USA, World Awaits Intuitive Machines Moon Launch Set for Feb 14, Historic Moon Landing Feb 22

Intuitive Machines IM-1 Nova-C lander is planned to launch aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 in a multi-day launch window that opens 00:57 EST on February 14. The lander and its 12 payloads are intended to land on Moon surface on February 22 – regardless of which day the craft launches within this February window. If soft landing is successful, this mission will mark many firsts – the most significant of which may be the first USA lunar landing in the 21st Century. The in-transit period (Feb 14-21) should see multiple trajectory correction maneuvers, instrument checkouts and data / image received before reaching the lunar surface. Landing is planned to come within 100 meters (as per NASA CLPS requirement) of Malapert A crater 80.3°S, 1.2°E in the Moon South Pole region. There are 6 NASA payloads: Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Sheath (ROLSES), Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing (NDL), Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS), Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator (LN-1), Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG), and Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA). And 6 commercial payloads: EagleCam from Embry-Riddle University, Omni-Heat Infinity material from Columbia Sportswear, ILO-X precursor instruments from International Lunar Observatory Association (aboard which Space Calendar is being carried),  a digital data center from Lonestar Data Holdings, Lunaprise by Galactic Legacy Lab, and ‘Moon Phases’ sculptures by Jeff Koons. The secondary Doge-1 orbiter is reported rescheduled from piggybacking on this mission and may be a part of IM-2 launch. If IM-1 mission is (mostly) successful, the IM-2 mission may launch as early August if a 6-month turn around is possible. (Image Credits: IM, NASA, GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio, ESO, et al)

 

MONDAY 

Feb 12  International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 70 seven-member crew working with Flawless Space Fibers-1 (creating ZBLAN optical fibers), Rhodium Crystal Preservation 02, and 10-12 day Space Tissue Equivalent Dosimeter experiment.

Feb 12  Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 17 three-member crew continue experiments and station maintenance; crews for Shenzhou 18 preparing for May launch, Shenzhou 19 expected in November.

Highlights…

o NewSpace: mu Space of Thailand partnering with ispace of Japan to deploy lunar satellites & landers with up to 100 kg payload capacity NET 2028; Virgin Galactic may delay Galactic 07 Unity / Eve horizontal launch pending FAA review of mothership alignment pin loss; Indian Space Research Organisation states Vyommitra robot is ready for spaceflight, while designing Bharatiya Antariksh Station for LEO.

☆ Solar System: OSIRIS-REx PI Dante Lauretta speculates high concentration of phosphate in Bennu sample due to ancient ocean world origin; Queqiao 2 lunar relay satellite and Tiandu 1/2 satellites being prepared for March launch for China; Juno perijove 58 images shows dual volcanic plumes on moon Io, craft is now proceeding in 33-day orbital period.

☆ Galaxy: Project manager Suzanne Dodd hoping for ‘miracle’ recovery of afflicted Voyager 1 Flight Data Subsystem; UK-based research suggests that young exoplanets may be ‘flattened’ oblate spheroid shape as materials may be drawn to poles; astronomers piece together data about spiral galaxy Markarian 817 evolution which may have been re-shaped by black hole outburst.

o Global: Russia Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko surpasses 878-day total duration space record, on track to surpass 1,000 days in space over 5 missions; Look Up Space and Aadi Space join 36 space companies from 11 nations opposing anti-satellite tests in SWF statement; Maritime Launch Services seeking investment for Spaceport Nova Scotia.

 USA: JPL to reduce workforce by an additional 570 (8% of total) amid Mars Sample Return (MSR) budgetary shortfall; Bulgaria joins Artemis Accords, meets with NASA Admin Bill Nelson at NASA HQ; Moonworker Buzz Aldrin gives recent interview, as Artemis astronaut candidates prepare for graduation ceremony in March.

● Hawai’i: UH IfA Astronomer Karen Meech, who led the characterization of ʻOumuamua, becomes fellow of American Astronomical Society; Journey Through the Universe wraps up its 20th year after spreading STEM to 14 schools in Hilo; Ka ‘Imi Moon Camera from ILOA Hawai’i is being prepared to launch NET Feb 14 and land on the Moon Feb 22.

● Feb 12 — NASA, Online / Washington DC: Heliophysics Advisory Committee Meeting.

☆ Feb 12 — Aten Asteroid 2020 DK: Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)

☆ Feb 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2024 BH5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.093 AU)

= 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’).


Weekly Planet Watch Evening Planets: Jupiter (SW), Uranus (WSW), Neptune (WSW); Morning Planets: Venus (SE).

