India Space Prospects 2023: Science, Spaceflight,Startups, International Synergies
The New Year ahead promises much for India: ISRO air-drop Runway Landing Experiment (RLV-LEX) for its for reusable launch vehicle prototype is planned Q1 from Karnataka Aeronautical Test Range. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Demonstration 2, carrying an Earth observation satellite for India, may launch in February from Satish Dhawan in Sriharikota as stated by (L-R) VSSC Director S. Unnikrishnan Nair. Aditya solar mission (led by K. Sankarasubramanian) is slated for March launch via PSLV-XL to Earth-Sun L1. ISRO Chair S. Somanath details reconfigured Chandrayann-3 lunar lander (with upgraded legs, software and redundant sensors) aiming to achieve touchdown mission success and rover deployment in the south pole region. It could launch as early as June 2023 from Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (formerly GSLV). Working toward late 2024 crew launch, Gaganyaan G1 uncrewed orbital flight could be Q3 2023, followed by Q2 2024 G2 uncrewed test. The Astronauts, selected from the Indian Air Force, will enter their second semester of training this year. Among the NewSpace sector, Skyroot Aerospace Vikram rocket next flight and Agnikul Cosmos Agnibaan first flight may occur early 2023; Dhuruva Space communication satellites are operating in LEO; and Astrogate Labs is building systems for optical & laser comms. International agreements are in place with USA, Japan and UK for future space missions, while Mexican Space Agency is seeking a partnership with ISRO for remote sensing satellites. (Image Credits: ISRO, IISC,Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Dhuruva Space, Astrogate Labs)
MONDAY
☆ Jan 9 — ISS,~415-km LEO: Expedition 68 seven-member crew working with experiments involving bacteria, grip force, nutrient microbes, fluid particle vibration, veggie-5 growth; Soyuz MS-22 / Cosmonaut crew return to Earth solutions continue.
☆ Jan 9 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 15 three-member crew sharing high-res images / video of Earth, working with Tianzhou 5 cargo; Shenzhou 16 launch set for 25 May.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: Inaugural launches of Eris (Gilmour Space), Prime (Orbex), RFA 1 (Rocket Factory Augsburg), RS1 (ABL), Spectrum (Isar Aerospace), Terran 1 (Relativity Space), Vikram 1 (Skyroot), XL (Skyrora) planned for the year ahead; Intuitive Machines to fly Dymon Yaoki rover on IM-2 to Moon South Pole NET late 2023.
☆ Solar System: Caltech to validate space-based power generation & transmission with DOLCE, ALBA and MAPLE instruments on Momentus Vigoride craft in SSO; JWST and Keck teams collaborate to characterize changing clouds on Titan, MIRI data to be released NET May; KPLO Danuri images Earth from lunar orbit as team prepares to begin 1-year science mission.
☆ Galaxy: Australia astronomers utilizing TESS observing hot Jupiter-type exoplanet in 9,000,000-km orbit of star TOI-778 b with periodicity of just 5 days; UT Austin team working to develop new models of galaxy evolution after discovering 2 barred spiral galaxies formed 11 bya with JWST.
o Global: CNSA to expand Wenchang SLC facilities to accommodate 20-30 annual launch cadence including commercial, human Moon missions; ISRO plans second SSLV launch attempt NET Feb; NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warns of China territorialism on Moon, Yang Yuguang of CASIC denies claims, calling space competition ‘meaningless’.
●USA: Ad Astra Apollo 7 Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham; NASA Planetary Science Director Lori Glaze warns 2023 $3.2B budget is insufficient to meet decadal survey goals; ~10,000 mementos flown around Moon by Artemis 1 / Orion to be distributed to individuals and organizations involved with historic mission.
● Hawai’i: Rapidly oscillating Ap star being observed with CFHT ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter may be first such star with brown dwarf companion; Board of Land and Natural Resources nominee Dawn Chang to relinquish seat on Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority.
● = 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’).
