India Set To Join League Of Lunar Nations With First Moon Mission

India is preparing to join Japan and China in lunar orbit with the launch of Chandrayaan-1, currently set for Oct 22 at 06:20 local time atop an upgraded Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The orbiter will carry 11 instruments from India, ESA, the USA and Bulgaria on a 2-year mission to map the chemical and mineralogical composition of the Moon, particularly the south pole region. Preliminary to human lunar expeditions in the coming decade, Chandrayaan-1 will explore Malapert Mountain and Shackleton Crater to search for water and other resources that could help support human outpost activities in the area. Four payloads aboard the spacecraft will serve to detect signs of water in addition to the Moon Impactor Probe that is expected to strike the rim of Shackleton in mid-Nov. Chandrayaan-1 will orbit the Moon from an average altitude of 100 km, completing a revolution around the Moon every 117 minutes. The mission will be supported by the new Indian Deep Space Network, which recently conducted a successful downlink with Japan's Kaguya lunar orbiter. Several India officials, including former President Abdul Kalam (R) and ISRO Chair Madhavan Nair (C), have stated they expect a successful Chandrayaan-1 mission to lead to further participation in international interplanetary missions, including the Moon and Mars. With India beginning to focus on a dedicated human spaceflight program, that participation would likely include Indian astronauts joining future international human Moon missions. As Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Director K. Radhakrishnan (L) says, "We are getting into the Moon's zone of influence." (Credit: ISRO)

With the X Prize Cup on hold this year, the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium (NMSGC) is hosting 'Space Week in New Mexico' Oct 21-24 in Las Cruces. The week's events are highlighted by the 4th annual 'International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS),' and lead up to the 3rd annual 'Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge,' which is back on for Oct 24-25 at Las Cruces International Airport. The ISPCS is dedicated to professional level discussion on the technologies, regulations and business opportunities involved with the burgeoning personal spaceflight revolution, including the suborbital and orbital commercial spaceflight industries. NewSpace heavyweights Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, XCOR and Spaceport America will be represented at the Symposium, as well as the X Prize Foundation, NASA Centennial Challenges and many others. Other events in Las Cruces this week include a Global Spaceport Federation meeting and the Leonard Sugerman public space business forum on Oct 21, and tours of the White Sands Missile Facility on Oct 24. The events culminate with the two-level, US$2M Lunar Lander Challenge, featuring 9 teams competing to simulate trips between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. Among the competitors is Armadillo Aerospace, the only team to officially compete the past 2 years. Last year, the Armadillo team came within 7 seconds of winning the Level 1 prize. (Credit: NMSGC, XCOR, VG, Armadillo)