August 31 – September 6, 2020 / Vol 39, No 35 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Solar System Focus with Humans to Mars Summit 2020, Outer Planets and Venus-Akatsuki Meetings

Explore Mars Inc. hosts the 2020 H2M Summit online August 31 to September 3. Over the 4 days, there will be 85+ speakers including (TL-BR) Janet Ivey (Explore Mars), Kathy Lueders (NASA), Mary Lynne Dittmar (Coalition for Deep Space Exploration), Pam Melroy (Astronaut), Shawna Pandya (Physician), Leland Melvin (Astronaut), Masaki Fujimoto (JAXA), Lori Glaze (NASA), Ellen Stofan (National Air and Space Museum), Clive Neal (University of Notre Dame), Alan Stern (SwRI), Marcia Smith (Space Policy Online), Sian Proctor (Professor) and Congresswoman Kendra Horn. Talks will feature Moon in 2024 / Mars in 2033, Leadership Perspectives on Diversity and Inclusion, Lessons from COVID-19 – And How to Apply to Mars Exploration, Surface Power on the Moon and Mars, ISRU, City Design, Sustainability, and Entry, Descent & Landing. Also occurring Aug 31-Sep 3, the Venus Science Mini-Zoom Conference is being held by NASA Goddard and the JAXA Akatsuki science team, sharing data on Venus atmosphere, exosphere, climate, surface, volcanism and mantle dynamics. The NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group is meeting Sep 1-3 to discuss Planetary Science Division updates, missions to Europa, Saturn + Enceladus, Neptune + Triton, Pluto + Kuiper Belt, and Solar System Telescope Concepts. Some of the >25 experts at the meeting include Jeff Moore (NASA ARC) & Linda Spilker (JPL), Scott Bolton (SwRI) and Louise Prockter (JHU). (Image Credits: Explore Mars, NASA, SwRI, JPL, JAXA, UAESA, ESA, CNSA, et al)

MONDAY

Highlights…
Aug 31 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 63 three-member crew transferring cargo from Progress 75P & 76P, preparing for Cygnus cargo ship arrival next week, measuring elements of air quality and testing for pressure / leaks; next Soyuz MS-17 crew to arrive Oct 14, Dragon Crew-1 slated for Oct 23.

Aug 31 — NewSpace: SpaceX to launch Masten XL-1 lander to Moon South Pole 2022; Voyager Space, led by William Shelton, Gabe Finke & Alan Stern, announces NewSpace intellectual property marketplace; SpaceBase offering course to understand what it might take to create a space industry in selected areas.

Aug 31 — Solar System: China Tianwen-1 in nominal condition >9.27M km from Earth, preparing for 2nd orbital maneuver; BepiColombo on trajectory to Mercury collecting data with spectrometers and cameras; early Venus may have had water on its surface which disappeared due to Jupiter migration.

Aug 31 — Galaxy: Univ. of Warwick algorithm confirms 50 exoplanets, will be refined to distinguish between exoplanets & false positives; India AstroSat data helps understanding of earliest source of light in Universe; rogue planet studies / discoveries expected to increase with launch of 2024 Roman Space Telescope.

Aug 31 — Global: Sea Launch to be restored by Russia at cost of ~US$470M, planning at least 5 launches a year; Canada to fund greenhouse project in Gjoa Haven, above Arctic Circle, to grow space food; Space in Africa continues ‘Leading Women in Africa’s Space Industry’ series.

Aug 31 — USA: Solicitation open for 2-person Artemis 3 Moon South Pole mission science ideas; current Administration campaigning to ‘Launch Space Force, Establish Permanent Manned Presence on The Moon and Send the First Manned Mission to Mars‘; Boeing aims for crewed Starliner flights mid-2021, next test flight Dec or Jan.

Aug 31 — Hawai’i: 100,000-strong citizen science program utilizing Keck data find 100 coldest brown dwarf objects thus far; National Science Foundation informally considering US$850M financial support of proposed Hawaii Big Telescope; CFHT operator Cam Wipper shares experience of Astronomy from Hawaii.

= All times

for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.

= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.

= All times for space events, and…

= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).


Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Mars (E), Jupiter (S), Saturn (S), Uranus (E), Neptune (SE); Morning Planets: Venus (ENE).

ASE Working To Bring Off-World ‘Overview’ Consciousness To Earth-Bound Population

With 4 chapters in USA, Russia, Europe and Asia, each with respective Boards of Directors governed by an International Executive Committee, Association of Space Explorers represents a broad coalition of those who have traveled past the 100-km high Kármán line. As of April, 566 individuals have crossed the threshold into outer space – 444 from 38 countries are represented by ASE. President Oleg Kotov is supported by regional leaders Stephen Oswald in USA, Alexander Alexandrov in Russia, Reinhold Ewald in Germany and Soichi Noguchi in Japan. Typically, ASE motto ‘Delivering The Astronaut Perspective’ is embodied by ASE Planetary Congress, the world’s largest gathering of space travelers – 2020 was to see the 33rd in the series, but has been reset to fall of 2021 due to the ongoing global medical crisis. Planetary Congress XXXIII will be held in Budapest, Hungary, hosted by Cosmonaut Bertalan Farkas. Farkas conducted material science on Salyut 6 station for nearly 8 days in 1980, making Hungary the 7th nation to have sent citizens to outer space. A pillar of ASE is STEM education, furthered by programs such as AstroSat Challenge, Blast Off with an Astronaut, Space Station Explorers and AstroSchool, and by a variety of scholarship and research opportunities offered in association with International Space University. Planetary Stewardship is also a priority for the organization, with standing committees on NEO detection, orbital debris and space traffic management. (Image Credits: ASE, Bertalan Farkas, NASA, Wikipedia)

Aug 31 — ISRO, Online / Bengaluru, India: Proposals Due for Announcement of Opportunity (AO) – Development of Technologies for sustained Indian Human Space Program and Space Exploration.

Aug 31 — ESA, Online / Noordwijk, The Netherlands: Due: Applications for ESA Director General Position; ESA council to accept applications until this date for successor of Johann-Dietrich Wörner who will exit ESA June 2021.

Aug 31 — Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira / AEB), Online / Brasilia, Brazil: Initial license applications due from international launch providers interested in utilizing Alcantara Spaceport, Brazil.

Aug 31 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Online / Tucson AZ: Last Day to enter submission for Art of Planetary Science 2020: A Virtual Odyssey.

Aug 31 – Sep 3 — Explore Mars Inc., Online / Washington DC: Humans to Mars Summit 2020; largest annual conference dedicated to goal of sustainable human presence on Mars starting NLT early 2030s.

Aug 31 – Sep 3 — NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Akatsuki Science Team, Online: Venus Science Today 2020: A Mini-Zoom conference.

Aug 31 — Venus: 8.6° S of Pollux, 11:00.

Continued From…

Nov 2019 – Nov 2020 — Hayabusa2, Earth Trajectory: JAXA Hayabusa2 with two samples collected from C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu on trajectory for Earth return.

Jul 29 – Oct 31 — CNSA, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Online / Beijing, China: Students to submit ideas for payloads for Chang’e-7 lunar south pole craft, and ZhengHe mission that will return samples from Asteroid 2016HO3 and visit Comet 133P.

Aug 30 – Sep 3 — Astra Space, Launch Astra Rocket 3.1 / “2 of 3”, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak Island AK: Astra Space second attempt to launch Rocket 3 to LEO during this window.

TUESDAY

NET Sep — Association of Space Explorers, Budapest, Hungary: 33rd Planetary Congress of the ASE; reset to 2021.

Sep 1 — Arianespace, Launch Vega / SSMS POC, Kourou, French Guiana: Vega rocket, designated VV16, to launch Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) Proof of Concept mission with ~50 satellites for commercial and institutional customers; launch at 21:51:10 EDT.

Sep 1 — Deep Space, Kuiper Belt Object Trajectory: New Horizons, 48.13 AU from Sun, full data collected from 7 instruments during KBO Arrokoth flyby to be transmitted to Earth by end of month.

Sep 1 — International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), The Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy, Online: Space Traffic Management Workshop.

Sep 1 — Aerospace Industries Association, Online / The Plains VA: Teams Sign Up Opens for the American Rocketry Challenge; 925 teams compete to win US$100,000 in cash prizes and the chance to represent USA in International Rocketry Challenge at Farnborough Air Show in London in 2021.

Sep 1 — Space Tourism Society, Online: Space Tourism Conference Webinar Series: SpaceVR & ZERO-G: Space Experiences on Earth; Moderated by Allison Dollar; talks by Matt Gohd, Ryan Holmes and John Spencer.

Sep 1 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Online / Tucson AZ: LPL Colloquium: A Warmer and Wetter Early Mars; by Ramses Ramirez, Research Scientist Earth-Life Science Institute; 15:35 MST.

Sep 1-2 — Republic of Turkey, Turkish Space Agency, EMEA Satellite Operators Association, TurkSat, GVF, Online: The 5th Global Satellite and Space Show; featuring over 40 speakers, 150 exhibitors from 35 countries.

Sep 1-2 — SMi, London, United Kingdom: Small Satellites Conference 2020; reset to Apr 26-27, 2021.

Sep 1-3 — Outer Planets Assessment Group, NASA, Online / Washington DC: OPAG Virtual Meeting.

Sep 1-3 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, ESA, University of Vienna, AstroSpace, Graz University of Technology, Online / Vienna, Austria: United Nations/Austria Online Symposium: Space Applications for Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action.

Sep 1 — Moon: Full Corn Moon, 19:22.

Sep 1 — Apollo Asteroid 2011 ES4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.000479 AU)

Sep 1 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 QG5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)

WEDNESDAY

Sep 2 — Northrop Grumman, NASA, Promontory UT: Artemis SLS booster to undergo two-minute Flight Support Booster-1 test, live coverage starts 13:40 EDT.

Sep 2 — Secure World Foundation, Space Enabled research group, Online / Washington DC: Serving Society with Space Data: Monitoring and Evaluation; 10:00-11:00 EDT.

Sep 2 — RAND Space Enterprise Initiative, Secure World Foundation, Online / Washington DC: Workshop on Responsible Space Behavior; 16:00-19:00 EDT.

Sep 2 — British Interplanetary Society, Online / London, United Kingdom: ‘Ever Decreasing Circles’ – An Introduction to Spacecraft Mission Orbits; by Astronomer John Davies.

Sep 2 — Keck Institute for Space Studies, Online / Pasadena CA: Webinar: Robotic Exploration of Titan with Dragonfly – An Overview of the Lander Mobility System; by Douglas Adams of APL, 17:00 PDT.

Sep 2 — UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Royal Air Force, USAF, NATO, Space Force, Online: Proposals due for International Space Pitch Day.

Sep 2 — Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS), Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Online: Pre-event Webinar 2 for 2020 EMER-GEN; event being held Sep 12-15.

Sep 2-6 — EuroScience, Trieste, Italy / Online: EuroScience Open Forum 2020 (ESOF 2020); tentatively a hybrid / in-person & virtual event.

Sep 2 — Moon: 3.9° SE of Neptune, 15:00.

Sep 2 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 PG6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)

THURSDAY

Sep 3 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Online: Cosmic Explorations Lecture: Lucy Mission to Trojan Asteroids; by Cathy Olkin.

Sep 3-6 — University of Austria, Online / Vienna, Austria: Vienna Summer School 2020 on Gravitational Quantum Physics.

Sep 3 — Mars: Winter Solstice, 18:00.

FRIDAY

Sep 4 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Committee on Planetary Protection Meeting 1; 11:45-17:00 EDT.

Sep 4 — Netflix, Broadcast: Premiere of ‘Away’ following Emma Green, an Astronaut preparing to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars.

SATURDAY

Sep 5 — Voyager 1, Interstellar Space: NASA spacecraft begins 44th year in space today, launched Sep 5, 1977; farthest spacecraft from Earth, first to reach interstellar space.

Sep 5 — Friends of Mt Tam, San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA), Wonderfest, Online / San Francisco CA: Astrophotography and Dark Sky Conservation with Sivani Babu; hosted on Mt Tam Astronomy Channel.

Sep 5 — Moon: 0.36° ENE of Mars, 20:00; at apogee (distance 405,587 km), 21:00.

SUNDAY

Sep 6-12 — Mexican Academy of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Guanajuato, et al, Online / Mexico City, Mexico: IWARA2020 Video Conference – 9th International Workshop on Astronomy and Relativistic Astrophysics.

Sep 6 — Moon: 3.1° SE of Uranus, 21:00.

Sep 6 — Apollo Asteroid 465824 (2010 FR): Near-Earth Flyby (0.050 AU)

