Lunar New Year Sees China Moon Stations Developing with Chang’e 3-8 Landers

On Lunar New Year Chang’e-4 waking from its first lunar night reports temperatures of -190°C, colder than ever recorded on the near side. CNSA scientists theorize the extreme temperature is due to composition of lunar regolith on the hidden side. Yutu-2 rover has so far traveled 43 meters. The Queqiao relay satellite contains a radio astronomy experiment built in cooperation with the Netherlands. Sweden, Germany and Saudi Arabia also contribute to science payloads. Chang’e-3, which carries a Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope, is still operational. NASA scientists are exchanging data with CNSA, including Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery of the Chang’e-4 landing site. Lunar data will be shared at the Scientific and Technology Subcommittee of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meeting in Vienna Feb 11-22. Chang’e-5 launch is scheduled by end of 2019 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island, subject to successful flight of the Long March 5 booster in July. Chang’e-5 lander will collect lunar sample, then ascend for rendezvous with orbiter and sample return to Earth. Autonomous rendezvous in lunar orbit would be a first-ever accomplishment. In Feb 2020 a world-class Galaxy Forum with theme ‘International Human Moon Missions’ will be held on Hainan Island in sight of the Wenchang Launch Center. With plans for Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7, and Chang’e-8 China is assembling a village of lunar landers. (Image Credits: CNSA)

MONDAY

GSTC 2019 Brings Advanced Space Tech Opportunities to Singapore / Southeast Asia

The Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) 2019 expects 600 delegates, 60 speakers and 200 companies from more than 30 nations on February 14-15 at the St. Regis Singapore. With theme ‘Pushing the Innovation Frontier’ topics range from satellite constellations, cost, remote sensing, Earth Observation, NewSpace, global space developments, spaceports, launchers and lunar missions. Some of the guest speakers are (TL-R) SSTA President Jonathan Hung, CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall, CASC VP Yang Baohua, LAPAN Head Thomas Djamaluddin, Israel Space Agency Chairman Yitzchak Ben Yisrael, Sir Martin Sweeting, and representatives from Spaceflight Inc, Exolaunch, Virgin Orbit, Firefly Aerospace, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, Arianespace and Thales. On the eve of GSTC, International Lunar Observatory Association is hosting SEA Benefactors’ Reception to discuss SEA potential role in the ILO-1 mission. It will feature ILOA Director Steve Durst and board members Malaysia Astronaut Sheikh Shukor, Jonathan Hung, Arry Buchori, Chatief Kunjaya, and mission developers Canadensys (Chris Sallaberger) and Moon Express (Bob Richards). Major initiatives accelerating SEA space development include LAPAN of Indonesia, ANGKASA of Malaysia, CRISP and Association of Aerospace Industries of Singapore, Vietnam Space Technology Institute, GISTDA of Thailand, Philippine Space Agency; 2 regional space cooperation organizations APRSAF promoted by Japan and APSCO headquartered in China; and tech accelerators and NewSpace including Astropreneurs HUB, SGInnovate, Gilmour Space, Astroscale, Spire and Bhattacharya Space Enterprises. (Image Credits: SSTA, ILOA, CNES, et al)

Feb 11 —

Feb 11 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ: Lecture: Space Law and Commercialization of Outer Space.

Feb 11-12 — ESA, Noordwijk, The Netherlands: Space Cost Engineering Conference.

Feb 11-14 — Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD: ATI Course: TESS Data Workshop.

Feb 11-14 — Applied Technical Institute, Columbia MD: ATI Course: Rockets & Launch Vehicles – Selection & Design; led by Edward Keith and Daniel Moser.

Feb 11-22 — UNOOSA, Vienna, Austria: 56th Session of UN COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee.

Feb 11 — Apollo Asteroid 511684 (2015 BN509): Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)

Continued from…

Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.

Feb 9-15 — California State University – Fullerton, Caltech, University of Amsterdam, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, Stockholm University, Aspen CO: Aspen Winter Conference 2019: Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Populations.

TUESDAY

Feb 12 — Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation, W. M. Keck Observatory, Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talk: Universe in Reverse, the Keck Time Machines: What’s New in the Young Universe? by Prof. Matthew Malkan – UCLA Astronomy, 19:00 at HPA Gates Performing Arts Center.

Feb 12 — Maryland Space Business Roundtable, Greenbelt MD: Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR) luncheon featuring Hal Weaver of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, speaking on New Horizons, 11:30-13:30 EST.