asteroid (2024 WU13): Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU) WEDNESDAY☆ Dec 25 — James Webb Space Telescope, Sun–Earth L2: NASA (STSci) / ESA / CSA infrared astronomy telescope reaches 3rd full year / enters 4th year in space since launching on this day via Ariane 5 ECA rocket in 2021. |
☆ Dec 25 — Mars Express, Mars Orbit: ESA spacecraft reaches 21 full years / enters 22nd year in Mars orbit today; will continue to study Mars atmosphere and climate, planet structure, mineralogy, geology, and to search for traces of water; launched June 2, 2003.
☆ Dec 25 — Apollo Asteroid (2021 AP1): Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU)
THURSDAY
★ Dec 26 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Thuraya 4-NGS, SLC 40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Communication satellite to GTO for UAE-based Yahsat; launch window open 19:00-20:53 HST.
☆ Dec 26 — Aten Asteroid (2024 XQ7): Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)
FRIDAY
☆ Dec 27 — Aten Asteroid (2017 YD2): Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
SATURDAY
★ Dec 28 — Juno, Perijove 68 / 67th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft to perform Jupiter flyby during Perijove 68, its 68th close flyby of Jupiter and 67th science flyby with instruments turned on.
★ Dec 28 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 11-3, SLC 4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Satellites to LEO for Starlink mega-constellation Internet communication system; launch window open 15:35-20:06 HST.
● Dec 28 – Jan 1 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: Meet Astronaut John Fabian.
☾ Dec 28 — Moon: 0.40° ESE of Antares, occultation, 06:00; 6.4° S of Mercury, 18:00.
☆ Dec 28 — Apollo Asteroid (2024 XW16): Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU)
SUNDAY
● Dec 29 — The Space Show, Online / Las Vegas NV: Dr. David Livingston hosts Tom Olson for the annual review show.
☆ Dec 29 — Aten Asteroid (2019 XB): Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU)
MONDAY
☆ NET Dec 30 — ISRO, Launch PSLV / SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment), Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad, India: Mission to demonstrate autonomous docking between 2 spacecraft in LEO; launch window open 06:00-10:00 HST.
● Dec 30 — Ingram Planetarium, Sunset Beach NC: Mystery of the Christmas Star Planetarium Show; examines recorded sightings of significant astronomical events to explain the Star of Bethlehem.
☾ Dec 30 — Moon: New Moon, 12:27.
TUESDAY
☆ Dec 31 — INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), LEO: ESA mission in cooperation with USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland; most sensitive gamma-ray observatory ever launched detects some of the most energetic radiation in Space; nominal mission extended to this date; mission end scheduled for 2029.
o Dec 31 — African Space Agency, Egyptian Space Agency, Space in Africa, Online: Early-Bird Registration due for 4th NewSpace Africa Conference, to be held April 21-24, 2025, at Egypt Space City in Cairo.
☆ Dec 31 — Aten Asteroid (2024 AV2): Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)
2025
WEDNESDAY
☆ NET 2025 — NASA Voyagers 1 & 2, Interstellar Space: The farthest spacecraft from Earth, both craft have defied expectations and continue communicating data, although may cease around this year due to depletion of radioactive power sources for critical electrical subsystems; launched 1977.
★ NET Jan — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 1 & Hakuto-R M2 “Resilience”, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Firefly Aerospace first lunar lander mission under US$93.3M NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services to Mare Crisium at 18.56°N, 61.81°E carrying 10 NASA payloads; ispace Japan second mission of Resilience lunar lander, with ~5-kg micro-rover and other payloads to Mare Frigoris at 60.5°N, 4.6°W.
☆ NET Jan — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / Venus probe, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Independent mission to Venus developed by Rocket Lab and MIT to send tiny probe flying in atmosphere for 5 minutes at 48-60 km altitude.
☆ Jan 1 — Deep Space, Centaurus A Galaxy: NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory in Earth orbit observes supermassive black hole in Centaurus A, ~12 million light years away, producing jets of high-energy particles — one of which struck an unidentified object, causing a never-before-seen patch of V-shaped emission.
● Jan 1 — Explore Mars Inc., Washington DC: Early registration due – 2025 Humans to the Moon & Mars Summit; to be held May 28-29 at Jack Morton Auditorium.
THURSDAY
● Jan 2-6 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: Meet Astronaut Sam Gemar.
☆ Jan 2 — Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from constellation Quadrans Muralis; can produce up to 50-100 meteors per hour, 3 days after New Moon.
☆ Jan 2 — Apollo Asteroid (2024 XP10): Near-Earth Flyby (0.050 AU)
FRIDAY
☾ Jan 3 — Chang’E-4 Lander and Yutu-2 Rover, Statio Tianhe (Milky Way Base), Von Kármán crater, Moon South Pole–Aitken Basin: Spacecraft reach 6 full years / enter 7th year on Moon far side, landed 2019.
● Jan 3 — American Astronautical Society (AAS), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Online: Manuscripts due for 2025 AAS / AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting to be held January 19-23 Lihue Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort.
☾ Jan 3 — Moon: 1.32° SE of Venus, 0:700.
SATURDAY
☆ Jan 4 — Earth: At perihelion from Sun (0.9833 AU), 03:00.
☾ Jan 4 — Moon: 0.70° N of Saturn, 08:00.
☆ Jan 4 — Aten Asteroid (2021 AO4): Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)
SUNDAY
● Jan 5 — University of Maine, Versant Power Astronomy Center, Orono ME: Cosmic Colors Planetarium Show; visitors learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, Northern Lights and tour the night sky.
☾ Jan 5 — Moon: 1.07° N of Neptune, 05:00; at ascending node, 10:00.
☆ Jan 5 — Apollo Asteroid (2020 BC6): Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU)