Luxembourg Space Week Comprised of Many Events, Includes Prominent Moon Focus

Luxembourg, at population ~670,000, saw creation both of the In-Situ Resource Utilization legal framework for space and Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) in 2018. LSA sponsors Luxembourg Space Week December 2-5, co-hosting events with several other entities. Moon Village Association (MVA) holds its 8th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium December 2-3. This major annual forum shares new ideas and progress reports about Moon exploration, utilization, lunar governance, industrialization, infrastructure and technologies. On December 2, LSA assembles Space Café #15 & Science Fiction Authors Night, a free-admission evening of inspiration with three writers. On December 3, NewSpace Europe facilitates networking among start-ups, agencies and investors. Its ‘Starring Space Women’ will see a selected speaker onstage for a fireside chat with NewSpace Europe host, Chris Brow. Interstellar Research Group (IRG) hosts its First European Interstellar Symposium December 2-5, featuring Pete Worden and an Interstellar Art Show. The IRG conference science and organizing committees consist of 9 people including Les Johnson and Alesia Herasimenka. Finally, European Space Agency convenes Space for Inspiration December 4-5, with the Day 2 main session focused on Moon economy, logistics, communication and navigation. All events are at European Convention Center, €0 – €650. (Image credits: Luxembourg Space Agency, NewSpace Europe, Moon Village Association, Interstellar Research Group, European Space Agency, NASA)

MONDAY 

☆ Dec 2 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: This week the Expedition 72 seven-member crew plans to facilitate the undocking of SpaceX CRS-31 cargo craft with return experiments; Sunita Williams to participate in live event with ‘Sunita L. Williams Elementary School’, and Nick Hague to connect with Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita; Roscosmos Cosmonauts preparing for EVA #63 potentially in 2 weeks.

☆ Dec 2 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: The Shenzhou 19 three-member crew is utilizing 6,000 kg of supplies from Tianzhou 8 supply ship for life-support systems, experiments, maintenance, and storing cargo intended for Shenzhou 20 crew; 6U CubeSat “08 Star video,” released by Tianzhou 7 after November undocking, is operating in LEO with high-resolution camera, optical comms, audio and video transmissions.

☆ Dec 2 — CNSA, Launch Long March 3B / Unknown Payload, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China: Unknown satellite(s) to be launched on Long March 3B which typically carries heavy communications satellites to GTO.

★ Dec 2 — Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), LEO: ESA / NASA craft studying sun, reaches 29 full years / begins 30th year of operations in space today, launched 1995; has discovered more than 3,000 comets.

☆ Dec 2 — BepiColombo, 5th Mercury Flyby / Gravity Assist, Mercury Flyby: European Space Agency / JAXA Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (dubbed Mio ‘waterway or fairway’) is to perform its fifth Mercury flyby today on its planned schedule to enter Mercury orbit November 2026.

o Dec 2 — Luxembourg Space Agency,  Luxembourg: Space Café #15 & Science Fiction Authors Night; Matthias Matting, Joshua T. Calvert, and Les Johnson discuss how science fiction authors and scientists inspire each other, how space technologies are shaping our lives; 18:30-21:30.

o Dec 2-3 — Moon Village Association, Luxembourg: 8th Global Moon Village Workshop & Symposium 2024.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events; in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Astronomical Society of India Hosts Symposium on Astronomy from Moon

ASI Symposium 001: Astronomy from the Moon in the era of Indian lunar missions is convened December 2-4 to discuss concepts for a lunar astronomy platform and the challenges for its arrival on a lunar lander. ASI members understand that our Moon offers the chance for unique astronomical observations that could transform astrophysics, radio / X-ray / UV / PRATUSH / ULF astronomy, exoplanetary science, gravitational-wave astronomy and other science fields. Introductory talk (online) is by Joseph Silk of Johns Hopkins University / Institut d’astrophysique de Paris. Scientists in 21 sessions present 20 minutes, with 10-minute Q&A and include Jayant Murthy (IIA), Ian Crawford (online), Divya Oberoi (NCRA) and Gaurav Singh (NAOC-CAS). A public talk the evening of December 3 titled Clear Skies over a Steady Horizon: Astronomy from the Moon is given at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium by Professor Jan Harms of Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy. Several speakers are from U R Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO in Bengaluru. Other speakers are affiliated with venue institution RRI, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Tata Institute, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, National Institute of Science Education and Research Bhubaneshwar, and Birbeck School of Earth Sciences, UK. Final hour of the conference allows manuscript preparation describing ideas presented and proposals for the future. (Image credits: URSC, RRI, ISRO, NRAO, IIA, et al)

o Dec 2-4 — Astronomical Society of India, Bengaluru, India: Symposium 001: Astronomy from Moon in the era of Indian lunar missions; at Raman Research Institute.

o Dec 2-5 — Interstellar Research Group, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Space Agency, Breakthrough Initiatives, Initiative for Interstellar Studies, Luxembourg: Interstellar Research Group: First European Interstellar Symposium – Building Our Home Among the Stars.

☆ Dec 2 — Aten Asteroid (2021 XZ): Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)

TUESDAY

☆ Dec 3 — Arianespace, Launch Vega C / Copernicus Sentinel-1 C, ELA-4, Kourou, French Guiana: VV25 mission to place Earth observation satellite into SSO at altitude ~700 km; spacecraft separation 1 hour, 43 minutes after lift-off.

o Dec 3 — Luxembourg Space Agency, Luxembourg: NewSpace Europe 2024.

o Dec 3-5 — UNOOSA, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Peru, Bonn, Germany: World Space Forum 2024.

☾ Dec 3 — Moon: 2.09° NNW of Beehive Cluster, 13:00.

☆ Dec 3 — Apollo Asteroid 447755 (2007 JX2): Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)