25 - 30 Oct 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Spokane WA, USA
At the Spokane Convention Center. The meeting will have a broad scope, with a wide-ranging program of science and workforce topics, and celebrating planetary...
27 - 30 Oct 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Bangkok, Thailand
Theme: “Bridging the Asia-Pacific: Advancing a Trusted and Inclusive Space Future”.
29 Oct 2026
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Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk will perform a 6.5-hour EVA to completely install and deploy iROSA #7 on the 2A power channel. Once...
30 Oct 2026
  • Launch
Satish Dhawan Space Center, ~14°N, Sriharikota, India
India to launch the replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System located at a geosynchronous orbit and providing India with an alternative...
01 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Wenchang, Hainan, China
Originally planned around this date for Wenchang, China -- TBC (to be confirmed); As the only professional association for astronauts, ASE supports the advancement of...
01 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
iQPS Launch 9, an Earth observation satellite with Synthetic aperture radar for Japan-based imaging company iQPS, to launch on "The Sea God Surveys" mission...
02 Nov 2026
  • Mission Milestone
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Today marks another full year of continuous Human occupation of ISS; first component Zarya launched Nov 20, 1998, occupation began Nov 2, 2000.
02 - 06 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Tokyo, Japan
Coordinating Division Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage The IAU Symposium on Innovative Research and Techniques in Astronomy Communication will take place from November...
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Nationwide USA
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  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Florence, Italy
ESWW is the main annual event in the European Space Weather and Space Climate calendar. It is an international meeting organised annually within the...
02 - 06 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Tokyo, Japan
IAU Symposium: IAUS409 - A Journey Towards Effective Astronomy Communication; online and at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-2 Osawa Mitaka, Tokyo. Topics include:...
02 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
Slated for liftoff at 00:10 UTC, signifying the first constellation deployment for CAS Space's new liquid-fueled Kinetica-2 (Lijian-2) rocket. For this flight, the rocket...
03 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Offshore Launch Platform near Jeju Island, South Korea
South Korea's solid‑fuel space launch vehicle, now known as Mir (a Dragon) is an orbital booster developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development...
03 Nov 2026
  • Observation / Anniversary
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying a stray dog named Laika into space. She became the first living creature to orbit the Earth....
04 - 05 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Brasília, Brazil
At the National Museum of the Republic, the first SWF Summit in Latin America.
04 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
Solid-propellant launch vehicle of private aerospace company Galactic Energy of Beijing to provide low-cost commercial launches from off-shore barge. The Galactic Energy Ceres-1 rocket...
05 Nov 2026
  • Mission Milestone
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Menon and Kutryk will exit the Quest airlock again to install iROSA #8 on the 3B power channel. Once Spacewalk 101 concludes on November...
05 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China
A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites expected to launch on Long March 12, a medium-lift vehicle that uses propellant of kerosene...
09 - 10 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Washington DC, USA
Expecting senior government and executives from NASA, Firefly, Blue Origin to discuss innovation, competitive advantages and a "space industrial revolution in LEO". Capped at...
09 Nov 2026
  • Launch
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
iQPS Launch 10, an Earth observation satellite with Synthetic aperture radar for Japan-based imaging company iQPS, to launch on “The Mountain God Rises” mission...
09 Nov 2026
  • Observation / Anniversary
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
NASA launched Apollo 4, the first uncrewed test flight of the massive Saturn V rocket. It successfully demonstrated the structural integrity of the vehicle...
11 - 13 Nov 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Salta, Argentina
Promoting the New Space Economy: The first major national meeting of the space, technology and scientific industries. Three days to connect science, industry and...
25 - 30 Oct 2026
At the Spokane Convention Center. The meeting will have a broad scope, with a wide-ranging...
Spokane WA, USA
27 - 30 Oct 2026
Theme: “Bridging the Asia-Pacific: Advancing a Trusted and Inclusive Space Future”.
Bangkok, Thailand
29 Oct 2026
Astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk will perform a 6.5-hour EVA to completely install and...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
30 Oct 2026
India to launch the replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System located at...
Satish Dhawan Space Center, ~14°N, Sriharikota, India
01 Nov 2026
Originally planned around this date for Wenchang, China -- TBC (to be confirmed); As the only...
Wenchang, Hainan, China
01 Nov 2026
iQPS Launch 9, an Earth observation satellite with Synthetic aperture radar for Japan-based imaging company...
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
02 Nov 2026
Today marks another full year of continuous Human occupation of ISS; first component Zarya launched...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
02 - 06 Nov 2026
Coordinating Division Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage The IAU Symposium on Innovative Research and...
Tokyo, Japan
02 Nov 2026
Change clocks back 1 hour from Daylight Saving to Standard Time; does not include Hawai’i,...
Nationwide USA
02 - 06 Nov 2026
ESWW is the main annual event in the European Space Weather and Space Climate calendar....
Florence, Italy
02 - 06 Nov 2026
IAU Symposium: IAUS409 - A Journey Towards Effective Astronomy Communication; online and at National Astronomical...
Tokyo, Japan
02 Nov 2026
Slated for liftoff at 00:10 UTC, signifying the first constellation deployment for CAS Space's new...
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China
03 Nov 2026
South Korea's solid‑fuel space launch vehicle, now known as Mir (a Dragon) is an orbital...
Offshore Launch Platform near Jeju Island, South Korea
03 Nov 2026
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying a stray dog named Laika into space. She...
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
04 - 05 Nov 2026
At the National Museum of the Republic, the first SWF Summit in Latin America.
Brasília, Brazil