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China: Researchers move to assess viability of laser-delivered, wireless power transmission from lunar orbiters to supply spacecraft during long night on the moon's surface "LWPT uses laser beams to transmit power wirelessly from orbiting satellites to surface receivers, converting light into electricity. The researchers recommend the development of key technologies, followed by on-orbit testing." "As well as providing power during lunar nighttimes, LWPT could also support spacecraft operations in permanently shadowed craters, thought to hold water-ice, which can be used to make propellant or water or oxygen for astronauts." https://lnkd.in/g2_cTQsP #china #spacetechnology #chinatech #moonmission #spacetech

How China's Chang'e-6 Science Mission Returns Far Side Moon Samples to Earth FriendsofNASA.org: The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released an animation explaining Chang'e-6's return to Earth, after the lunar probe collected the first soil samples from the Moon's far side south pole—an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history. The Chang'e-6 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner, was launched on May 3, 2024. The lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The SPA basin (43°±2° south latitude, 154°±4° west longitude) is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is the largest, oldest, and deepest basin recognized on the Moon. The Chang'e-6 lander finished its intelligent and rapid sampling work, and the samples were stowed in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned. After that, the combination separated, with the lander staying on the lunar surface, whereas the ascender lifted off from lunar surface on Tuesday morning, carrying samples collected from the Moon's far side. A 3,000-newton engine, after working for about six minutes, pushed the ascender to the preset lunar orbit with a perigee of about 15 kilometers and an apogee of about 180 kilometers, where the ascender is expected to carry out unmanned rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination within around 21 seconds. The samples will be transferred to the returner. After the samples are transferred to the returner, the orbiter-returner combination will separate from the ascender, and then orbit the moon while waiting for the window to enter the Moon-Earth transfer orbit. After orbiting the moon for around 14 days, the orbiter-returner combination will enter the Moon-Earth transfer orbit. After one to three corrections in about five days, the combination will reach a position around 5,000 kilometers above the Earth, where the returner will separate from the orbiter and start the phase of re-entering the atmosphere and returning to Earth. It will touchdown at a planned landing area at Siziwang Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This will mark the end of the Chang'e-6's 53-day journey of flying to the moon and back. Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV) Video News Agency Duration: 2 minutes Release Date: June 4, 2024 Philippe Baptiste CNES Dan Goldin NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jean Deville Jimmy Balimis Olga Dragunova #NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #Queqiao2Satellite #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #History #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Video Recap: China Chang'e-6 Science Mission to Return Far Side Moon Samples FriendsofNASA.org: The ascender of China's Chang'e-6 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 14:48 Beijing time on Thursday, June 6, 2024, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. Shortly after the docking procedure, the container carrying the lunar samples collected on the far side of the Moon was safely transferred from the ascender to the returner at 15:24. This is the second time China has achieved a probe rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit following the success of the Chang'e-5 mission back in December 2020. Launched from south China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024, the Chang'e-6 mission set out to retrieve the first-ever lunar samples from the far side of the Moon, making it a groundbreaking accomplishment in the history of human lunar exploration. The lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The SPA basin (43°±2° south latitude, 154°±4° west longitude) is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is the largest, oldest, and deepest basin recognized on the Moon. The Chang'e-6 lander finished its intelligent and rapid sampling work, and the samples were stowed in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned. After that, the combination separated, with the lander staying on the lunar surface, whereas the ascender lifted off from lunar surface Tuesday morning, June 4, carrying samples collected from the Moon's far side. A 3,000-newton engine, after working for about six minutes, pushed the ascender to the preset lunar orbit with a perigee of about 15 kilometers and an apogee of about 180 kilometers. After one to three course corrections over the next five days, the Chang'e-6 ascender-returner combination will reach a position around 5,000 kilometers above the Earth, where the returner will separate from the orbiter and start the phase of re-entering the atmosphere and returning to Earth. It will touchdown at a planned landing area at Siziwang Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This will mark the end of the Chang'e-6's 53-day journey of flying to the moon and back. Video Credit: CNSA Duration: 6 minutes Release Date: June 6, 2024 Randall Nichols Mark Gotch Joseph A. Sholtis, Jr. Pee-Shang Teh David Hoantee Peng Patrick O'Brien Joseph zheng Rafael Bartolome Diane M. Rousseau LHD, Ph.D Marcus Beaufort Jonathan Wolf #NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #Queqiao2Satellite #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

