Artemis Accords and ILRS Dual Membership: Considerations
23-nation Artemis coalition of Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, South Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States advancing harmonious space exploration via activity norms building on Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Formally expressed in document Principles for Cooperation in the Civil Exploration and Use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids for Peaceful Purposes, the Artemis Accords also serve as organizational network for the Artemis program – currently progressing towards human Moon missions Artemis 2 (NASA Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA-ASC Astronaut Jeremy Hansen to flyby Moon NET Nov 2024) and Artemis 3 (4-member TBA crew orbit / 2-member landing party NET Dec 2025). With similar aims of peaceful development of the Moon for science, exploration, and eventual human habitation, International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) aims to first establish a permanent robotic presence in the South Pole region of the Moon. ILRS is “open to all interested countries and international partners,” and anchor nations China and Russia are making overtures to Venezuela, Brazil (already an Artemis signatory) and other BRICS nations to join in the effort. India, South Africa, South East Asia, Europe (including Ukraine), and independent ventures may consider joining both Artemis and ILRS, in the spirit of truly global human collaboration in space and on the Moon. (Image Credits: NASA, CNSA)
MONDAY
☆ May 1 — International Space Station,~415-km LEO: Expedition 69 seven-member crew continuing spacewalks / equipment reconfigurations; next visitors planned to be 4 members of Axiom-2; 3 current ships docked are Crew-6 Dragon, Soyuz MS-23, Progress 83P.
☆ May 1 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-15 three-member crew prepare for Tianzhou 6 cargo arrival next week; TSS systems stated to be producing 100% of its oxygen supply and recycling 95% of water.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: Virgin Galactic reviewing VSS Unity glide test data ahead of next powered flight, commercial space tourism flights NET Q2; Astrobotic to launch Griffin lander on SpaceX Falcon Heavy on 3rd (2026) lunar mission; 12 companies including Psionic, Roccor, Venturi Astrolab to receive US$14.5M for NASA to advance Artemis technology.
☆ Solar System: ispace team analyzing telemetry data to determine cause of Hakuto-R M1 failure to soft-land on Moon; CNSA to begin public release of Mars Tianwen-1 data May 1, Zhurong rover remains dormant as solar panels obscured; ESA/NASA SOHO observations show asteroid Phaethon, source of Geminid meteor shower, is off-gassing Na.
☆ Galaxy: ALMA, Greenland Telescope and GMVA combine to image SMBH M87* at 3.5 mm wavelength, witnessing accretion; Evaluation of 48 quasars with Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma indicates galaxy collisions are origin of quasars; CHIME radio telescope survey finds 25 new FRBs, doubling total known.
o Global: CASC-led initiative aims to deploy exoplanet-hunting interferometry array Miyin to Sun-Earth L2 NET 2030, with orbital tech demo in 2024, precursor in 2027; President Yoon Suk-yeol declares South Korea will launch lunar resource mission NET 2032, utilize CLPS for payload delivery, form new space agency.
●USA: SpaceX taking over Vandenberg SLC 6 lease from ULA, breaking ground on F9 / Falcon Heavy pad; Oxygen extraction technique validated by Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration on lunar simulant may be utilized in Artemis missions; NASA Director Nelson reiterates ‘space race’ with China, promotes cooperation with Canada and ‘peaceful relationship’ with Russia on ISS through 2030.
● Hawai’i: 1-m Lānaʻi Observatory at Four Seasons Resort holding astrotourism events throughout May including Moon Nights, Observatory Day Tours, and Kilo Hoku Experience cultural program; Rich Matsuda to become interim director as Hilton Lewis moves on from Keck Observatory at end of month.
● = 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’).
