Robotic Missions Probing Inner and Outer Solar System Ahead of Eventual Human Exploration |
MONDAY☆ Oct 9 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 70 seven-member crew planning for 2 USA EVAs over next 2 weeks, working with ESA-Roscosmos Complex Plasmas experiment, checking BEAM sensors, maintaining potable water filters. ☆ Oct 9 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: The fourth month of Shenzhou 16 mission being noted with CCTV / CNSA video, highlighting science, installation, and education achievements. Highlights… o NewSpace: Active Debris Removal by Astroscale demonstrator craft on route to Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in NZ, Japan government to subsidize company with US$80M through March 2028; Axiom partnering with Prada on Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit development; Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander ready to be shipped to KSC pending SpaceX launch availability. ☆ Solar System: JAXA SLIM on low-energy lunar transfer following 4,992-km Moon flyby, landing NET Jan 2024; Similar mounds on Arrokoth KBO compared via New Horizons observation in SwRI study may shed light on planetesimal formation; ISRO developing 4 science payloads for Mangalyaan-2 Mars orbiter. ☆ Galaxy: Astronomers using 6.5-meter Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory tracking 13 newly discovered stars in Magellanic Stream as 2nd half of spectroscopic survey continues; 40 pairs of rogue Jupiter Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs) imaged by JWST in Orion Nebula may represent new planetary class; Symmetry of neutron stars undergoing kilonova may provide more accurate measurement of universe expansion rate. o Global: ESA Vega-C inaugural launch now set for late 2024 to accommodate rocket nozzle redesign; Roscosmos may move up Luna-26/7 timeline following identification of accelerometer fault which caused Luna-25 crash; Working group of Artemis Accords signatories identifies information sharing needs for lunar surface cooperation. ● USA: Northrop Grumman reportedly joining Nanoracks / Voyager effort to build commercial ISS replacement; Stability of Orbital Reef partnership between Blue Origin and Sierra Space in question; Dish Network to pay first-ever FCC fine ($150,000) for failing to deorbit defunct EchoStar-7 satellite. ● Hawai’i: Hawai‘i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) accepting applications for 1 and 2 week missions in 2024; ILOA Hawai’i updates on lunar missions / goals; UH Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory technology demonstration of Hyperspectral Thermal Imager supported by $8M NASA award, will launch in 6U cubesat NET March 2024. |
 |
● = 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 (E), Jupiter (ENE), Saturn (SE), Uranus (E), Neptune (SE). Morning Planets: Mercury (E).
Malaysia Hosts 3 Major Space Conferences Back-to-Back with AOSWA, APSCC and ICONSPACE
6th Asia-Oceania Space Weather Alliance Workshop (AOSWA 2023) is being held October 9-11 in Selangor. It will focus on sharing recent development in space weather observation, modeling and forecasting. The first Keynote Speech “Space Weather Forecast: Malaysia’s Distinctive Insight” is presented by Tuan Haji Azlikamil bin Napiah (Malaysia Space Agency Director General), and chaired by Mardina Abdullah (UKM Professor). The conference will see 8 sessions and representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, India, Australia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Germany and USA. AOSWA is sponsored by Space Science Centre (ANGKASA), Institute of Climate Change (IPI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). The same hosts held 8th International Conference on Space Science and Communication (ICONSPACE 2023) on Oct 3-4 in Penang – which had an international advisory committee of 26 members from 13 countries and Taiwan. The Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC) Satellite Conference themed “Re-Uniting Space in Asia” is being held in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 10-12. It will convene about 500 attendees, 130 speakers and 150 companies for CEO panel discussions, case studies, interviews, awards ceremony, networking events and private tours. The main topics will focus on geostationary satellite and the New Space market as well as regulatory and other industry issues. (Image Credits: AOSWA, MYSA, UKM, IPI, NICT, APSCC, et al) |
