September 24-30, 2018 / Vol 37, No 39 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Launch Providers Meet at China International Commercial Space Forum

A growing commercial space sector gathers September 26-28 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum is the premiere meeting of its kind. Beginning in 2015 it is running for the fourth consecutive year. Topics will link commercial space with development of industries. Wuhan, the most populous city in Central China, is known as “China’s thoroughfare” or the “Chicago of China”. Since the Second China Commercial Aerospace Forum in 2016, Wuhan is promoted as the first commercial spaceport in China. The China space launch industry includes ExPace, OneSpace, LinkSpace, iSpace, and LandSpace, who are all developing vehicles in addition to the Long March boosters. ExPace, with headquarters in Wuhan, uses solid-fuel launchers based upon military ASAT vehicles. OneSpace, based in Beijing, is building the first privately-developed solid-fuel booster of any nation. OneSpace plans to charge US$10,000 per kilogram, less than half the price per kg as other small-satellite launchers. OneSpace plans the orbital launch of their solid-fuel booster in the fourth quarter of 2018, around the time of the China Commercial Aerospace Forum. (Image Credits: OneSpace, Weibo, Xinhua, CAST, NDRC, PRC, Beijing Institute of Aerospace Information, China Space Sanjiang)

MONDAY

Highlights…
Sep 24 — ISS, 405-km LEO: Expedition 56 performing EVA and related gear / tool stowage activities, planning for JAXA HTV-7 cargo transfers, working with experiments testing flames, fuels and high temperatures in Space, continuing to monitor epoxy patch placed over hole in Soyuz MS-09, members Artemyev, Feustel and Arnold preparing for return to Earth next week.

Sep 24 — NewSpace: Astrobotic AstroNav software to be used for small free-flying spacecraft investigating lava tubes on Moon; Rocket Lab to launch Luxembourg-based Kleos Space satellites mid-2019; Bigelow Aerospace BEAM under testing at ISS, working toward B330 launch ~2020.

Sep 24 — Solar System: Tiangong-2 may be visited by new China Astronauts in training within a year; ESA Trace Gas Orbiter indicates round-trip cosmic radiation dose to Mars could equal ~60% of maximum career exposure recommended for Astronauts; OSIRIS-REx begins dust plume studies of asteroid Bennu as it heads toward orbital insertion ~3 months.

Sep 24 — Galaxy: TESS planned to image 26 sectors of Sky each at 27 days over next 2 years looking for transiting exoplanets; Astronomers searching for 30% of ordinary matter previously unidentified in Universe; motion of 6M stars in spiral pattern may be result of ‘recent’ small galaxy encounter with Milky Way.

Sep 24 — Global: ISRO Chair K Sivan states Chandrayaan-2 to launch 3 Jan 2019, first indigenous human spaceflight ~2022; Russia Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research (FEDOR) advancing toward potential space mission on Federation spacecraft 2021; Israel lunar lander in final stages of testing for Feb 2019 launch.

Sep 24 — USA: Holly Ridings becomes 1st woman chief flight director at NASA, likely to oversee human missions to ISS and Moon; Kilopower project for lunar nuclear power running successful tests toward 2020 goal of mission readiness.

Sep 24 — Hawai’i: Mauna Kea Observatories to host AstroDay Kona 2018; TMT supporting STEM through Camp Laniakea and various programs in Hawaii, while its development site still unclear; JPL intern Lean Teodoro studying at UH describes work on NEOWISE project.

= 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: Venus (WSW), Mars (S), Jupiter (SW), Saturn (S), Uranus (E), Neptune (SE).

SGAC, IAF, UN, COSPAR, IAA Hold Events on the Eve of 69th IAC in Bremen, Germany

Space Generation Advisory Council is hosting 2018 Space Generation Congress with theme ‘Grow, Learn, Network’ September 27-29. The annual meeting invites up to 150 top young adults to advance key global space developments with the next-gen vision. SGAC, headquartered in Vienna, has grown to over 13,000 members representing more than 150 countries; its Executive Director is Clémentine Decoopman, and Chairs are Alexander Gibson and Matteo Emanuelli. On Sep 30, International Astronautical Federation is hosting 2018 IAF Emerging Space Leaders Grant Programme enabling 25 students / young professionals to join the IAC and the UN / IAF Workshop on Space Technology Sep 28-30, co-sponsored by ESA and hosted by ZARM. IAF International Meeting for Members of Parliaments with theme ‘The Seamless Chain of Innovation – From Space Science to Business‘ on Sep 30 will allow for informal discussions from governing and non-governing parties to discuss space technologies of major global interest. The 2018 Planetary Protection of Outer Solar System Tutorial, under a program of COSPAR and the EU, will be on Sep 29 for 100 participants to learn about current Planetary Protection international policies and cases studies. International Academy of Astronautics Academy Day on Sep 30 will have talks by Peter Jankowitsch (IAA President), Hiroki Matsuo (IAA VP), and Oleg Orlov and Anatoly Perminov of Russia. (Image Credits: IAF, SGAC, COSPAR, IAA, ZARM, EU)

 Sep 24 — Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Mars Orbit: India ISRO orbiter enters 5th year of operations in Mars orbit; launched Nov 5, 2013.