Newly-Formed Maldives Space Research Organisation Hosts 1st Space for Island Nations Conference
The South Male Atoll of Maldives will see the 1st Space for Island Nations Conference (SINC) on May 2-5 sponsored by Maldives Space Research Organisation (MSRO), and Aerospacelab, Breakthrough Initiatives, Crossroads Maldives, GeoSat and TRL Space. Founded 2022 as an NGO in the ’sinking nation’ which is comprised of 1,192 coral islands, MSRO mission is to help Maldives ‘become more climate resilient, protect our maritime domain, diversify our economy and empower our locals using science and education of space.’ Maldives is 1 of 46 United Nations island member states. This first conference covers 8 themes: Blue Ocean Economy, Equatorial Opportunities, Resilient Communities, Robust Ecosystems, Space Education and Science, New Space Policy Making, Space Entrepreneurship, and Space Tourism. Welcome Address will be given by Madin Maseeh (President of MSRO), and some of the 31 featured speakers are Mariya Didi (Maldives Minister of Defence), Sabra Noordeen (Maldives Special Envoy for Climate Change), Ricardo Conde (Portugal Space Agency), Joan Chesoni (Kenya Space Agency), Pete Worden (Breakthrough Initiatives), Victoria Samson (Secure World Foundation) and Scott Madry (International Space University). The 9th and final Panel Discussion “In the Shadow of the Moon – What does the new space race for the moon mean for smaller players?” will have comments from Petr Bohacek (TRL Space), Veronica La Regina (Logic Sistemi Avionics SpA) and Raphael Roettgen (EM2C Ventures). (Image Credits: MSRO, Breakthrough Initiatives, et al)
☆ May 1 — Deep Space, Interstellar Space: Voyager 2 to continue full science operations with all 5 onboard instruments until 2026 following implementation by JPL of new power scheme, bypassing voltage regulator.
o May 1 — May Day,Northern Hemisphere, Earth: Spring festival commonly held on this day (or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice) to celebrate fertility, fire and abundance.
● May 1-2 — Caltech, MIT, Cornell, University of Michigan, JPL, California Polytechnic State University, NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute,Pasadena CA:10th Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference.
☆ May 1 — Mercury: At inferior conjunction with Sun, 0.564 AU from Earth, 13:00.
☆ May 1 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 HV: Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU)
☆ May 1 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 VS6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)
☆ May 1 — Amor Asteroid 2023 HY3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.042 AU)
★ May 2 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 5-6,SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink internet satellites for SpaceX of new Starlink V1.5 internet satellites; first stage to land on drone ship in Atlantic Ocean.
o May 2-5 — Maldives Space Research Organisation (MSRO),Malé, Maldives: 1st Space for Island Nations Conference (SINC); featuring Pete Worden (Breakthrough Initiatives), Ricardo Conde (Portugal Space Agency), Joan Chesoni (Kenya Space Agency), Shahir Gerges (Orbital Reef), Victoria Samson (Secure World Foundation), many others.
WEDNESDAY
● May 3 — NASA,Online / Washington DC:Czech Republic Artemis Accords signing ceremony; NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will participate along with Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn, and Czech Ambassador to U.S. Miloslav Stašek, 10:00 EDT; live coverage available.
☆ May 3 — International Space Station, Expedition 69 Russia EVA #57,~415-km LEO: Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin to transfer and install a radiator and an experiment airlock to Nauka during ~6.5-hour spacewalk in Orlan spacesuits; live coverage available.
☆ May 4 — Amor Asteroid 2023 GN: Near-Earth Flyby (0.095 AU)
FRIDAY
o May 5 — International Space Day 2023, Worldwide: First Friday in May, events and presentations to promote STEM education and inspire people to continue the work of Space explorers; originally began as ‘National Space Day’ in 1997 by Lockheed Martin Corp.
● May 5 — Uniphi Space Agency, Federation of Galaxy Explorers, Space Foundation, Challenger Center, et al, Nationwide USA: National Astronaut Day; inspiring people to reach for the Stars and celebrate Astronauts; on this date in 1961 Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the 1st American in Space (15 minute suborbital flight to 186-km altitude).
☆ May 5 — Penumbral eclipse of the Moon: First of 2 lunar eclipses in 2023, completely visible over Asia and Australia, and partially visible in Africa and much of Europe; starts 07:34 HST.
☆ May 5 — Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak: The 1st of 2 annual showers that occur as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley’s Comet; Eta Aquarid meteors appear to radiate from Constellation Aquarius, Northern Hemisphere observers may to see 10+ meteors per hour, Southern Hemisphere 20-40 per hour; peak 14:00.
☆ May 5 — Apollo Asteroid 2006 HX57: Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)
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