China to Launch Chang’e-4 Satellites, Precursor to Lunar South Pole Landing
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MONDAY Ongoing…
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May 21 — 
May 21 — NewSpace: Astrobotic adds 
May 21 — USA: NASA continues 
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Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Venus (WNW), Jupiter (SE); Morning Planets: Mercury (E), Mars (S), Saturn (S), Neptune (ESE).
NSS ISDC 2018 and Related Events Focus on Major Advances in Human Spaceflight, Commercial Space, Tech
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May 21 — CNSA, Launch Long March 4C / Chang’e-4 Relay, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China: Chang’e-4 relay “Queqiao” (bridge of magpies) to launch 05:00 local time to Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L2 to support lander / rover mission launching NET Nov to Moon South Pole / Aitken Basin; will carry Longjiang-1 and -2 microsatellites (50x50x40 cm3, mass of ~45 kg) intended for 200 x 9,000 km lunar orbit for low frequency radio astronomical observation.
Continued from…
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The National Space Society 37th Annual International Space Development Conference is being held May 24-27 in Los Angeles, California with theme Space Travel: Putting People into Space. In 20 sessions and 4 Plenaries, about 45 speakers will cover topics on Moon and Mars settlement, interstellar matters, space business, ISRU, transportation, power and Aerospace Legacy. Speakers include (L-R) Jeff Bezos, Freeman Dyson, Kathryn Sullivan, Linda Spilker, Li Wang, Robert Zubrin, Jim Keravala, John Mankins, Madhu Thangavelu and Michael Laine. This year there may be significant developments with the first missions landing near Lunar South Pole by India and China, International Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway planning, and commercial human spaceflights by USA-based Blue Origin New Shepard, Boeing CST-100 Starliner, SpaceX Dragon 2, and Virgin Galactic. As part of ISDC, the Los Angeles Regional NewSpace Business Plan Competition will be May 26 and feature 6 qualifying business startups pitching ideas to a panel – cash prize US$2,500 for the winner. The next Competition will be in Austin, Texas during New Worlds Conference. On May 22-24 in Pasadena, Space Tech Expo USA will feature 250 exhibitors, 35 free sessions and over 3,500 people including representatives from Moon Express, Astrobotic, PTScientists, Team Indus, OffWorld, NanoRacks, Vector, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Reaction Engines, Rocket Lab, Orbital ATK, ULA, SNC, Boeing, ESA, JAXA, NASA, DLR, JPL and May 20-24 — American Geophysical Union Space Physics and Aeronomy Section, American Astronomical Society Solar Physics Division, Leesburg VA: Triennial Earth-Sun Summit; second summit to host over 400 presentations.
TUESDAY
May 22 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Iridium Next 51-55 & GRACE Follow-On, Vandenberg AFB CA: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch 5 satellites at 12:47:58 PDT for Iridium next mobile communications fleet and 2 Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On satellites for NASA and German Research Centre for Geosciences.
May 22-23— Applied Technology Institute, Columbia MD: ATI Course: Space Environment – Implications for Spacecraft Design; instructor Dr. Alan Tribble, who has been teaching courses on space environments and effects since 1992.
May 22-24 — .SPACE, Orbital ATK, MDA, Ascent Aerospace, SmarterShows, Pasadena CA: Space Tech Expo.
May 22-26 — Canadian Astronomical Society / Societe Canadienne d’Astronomie (CASCA), University of Victoria, NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: 49th annual meeting of the CASCA.
May 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 JK: Near-Earth Flyby (0.042 AU)
WEDNESDAY
May 23 — The National Academies, Online / Washington DC: Teleconference: Exoplanet Science Strategy Meeting 11.
May 23 — SETI Institute, Menlo Park CA: Lecture :A Space Odyssey at 50 – HAL’s Legacy: 2001’s Computer as Dream and Reality; David Stork, a Fellow of IEEE, Optical Society of America, SPIE, International Association for Pattern Recognition.
May 23 — Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD: Colloquium: Are Martian Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) Habitable? by Alfred McEwen of Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and University of Arizona.
May 23 — Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), Sunnyvale CA: CASIS Salon: Expanding Horizons; with Dan Lopez, founder and CEO of Orbitmuse; at Plug and Play Tech Center, 18:00-21:00.
May 23 — United States Postal Service, USA Nationwide: Sally Ride, the first American Woman in Space, to be celebrated with new postal stamp today; special event to be held in La Jolla CA today with Astronaut Ellen Ochoa.
May 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 WL7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.080 AU)
THURSDAY
May 24 — ISS, Cygnus OA-9 Rendezvous and Capture, 405-km LEO: Expedition 55 to facilitate capture and installation of Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship; 03:30 EDT, live coverage available.
May 24 — Juno, Perijove 13 / 12th Science Close Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft in 53-day orbit to come within ~3,500 km of Jupiter cloud tops during Perijove 13, its 13th close flyby of Jupiter and 12th science flyby with instruments turned on.
May 24 — Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, SSERVI, NASA, LRO, Online / Laurel MD: Abstracts Due for Lunar Polar Volatiles 2018; to be held Aug 7-9.
May 24-27 — National Space Society, Los Angeles CA: 37th Annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC 2018); Astronauts, Space leaders and experts meet for plenary sessions, keynotes, exhibit hall, workshops on next-gen space developments.
FRIDAY
May 25 — Caltech, Pasadena CA: Lecture: The Grand Tour – Exploring Planets Outside the Solar System; by Heather Knutson, 20:00.
May 25 — `Imiloa Astronomy Center, Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station, Kamuela, HI: Stargazing Live; staff guided tour of the night sky at Maunakea visitor center; 19:30.
May 25-26 — Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA), Singapore: ActInSpace 2018 (#AIS2018); an International Hackathon that involves finding answers to tomorrows needs by inventing new uses and services derived from Space Technology.
May 25 — Moon: 7.0° NNE of Spica, 16:00.
May 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 JG2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU)
May 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 FS3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)
SATURDAY
May 26 — Center for Space Commerce and Finance, Los Angeles CA: NewSpace Business Plan Competition 2018; winner to receive US$2,500 cash prize, courtesy of Heinlein Prize Trust.
May 26 — Mauna Kea Astronomy Outreach Committee, Mauna Kea HI, 2,800-meter level: Malalo o ka Po Lani; presentation featuring Leilehua Yuen, covering ‘Language of the Lei’ and cultural components that surround Mauna O Wakea, 18:00 followed by stargazing program, at Mauna Kea Visitor Information Center.
May 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 LF: Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU)
SUNDAY
May 27 – Jun 1 — University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AL: Conference: Galactic Rings: Signposts of Secular Evolution in Disk Galaxies.
May 27 — Moon: 3.8° NNE of Jupiter, 10:00.
May 27 — Aten Asteroid 2018 JK3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.050 AU)
May 27 — Aten Asteroid 66391 (1999 KW4): Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)