Sep 24-28 — European Astrobiology Network Association, Free University Berlin, DLR, et al, Berlin, Germany: 2018 European Astrobiology Conference (EANA 2018).

Sep 24-28 — University of Hawai’i, Multiple Locations HI: Public input sessions on Mauna Kea land management.

Sep 24 — Moon: Full Harvest Moon, 16:54.

Sep 24 — Aten Asteroid 2018 RQ1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)

Sep 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 EP7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.053 AU)

Continued from…

Jul 8 – Oct 9 — NAOC, National Aquatic Center “Water Cube”, Beijing, China: Lunar Exploration Technology Exhibition featuring 10-meter diameter Moon, lunar imagery, ‘moonlight’ and surround sound composition.

Sep 23-28 — Les Houches Advanced School for Physics, Grenoble, France: Cloud Academy: Cloud Formation and Properties in Extrasolar Planets.

TUESDAY

Sep 25 — Arianespace, Ariane 5 / Horizons 3e & Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38, Kourou French Guiana: Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA243, set to launch to launch Horizons 3e and Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 communications satellites; 17:53-18:38 EDT.

Sep 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2007 TV18: Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)

Sep 25 — Moon: 7.1° NNE of Spica, 22:00.

WEDNESDAY

Sep 26 — ISS, U.S. EVA #53, 405-km LEO: Expedition 56 members Alexander Gerst and Ricky Arnold to perform 6.5-hour spacewalk to replace batteries on ISS Port 4 truss structure power channel 2A.

Sep 26-28 — China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China: 4th International Commercial Space Forum in China.

Sep 26 — Asteroid 4 Vesta: 2.8° S of Saturn, 23:20.

Sep 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 RX3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.051 AU)

Sep 26 — Amor Asteroid 2013 US8: Near-Earth Flyby (0.094 AU)

THURSDAY

Sep 27 — Dawn, Ceres Orbit: NASA spacecraft begins 12th year in space today, launched 2007; entered orbit around 4 Vesta Jul 16, 2011, reached Ceres orbit March 6, 2015.

Sep 27 — Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, Washington DC: Becoming Interplanetary: What Living on Earth Can Teach Us About Living on Mars.

Sep 27-29 — Space Generation Advisory Council, Bremen, Germany: 2018 Space Generation Congress: Grow, Learn, Network.

Sep 27 — Moon: 4.5° SSE of Uranus, 00:00.

Sep 27 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 RA8: Near-Earth Flyby (0.066 AU)

FRIDAY

Sep 28 — Astrosat, 650-km Near Equatorial LEO: ISRO first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory begins its 4th year in space today, launched 2015.

Sep 28-30 — International Astronautical Federation, UNOOSA, ESA, Bremen, Germany: 26 Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure for Development (3Is4D); hosted by Center of Applied Space Technology And Microgravity (ZARM).

Sep 28 — Venus: 13.8° WSW of Jupiter, 14:00.

SATURDAY

Sep 29 — COSPAR, European Commission Horizon 2020 Programme, International Astronautical Federation, Center of Applied Space Technology And Microgravity (ZARM), Bremen, Germany: 2018 Planetary Protection of Outer Solar System Tutorial.

Sep 29 — Glenn Research Center, NASA, Cleveland OH: NASA’s 60th anniversary at GRC; 200 people enjoy a full-day tour of the research center and meet an Astronaut.

Sep 29 — W. Jack Greer Branch – Greenville County Library System, Mauldin SC: Finding Planets Beyond our Solar System; a discussion of Exoplanets and TESS by David Leaphart of NASA Solar System Ambassadors Program.

Sep 29 — El Modena Branch of the Orange Library, Orange CA: Mysteries of the Cosmos; featuring Bob Menn of NASA Solar System Ambassadors Program.

Sep 29 — Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, Pasadena CA: Educator Workshop – The InSight Mission: Entry, Descent and Landing on Mars; for teachers of grades K-12; 09:00 -12:00.

Sep 29, Oct 3 — Fathom Events, Discovery Channel, Broadcast / Theaters: Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow; in celebration of NASA 60th anniversary, this documentary discusses NASA’s missions to the Moon, Mars and Beyond; will air on Discovery Channel Oct 13.

Sep 29 — Moon: 8.6° SSE of Pleiades, 04:00; 1.4° NNW of Aldebaran, 21:00.

Sep 29 — Aten Asteroid 2015 SO2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU)

SUNDAY

Sep 30 — International Astronautical Federation, Bremen Regional Parliament (Bremische Bürgerschaft), Bremen, Germany: IAF International Meeting for Members of Parliaments (MoP).

Sep 30 — International Astronautical Federation, Bremen, Germany: IAF Emerging Space Leaders Grant Programme 10th Anniversary.

Sep 30 — International Academy of Astronautics, Bremen, Germany: IAA Academy Day.

Sep 30 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Dan Adamo of Space Enterprise Institute.

Sep 30 – Oct 3 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Barringer Crater / Winslow AZ: The First Billion Years Initiative – Bombardment: Shaping Planetary Surfaces and Their Environments Conference.