Scandinavian Nations Striving to Achieve Domestic Orbital Launch Capability, Mitigate Climate Change in 2023
Several spaceport initiatives in far northern Europe are set to bear fruit in the coming year, led by the soon-to-be inaugurated Orbital Launch Complex at Esrange Space Center located 40 km east of Sweden’s northernmost city, Kiruna, in Lapland province (67.9° N, 21.1° E). Europe Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and King Carl XVI Gustaf to participate in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan 13, which will be broadcast by owner / operator Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). While over 575 suborbital rocket and 675+ high altitude balloon launches have occurred at Esrange since 1966, the facility has yet to send satellites to orbit. SSC SmallSat Express is to offer service for up to 1000 kg satellites to polar SSO from Esrange, and ArianeGroup will begin test hops of its reusable Themis launch vehicle, powered by 50% 3D printed, methane-fueled Prometheus engine. Newspace ventures Rocket Factory Augsburg and Isar Aerospace have tested their RFA One and Spectrum rockets at Esrange, but will be launching from Andøya Space Center’s (69.3° N, 16° E) new Spaceport currently being constructed under $36M funding provided by the Norway government. Operated by the Norwegian Space Agency, Andøya also supports Svalbard Rocket Range (78.9° N, 11.8° E), the northernmost launch facility on Earth. Norway will also host the IAF 2023 Global Space Conference on Climate Change in Oslo May 23-25. (Pictured L-R: Carl Gustaf, Ursula von der Leyen, SSC CEO Stefan Gardefjord; Image Credits: EU, SSC)
★ NET Jan 9 — ABL Space Systems, Launch RS1 / Inaugural Flight, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak Island AK: ABL to attempt first flight of RS1 rocket carrying communications CubeSats VariSat-1A and VariSat-1B for VariSat LLC.
☆ Jan 9 — CNSA, Launch Long March 7A / Shijian 23, Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan, China: CNSA to launch Shijian 23 communications satellite, 08:00 Beijing Time.
☆ Jan 9 — Beijing Xinghe Dongli Space Technology (Galactic Energy), Launch Ceres-1 (Gushenxing-1) / Xiguang-003, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: 5th Ceres-1 rocket launch to carry Xiamen SciTech 1 (Xiguang-003) satellite, and possibly MinoSpace satellite and others for mission dubbed “Give Me Five”.
●Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2023 — JPL, NASA,Online / Pasadena CA: Prepare for the Science Fair; video series for students in grades 3-12, teachers and parents.
☾ Dec 11 – Apr 25, 2023 — Hakuto-R / ispace Mission 1,Lunar Landing Trajectory: Carrying UAE Rashid 10-kg rover, 0.25-kg JAXA rover, Hakuto-R performing orbital control maneuvers to reach Lunar Orbital Insertion, followed by Moon touchdown nominally ~4.5 months after launch.
● Jan 8-12 — American Astronomical Society, Seattle WA:241st Meeting of the AAS; held jointly with the Historical Astronomy, High Energy Astrophysics, and Laboratory Astrophysics Divisions; at Washington State Convention Center.
☆ Jan 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2013 BO27: Near-Earth Flyby (0.075 AU)
THURSDAY
★ Jan 12 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon Heavy / USSF 67, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to launch USSF 67 mission for U.S. Space Force with communications satellite and experimental payloads.
o Jan 12 — Royal Astronomical Society, London, United Kingdom: 203rd Observation of RAS founding (1820).
☆ Jan 12 — Mars: 7.9° E of the Pleiades, 11:00.
☆ Jan 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 YD5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)
☆ Jan 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 YZ2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.042 AU)
FRIDAY
☾ Jan 13 — Chang’e-5T1 Service Module, Lunar Orbit: China module collecting data on Lunar surface for future Moon missions reaches 9th full year / enters 10th year in Lunar orbit today; launched Oct 2014, reached Moon Jan 2015.
o Jan 13-14 — Malaysia National Planetarium (Planetarium Negara), Australian National University, Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, et al, Pekan Nanas, Johor & Penang, Malaysia:Global Malaysia Astronomers Convention 2023 (Part 1).
☆ Jan 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 YS5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU)
☆ Jan 13 — Aten Asteroid 162385 (2000 BM19): Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU)
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