How China's Chang'e-6 Science Mission Returns Far Side Moon Samples to Earth FriendsofNASA.org: The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released an animation explaining Chang'e-6's return to Earth, after the lunar probe collected the first soil samples from the Moon's far side south pole—an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history. The Chang'e-6 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner, was launched on May 3, 2024. The lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The SPA basin (43°±2° south latitude, 154°±4° west longitude) is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is the largest, oldest, and deepest basin recognized on the Moon. The Chang'e-6 lander finished its intelligent and rapid sampling work, and the samples were stowed in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned. After that, the combination separated, with the lander staying on the lunar surface, whereas the ascender lifted off from lunar surface on Tuesday morning, carrying samples collected from the Moon's far side. A 3,000-newton engine, after working for about six minutes, pushed the ascender to the preset lunar orbit with a perigee of about 15 kilometers and an apogee of about 180 kilometers, where the ascender is expected to carry out unmanned rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination within around 21 seconds. The samples will be transferred to the returner. After the samples are transferred to the returner, the orbiter-returner combination will separate from the ascender, and then orbit the moon while waiting for the window to enter the Moon-Earth transfer orbit. After orbiting the moon for around 14 days, the orbiter-returner combination will enter the Moon-Earth transfer orbit. After one to three corrections in about five days, the combination will reach a position around 5,000 kilometers above the Earth, where the returner will separate from the orbiter and start the phase of re-entering the atmosphere and returning to Earth. It will touchdown at a planned landing area at Siziwang Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This will mark the end of the Chang'e-6's 53-day journey of flying to the moon and back. Video Credit: China Central Television (CCTV) Video News Agency Duration: 2 minutes Release Date: June 4, 2024 Pee-Shang Teh David Hoantee Peng Patrick O'Brien Joseph zheng Rafael Bartolome Diane M. Rousseau LHD, Ph.D #NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #Queqiao2Satellite #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #History #STEM #Education #Animation #HD #Video

Video Recap: China Chang'e-6 Science Mission to Return Far Side Moon Samples FriendsofNASA.org: The ascender of China's Chang'e-6 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 14:48 Beijing time on Thursday, June 6, 2024, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. Shortly after the docking procedure, the container carrying the lunar samples collected on the far side of the Moon was safely transferred from the ascender to the returner at 15:24. This is the second time China has achieved a probe rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit following the success of the Chang'e-5 mission back in December 2020. Launched from south China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024, the Chang'e-6 mission set out to retrieve the first-ever lunar samples from the far side of the Moon, making it a groundbreaking accomplishment in the history of human lunar exploration. The lander-ascender combination, separated from the orbiter-returner combination on May 30, touched down at the designated landing area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on June 2. The SPA basin (43°±2° south latitude, 154°±4° west longitude) is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is the largest, oldest, and deepest basin recognized on the Moon. The Chang'e-6 lander finished its intelligent and rapid sampling work, and the samples were stowed in a container inside the ascender of the probe as planned. After that, the combination separated, with the lander staying on the lunar surface, whereas the ascender lifted off from lunar surface Tuesday morning, June 4, carrying samples collected from the Moon's far side. A 3,000-newton engine, after working for about six minutes, pushed the ascender to the preset lunar orbit with a perigee of about 15 kilometers and an apogee of about 180 kilometers. After one to three course corrections over the next five days, the Chang'e-6 ascender-returner combination will reach a position around 5,000 kilometers above the Earth, where the returner will separate from the orbiter and start the phase of re-entering the atmosphere and returning to Earth. It will touchdown at a planned landing area at Siziwang Banner in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This will mark the end of the Chang'e-6's 53-day journey of flying to the moon and back. Video Credit: CNSA Duration: 6 minutes Release Date: June 6, 2024 Philippe Baptiste CNES European Space Agency - ESA Josef Aschbacher Dan Goldin NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Dongfang Hour Jean Deville Jimmy Balimis Olga Dragunova John Logsdon Jonathan Lunine #NASA #CNSA #ESA #Space #Astronomy #Science #China #中国 #Moon #Change6 #嫦娥六号 #LunarSampleReturn #FarSide #SouthPole #SpaceTechnology #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #France #CNES #Italy #ASI #Sweden #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

[China Launching Chang'e 6 Mission To Far Side Of The Moon Early May 3] China is set to launch its next robotic moon mission on Friday (May 3), and you can watch the action live. A Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e 6 lunar far side sample return mission is scheduled to launch between 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT) and 6:18 a.m. EDT (1018 GMT) on Friday. The mission will take off from China's Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the tropical island province of Hainan, off the southeastern coast of mainland China. You can watch the action live here when the time comes, courtesy of CCTV+. The live webcast will begin at 4:30 a.m. ET (0830 GMT) on May 3.   Chang'e 6 will involve four different pieces of hardware during its 53-day mission: a lunar orbiter, a moon lander, an ascender spacecraft and a reentry module. First, the lunar orbiter will reach and enter lunar orbit. From there, it will send down the lander and ascender. The robotic lander will aim for a large impact crater on the far side of the moon known as Apollo basin, where it will attempt to collect up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of lunar material. After the samples are collected, they will be transferred to the ascent vehicle, which will then launch them back up to the orbiter. After the samples dock with the orbiter, the spacecraft will then begin its journey back toward Earth. Finally, the orbiter will release the samples toward Earth inside the reentry module. If successfully returned and collected, the samples will provide Earth's first glimpse at pristine moon material from the lunar far side and will help answer questions about both the early impact history of the solar system and the geological evolution of the moon. Chinese space agency leadership is already praising the level of complexity in the mission. "Chang'e 6 aims to achieve breakthroughs in the design and control technology of the moon's retrograde orbit, intelligent sampling, takeoff and ascent technologies, and automatic sample-return on the far side of the moon," Ge Ping, deputy director of the Center of Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering for the China National Space Administration, told China Central Television (CCTV). To aid the Chang'e 6 mission, China launched the Queqiao-2 satellite in March 2024 to serve as a communications relay for the spacecraft visiting the lunar far side. Along for the ride were two other experimental satellites that will serve as communication and navigation relays for future lunar endeavors. The two have already beamed haunting lunar imagery back to Earth. Source: https://lnkd.in/erf-rksX #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #spacenews