JAXA Readies Third Launch Attempt of Flagship H3 Launch Vehicle

H3 Test Flight No. 2 (H3TF2) is set for Feb 15 from pad 2 of Yoshinobu Launch Complex at Tanegashima Space Center. The US$1.5B, 63 m high, 5.27 m diameter medium-lift launch vehicle is designed to carry up to 7900 kg to LEO at a cost of around $50M per launch, comparable to a SpaceX Falcon 9. H3 is built by JAXA prime contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), IHI Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It features liquid hydrogen / liquid oxygen first and second stages powered by LE-9 engines, augmented by 2 or 4 solid rocket boosters depending on configuration – 3 variants are currently planned. The present attempt comes after an aborted effort on 17 February 2023, following main engine ignition and another launch attempted on 7 March 2023 in which a second stage anomaly caused orbital insertion failure 5 minutes and 27 seconds into flight. While JAXA has conducted an internal investigation which cleared the similar H-2A for launch of SLIM and XRISM, details regarding the anomaly and its mitigation have not been publicly disclosed. H3TF2 will carry VEP-4 (Vehicle Evaluation Payload-4) and Earth observation cubesats CE-SAT-1E (Cannon) and TIRSAT (Japan Space Systems) – relatively inexpensive cargo versus the $200M ALOS-3 satellite lost on March 7. At least 26 missions are currently scheduled to be launched by H3 between 2024 – 2033. JAXA will stream H3TF2 live on YouTube starting ~T-1 hour (launch window open 9:22:55 – 13:6:34 JST. (Image Credits: JAXA, Mitsubishi)

 

Ongoing…

☆ Sep 6, 2023 – NET Mar — X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), ~550-km LEO: XRISM undergoing 6 month check out testing phase before start of science operations to study galactic plasma.

Sep – Feb 15 — Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at University of California Observatories, University of Hawaiʻi, Online: Akamai Internship Program; accepting applications from STEM undergrads for 2024 session.

☆ NET Feb — ISRO, Launch LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) / Gaganyaan, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: India planning for 1st orbital test flight of Gaganyaan uncrewed capsule this month.

o NET Feb – NET Apr — CNSA, Online / Beijing, China: Primary selection of international payloads for Chang’E-8 mission.

TUESDAY

NET Feb 13 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Intuitive Machines IM-1 Nova-C Lander, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Six-day launch window opens for Intuitive Machines 1st Moon lander under US$77M CLPS launching to Moon surface with 5 NASA payloads & multiple private customer surface payloads: ILO-X, Tiger Eye 1, Lunaprise, Moon Mark Mission 1, EagleCam, and orbiter Doge-1; may land ~6.5 days later near Malapert A, Moon South Pole Region; reported as 19:57 HST / 00:57 EST on Feb 14.

☆ Feb 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2024 AZ10: Near-Earth Flyby (0.032 AU)

WEDNESDAY 

● Feb 14 — National Space Society, Kennedy Space Center FL: NSS Exclusive Members Launch Viewing Event for SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Nova-C Moon lander.

● Feb 14 — CASA Moon, SSERVI, Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, LPI, Albuquerque NM and Online: CASA Moon Planetary Sample Science Seminar Series: Discovery of lunar halite nanocrystals on the Surface of volcanic beads from Apollo 17; by Yang Liu, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 11:00 MST.

Feb 14-15 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics  (AIAA), Las Vegas NV: 2024 ASCENDXTexas Conference: Next Steps in the LEO-to-Lunar Voyage.

o Feb 14-16 — Singapore Space and Technology Limited (SSTL), Singapore: Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC 2024).

☾ Feb 14 — Moon: 2.91° NNW of Jupiter, 21:00.

THURSDAY 

Feb 15 — JAXA, Launch H3 / Vehicle Evaluation Payload 4, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: Second flight of H3 after inaugural failure, will carry a mass simulator VEP 4; launch 09:22 JST / Feb 14 at 14:22 HST.

 Feb 15 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Soyuz-2 / Progress MS-26, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Roscosmos Soyuz-2 rocket to launch Progress MS-26 mission to resupply International Space Station with cargo.

o Feb 15 — International Astronomical Union, Online: Deadline for Submission of Resolutions; every three years IAU members can propose IAU Resolutions to make recommendations on scientific matters.

☾ Feb 15 — Moon: 3.0° NNW of Uranus, 15:00.

FRIDAY

Feb 16-19 — Planetary Experience Consulting LLC, New Mexico and El Paso TX: Intro to lunar and Planetary Analog Field Geology for Managers, Engineers, and Students; deepening knowledge for Moon, Mars, and planets via analog terrains visits.

☾ Feb 16 — Moon: At first quarter, 05:01; 0.64° SE of Pleiades, 11:00.

☆ Feb 16 — Apollo Asteroid 2024 AO: Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU)

SATURDAY

★ Feb 17 — Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), LEO: Three satellites in magnetosphere (two in Moon orbit – now called ARTEMIS) reach 17 full years / enter 18th year in space today; launched 2007.

Feb 17 — ISRO, Launch GSLV-II / INSAT-3DS, Satish Dhawan Space Center, India: ISRO GSLV-II rocket will launch the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite.

☆ Feb 17 — Apollo Asteroid 2024 BJ5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.096 AU)

SUNDAY

Feb 18 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / CRD2, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Rocket Lab to launch JAXA Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Project (CRD2) on “On Closer Inspection” mission.

☾ Feb 18 — Moon: 4.1° N of M35 cluster, 22:00.

☆ Feb 18 — Aten Asteroid 2016 CA138: Near-Earth Flyby (0.064 AU)