SpaceDev to Design Lunar Dish Observatory Mission

TECH SPACE

the polar regions of the Moon are the key to opening up our nearest neighbour in space.

Poway - Jul 25, 2003
SpaceDev has been awarded a contract by Lunar Enterprise of California (LEC) for a first phase project to begin developing a conceptual mission and spacecraft design for a lunar lander program. The unmanned mission will be designed to put a small dish antenna near the south pole of the Moon. From that location it will be in near-constant sunlight for solar power generation, and should be able to perform multi-wavelength astronomy while communicating with ground stations on Earth.

"We are excited about this project because it is in keeping with the original goal of SpaceDev to design, build and fly commercial deep space science missions, and should result in our development of additional transformational space technology," said Jim Benson, founder, chairman and chief executive of SpaceDev.

"This study picks up where we left off from our original 1997 Near Earth Asteroid Prospector (NEAP) mission design, our 1999 Mars MicroMission design for NASA's JPL, and our work in 2001 with Boeing on possible commercial lunar orbiter missions."

SpaceDev will analyze launch opportunities, spacecraft design, trajectory possibilities, potential landing areas, available technologies for a small radio astronomy system, and communications and data handling requirements.

The lunar mission will be designed with the same philosophy as the highly successful CHIPSat Earth orbiting science spacecraft SpaceDev built for UC Berkley. SpaceDev's approach is to make systems as small, low-cost and as practical as possible while minimizing risks, in order to successfully demonstrate the performance of science on the surface of the Moon.

"Lunar Enterprise Corporation (LEC) has funded this study to be a catalyst to other individuals, companies and countries to join together in a return to the Moon," said Steve Durst, founder and director of LEC.

"Many organizations around the world are planning various lunar missions. Corporate and national leaders, and the world's leading lunar scientists, will be discussing these projects at the International Lunar Conference 2003 in Hawaii this November. We hope this seedling project will help bring all those parties together to discuss cooperation and identification of resources for concerted lunar activities."

Lunar Enterprise Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Space Age Publishing Company of Hawai'i Island, Hawaii, and Palo Alto, California. LEC and Space Age support a wide variety of enterprises and activities consistent with near-term, human, permanent operations on the Moon and with the founding of Space Age Publishing Company's next office.

TECH SPACE

ESA's SMART-1 Ready To Fly

Paris - Jul 16, 2003
After the completion of all mechanical and electrical verifications, ESA's SMART-1 passed its flight readiness review successfully on Tuesday, 8 July 2003.

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