o Oct 9-11 — Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Watan Kita, Naratif Baharu UKM, Institut Perubahan Iklim (IPI), Selangor, Malaysia: 6th Asia-Oceania Space Weather Alliance Workshop (AOSWA 2023). ☾ Oct 9 — Moon: At apogee, distance 405,459 km, 18:00. ☆ Oct 9 — Venus: 2.29° SSW of Regulus, 06:00. ☆ Oct 9 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 TL: Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 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. ★ NET Q4 — ULA, Launch Vulcan Centaur / Astrobotic Peregrine Lander, SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Astrobotic Peregrine lander to attempt to touchdown near Gruithuisen Domes, with 14 NASA payloads for Artemis Program, CMU Iris Lunar Rover, total 90 kgs of customer payloads from commercial companies and international space agencies, institutions. ☆ NET Oct 1 — ISRO, Launch GSLV L40 / Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Demonstration 1, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Gaganyaan uncrewed capsule to be launched to 11 km for high altitude abort test; capsule should reach 15-16 km testing separation from the rocket, trajectory and parachute deployment. TUESDAY● Oct 10 — NASA, Washington DC and Online: News conference for OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample reveal; starts 11:00 EDT, live coverage available. ● Oct 10-11 — Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), Hybrid / Pittsburgh PA and Online: 2023 LSIC Fall Meeting; focusing on NASA and Space Tech vision for enabling development of lunar infrastructure at Moon South Pole for Artemis missions. o Oct 10-12 — Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), Arianespace, Airbus, SES, JSAT, Maxar, et al, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: APSCC Satellite Conference: Re-Uniting Space in Asia. ☾ Oct 10 — Moon: 3.9° NNE of Regulus, 04:00; 5.9° NNE of Venus, 06:00. ☆ Oct 10 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 TO: Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU). |
WEDNESDAY
● Oct 11-12 — Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS), Arlington VA: 6th Annual Global Satellite Servicing Forum.
o Oct 11-13 — British Interplanetary Society, Liverpool, United Kingdom: The Evolving Architecture of New Space: 20th Reinventing Space Conference.
☆ Oct 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 UX1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU).
THURSDAY
☆ Oct 12 — International Space Station, Expedition 70 / USA EVA #89, ~415-km LEO: Two members of Expedition 70 to perform ~6-hour spacewalk to collect microorganism samples and install a new high definition camera on ISS truss; starts 10:00 EDT, live coverage available.
★ Oct 12 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon Heavy / Psyche Mission, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Falcon Heavy to launch (10:16 EDT) NASA, JPL, Caltech mission to investigate all-metal asteroid Psyche for 2029 arrival; launch window open until October 25.
● Oct 12 — JHUAPL, Hybrid / Pittsburgh PA and Online: Transition to Commercial Lunar Operations Workshop.
☆ Oct 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 KW120: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU).
FRIDAY
o Oct 13 — British Interplanetary Society, Liverpool, United Kingdom: 90th observation of the first meeting of BIS, organized by Philip E. Cleator in 1933.
☆ Oct 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 NT14: Near-Earth Flyby (0.047 AU).
SATURDAY
☆ Oct 14 — Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE), 517-km SSO: First solar observatory for China known as CHASE or Xihe / 羲和 reaches 2nd full year / enters 3rd year in space since launching on this day via Long March 2D in 2021.
☾ Oct 14 — Moon: 0.65° S of Mercury, 00:00; New Moon, 07:54; 2.12° NNE of Spica, 15:00.
☆ Oct 14 — Apollo Asteroid 2008 TF: Near-Earth Flyby (0.082 AU).
SUNDAY
★ Oct 15 — Juno, Perijove 55 / 54th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft to perform Jupiter flyby during Perijove 55, its 55th close flyby of Jupiter and 54th science flyby with instruments turned on.
☾ Oct 15 — Moon: 0.94° S of Mars, 06:00.
☆ Oct 15 — Mars: with Jupiter at heliocentric opposition, 02:00.
☆ Oct 15 — Apollo Asteroid 2011 GA: Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU).
☆ Oct 15 — Apollo Asteroid 2007 SQ6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.049 AU).