China could look to laser power transmission from lunar orbit to supply spacecraft on the moon and solve one of the big challenges for its lunar exploration plans. The moon being tidally locked to Earth results in extreme environmental conditions, with 14-day-long periods of darkness and extreme temperature fluctuations. While solar power can provide energy for spacecraft during the lunar days, the long nights bring challenges. Spacecraft typically need heat and a level of power to survive complete darkness and temperatures as low as -200 degrees Celsius (-328 degrees Fahrenheit). https://lnkd.in/ghRNvsgp

The dream of sending humans to Mars is moving closer to reality, thanks to breakthroughs in propulsion technology. One of the most exciting developments is Howe Industries' Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR), which could cut travel time to the Red Planet from nearly two years to just two months. This revolutionary propulsion system harnesses nuclear fission to create powerful, efficient energy, making long-duration space travel feasible while protecting astronauts from harmful Galactic Cosmic Rays. With NASA’s PPR project advancing to Phase II of development, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX working alongside NASA to reach Mars, the future of interplanetary exploration looks brighter than ever. As we push the boundaries of space technology, these advancements not only bring us closer to Mars but also highlight the potential for new energy solutions to transform other sectors. The countdown to Mars is just beginning! 🚀 The Journey to Mars: Advancements in Propulsion Systems Bringing Us Closer to Realityhttps://lnkd.in/eHivQ8EG #SpaceExploration #MarsMission #Innovation #RenewableEnergy #PropulsionTechnology #FutureOfSpace

A recent article on the Lunar Mass Driver, a Gerard K. O'Neill invention. Leveraging the Moon's 1/6 gravity and lack of atmosphere, this innovation would enable electromagnetic acceleration of lunar regolith into space. Formed into small bricks, the material would be collected in a tug orbiting L2 behind the Moon and then transported to a processing plant at L4 or L5. This method would be more economical than using chemical rockets to launch material off of the lunar surface for in-space construction of large structures like solar power satellites and habitats.

[NASA's Nuclear-Powered Dragonfly Helicopter Will Ride A SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Toward Saturn Moon Titan] SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will launch yet another high-profile NASA science mission. The agency announced today (Nov. 25) that it has picked the Falcon Heavy to loft Dragonfly, a $3.35 billion mission that will investigate the life-hosting potential of Saturn's huge moon Titan. The burly rocket also launched NASA's Psyche asteroid probe and Europa Clipper spacecraft, in October 2023 and October 2024, respectively. The Dragonfly contract is a firm, fixed-price deal with a value of nearly $257 million, "which includes launch services and other mission-related costs," NASA officials wrote in an update this afternoon. If all goes according to plan, Falcon Heavy will launch the car-sized Dragonfly rotorcraft during a three-week window in July 2028. The spacecraft will then spend six years making its way to Titan, the second-largest moon in the solar system (after Jupiter's Ganymede). Titan's size isn't its only intriguing characteristic. The frigid satellite hosts seas and lakes of hydrocarbons, making it the only body beyond Earth known to host stable liquids on its surface. In addition, organic compounds, the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it, are common on the world. Some scientists therefore think Titan may be capable of supporting life perhaps on its alien surface or in its suspected subterranean ocean of liquid water. Dragonfly is designed to investigate this question, and to shed light on a little-studied world more generally. The nuclear-powered rotorcraft will operate for about 2.5 Earth years on Titan's surface, flitting from place to place to get an in-depth look at a variety of landscapes. Dragonfly has experienced delays and cost increases during its development. When NASA originally selected the mission in 2019, for example, its cost was capped at $1 billion, and launch was targeted for 2027. Such issues are far from uncommon on ambitious exploration efforts such as Dragonfly. And the mission has made significant progress recently; it remains on track for its current 2028 launch target, NASA announced earlier this year. Falcon Heavy is the second-most-powerful rocket currently in operation, after NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket (though SpaceX's Starship megarocket will claim the title when it comes online). Falcon Heavy has launched 11 times to date, most recently sending Europa Clipper toward Jupiter's ocean moon Europa on Oct. 14. Source: https://lnkd.in/ecRyUrn8 #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews