Daily Archives: June 23, 2021

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou XII spaceship entering the space station core module Tianhe. [Photo/Xinhua]

Three Chinese astronauts busying themselves on the new Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, space station module account for just one of China's achievements in the past six months pertaining to outer space.

In addition to manning the new space station's core module in orbit, China also recently became just the second nation to land a rover on Mars with the Tianwen 1 mission and Zhurong probe. And at the beginning of the year, the Chang'e 5 mission successfully brought back samples of lunar rock.

Furthermore, China and Russia have released a joint road map for building the International Lunar Research Station, which will be the first structures built on the moon, by 2036.

China's space authorities and astronauts have expressed willingness to welcome foreign partners and participation in the new space station, even though China has not been able to participate in the international space station led by the United States since the 1990s, despite Chinese willingness and capabilities.

China's achievements come on the back of a space program that only sent its first astronauts into space in 2003, showing the extraordinary pace of the nation's space exploration.

However, some may interpret China's aspirations in the wrong way, accusing the country of seeking dominance or hegemony in space and being in a "space race "with NASA and the US.

Such interpretations are groundless: China's vision for the exploration of outer space should be understood through the lens of its economic strategy for "peaceful development" and "a community of a shared future" for the good of humankind.

Long before the modern era, Chinese culture and tradition long attached importance to the heavens and the moon, boasting many of the world's earliest astronomers and cosmologists.

While the United States largely perceives expansion into space through the medium of military ambitions, inaugurating its Space Force under the former president Donald Trump's administration, China has a nonmilitary view of space exploration that is attached to the principle of "socialism with Chinese characteristics". It sees advances in science as a means for accelerating global prosperity and economic development.

Since the 20th century, outer space has been the newest frontier of humankind, and understanding it and knowing how to use it productively are crucial for humanity. The advancement of space-related activities has the potential to overcome many problems on Earth itself, including access to energy, resources and protection of the environment.

As a consequence, progress made in space is ultimately progress in the name of all, and serves subsequently to benefit all.

China is a signatory of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which explicitly opposes the militarization of space and urges the peaceful use of the cosmos for the common benefit of humankind. This is the direction we must take in what we envision to achieve in the universe.

Each civil feat in space subsequently transforms the way we live, even if we do not realize it. The achievements of the 20th century made by the US and the Soviet Union transformed our world in communications and subsequently expanded our capability to understand ourselves. The invention of the satellite and similar resources has been invaluable in promulgating globalization and interconnectivity.

As a result, the Tiangong space station and the planned International Lunar Research Station will aim to shape the future of humanity accordingly, by expanding the scope of knowledge to new levels.

The Chinese endeavor is not a zero-sum game; China invites all countries to participate and partner in its projects as a peaceful initiative and to help shape humanity's future. It is the United States that stages stringent legal and other barriers to Chinese cooperation in US-led international space programs, or even visits by Chinese nationals to NASA facilities.

The politicization, division and militarization of the cosmos are what divide us as a planet, bringing risks rather than benefits. Thus, regardless of what other countries do, China will pursue the path of peaceful development in space with a view to the moon, Mars and beyond.

With so much still to learn and discover, consequential transformations in how we live and experience the world surely lie ahead but are yet to be envisioned.

The author is a British political and international relations analyst.

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Nation aims for peaceful use of space exploration - Chinadaily USA

Timothy Kopra; Credits: MDA/ Robert Markowitz

During the second Space Caf Canada event, host Jessica West of Project Ploughshares sat down with Tim Kopra, Vice-President of Robotics and Space Operations at MDA, to talk about the role of robotics in Canadas space program and in the future of space exploration.

MDA is one of Canadas most successful space technology companies and is behind many of Canadas signature programs in space including the famous Canadarm on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, and the Radarsat series of Earth observation satellites. Its also central to Canadas future space activities which continue to prioritize the development of space-based robotics and radar capabilities. Before joining MDA, Mr. Kopra had a remarkable career beginning with the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of Colonel. As an engineer and astronaut with NASA Tim flew twice to the International Space Station, the second time as Commander.

How does MDA lead the development of space technology in Canada?

MDA is at the centre of Canadas burgeoning space industry with expertise in robotics, satellite systems, and geo-intelligence. With a new contract to develop and operate the Canadarm3 robotic arm on the upcoming Lunar Gateway space station in cis-lunar orbit, MDA has a prominent role in the future of Canadas space exploration program.

As a core developer of the Canadian governments space-based capabilities through prominent public-private partnerships, the company made history in 2008 when it became the first private Canadian company that the government blocked from a foreign takeover. Today MDA is owned by a group of Canadian investors, and recently celebrated a new milestone, becoming a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which speak to the pace of growth and development within the Canadian space industry. New programs such as Artemis are a shot in the arm for industry because it means that countries will be investing in space. The national impact on countries such as Canada will be amplified as leading space companies such as MDA continue to invest in developing supply chains and national expertise.

Spaceflight is hard. How does robotics help?

Humans have an unmatched ability to think and process information, but we arent optimized for space exploration: we have to eat, we breathe oxygen, we consume products, and we create waste. And of course, all of this takes place in a very harsh environment. Finding ways to automate some activities that dont require a human or that can be done in conjunction with a human helps. Canadarm2 is a prime example.

On the International Space Station, the hardware that we supply and the operational expertise that we apply to that set of robotics is absolutely vital for maintaining that space station.

Going forward, the need for robotics capabilities to maintain future space stations, including new commercial ones, and to keep them operational, is going to increase.

What is it like to be in space, working with a giant robotic system such as Canadarm2?

Watching the Canadarm2 grabbing enormous pieces of hardware out of the payload bay to be installed on the International Space Station like huge pieces of Lego is like participating in a science fiction movie.

Its surreal, because youre doing something that youre trained to do, but not in that environment.

Is the Lunar Gateway a game-changer?

Much in the way that the International Space Station has been built piece-by-piece, the Lunar Gateway program is a building block to the return of humans to the Moon, part of a long history of experimenting and learning how to support human life in outer space.

In the beginning, we werent even sure if you could swallow in space. When we first landed something on the Moon, we thought maybe its going to land in 30 feet of dust and disappear.we knew nothing.

Now, we will be taking what we learned on the International Space Station which orbits 400 km from the Earth and applying it to the Lunar Gateway 400,000 km away.

What new capabilities will Canadarm3 bring to this effort?

Unlike the ISS, the Lunar Gateway will not be permanently crewed. That means that we have to design it in such a manner that allows a lot of autonomous operations, may of which will be external to the station. Canadarm3 will take our existing robotic operations a step further to include artificial intelligence capabilities required for greater autonomy, as well as a second, smaller arm to maintain the larger arm, creating a complete ecosystem of end-to-end logistics.

These capabilities will have wide commercial applications that make MDA not only a leading robotics company in Canada but in the world.

Weve established over the last few decades over 3-million hours of operations dedicated to on-orbit, robotic space operations; thats a legacy that were very proud of, and really one that no one else can brag about at this point.

How do these investments in space-based robotic capabilities translate to our lives on Earth?

The contributions of space activities are so much more than Velcro, Teflon, and Tang.

Right now, people might be texting on their iPhone, which has technology that came from our space program, and driving in their car, being navigated by the GPS, which is part of our space program, and using miniaturized electronics, which comes from our space programand what many people just arent aware of is that what we do on the International Space Station is the basic and fundamental scientific research that will have the nominal impact to how we live on planet Earth.

But these contributions are not linear: they are building blocks that move science along. You learn how people and things work, which advances a whole range of applications on Earth including medicine.

The Canadarm2 was recently pierced by a piece of space debris. How big is the debris problem for space exploration?

The Canadarm2 is designed to be very robust and it can withstand a pretty significant hit and remain 100% operational. The Space Station is also equipped with a debris shield to protect from the impacts of debris the size of a marble or smaller. But we see debris impacts on the space station all the time, including on the solar arrays that power it, and we have to be aware of the danger. Sometimes the space station has to be moved because of a possible conjunction event with a bigger piece of debris, or if there isnt enough time to move, then the crew have to shelter in place.

Its not possible for us to know every little piece of debris in space. And that is a danger and its a future worry as we expand the number of satellites in space. How do we do this in a very responsible way?

We need better solutions.

What are the possible solutions?

Technical capabilities for services such as debris removal and satellite servicing are advancing rapidly, and MDA is interested in being a leader in this market. But the solution to space debris has to be regulated so that there is a business case to make these services worthwhile.

I think one of the most important development is a requirement for anybody that puts an object in space in order to have access to the spectrum needed to operate it to have to demonstrate that they have the capability to get that satellite out of orbit.

You can also envision a future at some point in time when there is liability established as part of a burgeoning insurance industry that requires an ability to deorbit. Because a collision in space doesnt just disable a satellite: it creates more debris. And we dont want to wake up to a dystopian future in the workable space around our planet. If we wait for an accident to happen, it will be too late.

Many advanced robotics capabilities in space are dual-use. How does the industry think about this?

MDA is focused on opportunities for cooperation and collaboration in space through the Canadarm3. The new Artemis Accords are also important and are really a means to extend the kind of cooperation that we have seen on the International Space Station, which has been key to developing trust.

People in the audience are asking about future robotics cooperation with China. Is that in the cards?

Its in the interest of both a country and a company to maintain their intellectual property, and to partner with people where you can have confidence and trust in that partnershipand trust is built over time. And its possible to erode trust based on actions. So whoever we partner with, has to have demonstrated that theyre a good actor in the space community. You have to be able to trust that your technology is safe with that actor.

Do you have a wish list for Canadian space policy and regulatory frameworks?

We dont want regulation for regulations sake. What is needed to optimize a free market in space is regulation to make sure that negative impacts of activities such as space debris are minimized, while working to help people work well, and companies work well with each other. This fosters growth and translates into high technology jobs here in Canada. Doing this internationally requires leadership.

Canada has an opportunity to be a leader, in many ways. It would be really cool to watch Canada take the lead on how to maintain this environment in space that allows us to have a burgeoning market there.

To listen to this Space Caf insight into the space industry, you can watch the full program here:

Space Cafe is broadcast live. Tosubscribeand get the latest on the space industry from world-leading experts visit click here.

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Space Caf Canada by Dr. Jessica West Recap: Is the Future of Space Exploration Robotic? - SpaceWatch.Global

There is a new space race developing, with higher stakes and more ambitious goals than just going back to Earth orbit or the Moon. The U.S. has developed a sizable technological lead in rockets and satellite technology, which has in turn grown our national and global space ambitions. Now that it is feasible to get to low Earth orbit affordably and reliably, astronauts and private companies are now looking to go furtherincluding establishing permanent colonies on the Moon and Mars, mining asteroids for their immense natural resources, and sending astronauts to search for life on the moons of the outer planets. And were not alone in this race. China and Russia are teaming together on a lunar base, and China claims it will be the first to colonize Mars and even mine asteroids.

Nuclear fission and fusion power will be essential to accomplishing these and other ambitions. These technologies can deliver the performanceincluding immense power levels, longevity and reliabilityrequired to take large people and cargo astronomically long distances, and support the power requirements for long-term colonies far removed from the safety net of Earth. To this end, China is reportedly making investments in the advanced propulsion sector, including in fission and fusion contexts, that dwarf U.S. efforts. For the U.S. to remain competitive on the world scale and win what some are calling the new Deep Space Race, we must double down on investment in nuclear fission and fusion technologies.

We overview below a recent proposal by the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) that further details this new space race and advocates for a $40 million Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)-style program to accelerate the use of fusion for space travel. We discuss that in the context of recent efforts by the Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to work together to accelerate the use of nuclear and fusion power in space.

A Proposed $40 Million Fusion Propulsion Program to Win the Deep Space Race

The FIAan association of 24 member companies working to commercialize fusion powerrecently recommended a $40 million fusion propulsion funding program. The proposal, Fusion Energy for Space Propulsion: Making Fusion Space Propulsion A Reality by 2030 (the Fusion-Space Overview) explains that there is a Deep Space Race developing as the U.S. and other world powers have set their sights not just on returning humans to orbit and stepping foot on the Moon, but building outposts on the Moon, Mars, and going much farther out. There are compelling reasons to believe that taking the lead in exploration of deep space (beyond the near-Earth orbit) can bring tremendous returns. This is not just in the form of national pride and scientific progress, but also financial. Some, including Goldman Sachs, have predicted that the worlds first trillionaire will be the person that successfully mines asteroids and their tremendous amounts of mineral wealth.

As outlined in the Fusion-Space Overview, chemical-propelled rockets do not have the fuel efficiency to support this far-reaching agenda. Fusion propulsion can be up to 100 times more fuel-efficient than chemical propulsion, while still maintaining large thrustsmaking it a prime option for transporting large payloads to distant destinations or ferrying cargo to and from the Moon. As just one example, the Direct Fusion Drive could potentially expedite travel to the Moon and Mars to hours and months respectively, and even get the U.S. to Saturn in as little as two years.

The Fusion-Space Overview advocates for an ARPA-style, milestone-based funding program to accelerate the development of critical fusion propulsion technologies and enable designs to start getting tested. ARPA programs have a demonstrated track record of moving promising technologies on a track towards commercial deployment by the private sector. A number of fusion space propulsion ventures spoke at the recent ASCENDx Summit held June 15, 2021, discussing how they are ready for incremental investment to further develop their prototypes, with the long-term goal of performing ground and space demonstrations.

The FIAs recommended fusion propulsion program would synthesize best practices from the DARPA and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) programs and apply it to deep space. The Fusion-Space Overview concludes that the $40 million program has the potential to transform the way we look at the universe and ourselves, unlock potentially trillions of dollars in scientific and economic innovation, and secure American interests for this century and the next.

Energy, Space, and Defense Agencies Aligning on Use of Advanced Nuclear

DOE and NASA have a long history of collaboration on the use of nuclear power in space. For more than 50 years, DOE enabled space exploration on over twenty NASA missions by providing safe and reliable radioisotope power systems and radioisotope heater units. Further, DOE has decades of experience managing plutonium-238 radioisotope thermal power generator production required for NASAs deep space probes.

This relationship has now accelerated in scope, with a goal to enable much larger uses of nuclear power in space. In 2018, NASA and DOE launched an effort to develop the Kilopower Reactor, with a hope to demonstrate a fission surface power system on the moon by the end of the decade. And toward the end of the previous administration, former Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand the DOE-NASA partnership on space exploration. Nuclear power and propulsion were among the key areas of interest listed in the MOU. And this was followed up with Space Policy Directive 6, which sought to implement a National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion.

Currently NASA is examining the possibility of utilizing two nuclear systems in space exploration. The first is a nuclear electric propulsion system, which is highly efficient and allows a spacecraft to travel for longer periods although at lower thrust. The second type of system is a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system, which is a higher thrust system but still far more efficient than a traditional rocket. (Fusion systems can also be split along similar lines). In the same vein, Battelle Energy Alliance, which operates DOE Idaho National Laboratory, earlier this year published a solicitation for a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Reactor Interim Design.

The efforts by NASA and DOE complements a program by DARPA, called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO), to demonstrate a NTP system in orbit. Although the program is just getting started, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, and General Atomic haves received initial awards. As DARPA explains, [t]he space domain is essential to modern commerce, scientific discovery, and national defense. Maintaining space domain awareness in cislunar space the volume of space between the Earth and the Moon will require a leap-ahead in propulsion technology. And to the same end, all three agencies have taken interest in the use of fusion for similar ends.

Next Steps

To successfully compete with China and Russia in the new Deep Space Race, the U.S. needs to accelerate investment in these mission-critical areas and form public-private partnerships to accelerate technology development. There are numerous private companies, including the ventures listed in the Fusion-Space Overview, pursuing innovative and advanced nuclear space propulsion concepts. And, as evidenced in recent events held by DOE, NASA, and DARPA, a number of companies stand ready to support the development of nuclear and fusion space propulsion technologies.

However, beyond possibly the DARPA DRACO effort, these initiatives lack a significant and long-term dedicated funding program to support their commercialization. Continued investment in nuclear and fusion propulsion concepts, through the establishment of long-term programs with the clear end goal of demonstrating multiple advanced propulsion technologies in space, including an ARPA-like program like the one recommended by FIA, can have a tremendous impact on whether the U.S. will not only win the next space race, but even be able to compete with countries like Russia and China who are making these programs national priorities.

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Nuclear and Fusion Power at the Forefront of Deep Space Exploration - Lexology

The Emirati-made Rashid Rover for the Lunar Mission. Image Credit: MBRSC/Seyyed Llata

Dubai: Two optical cameras that will provide high-resolution images in full high definition (HD) will be installed on Rashid Rover, which is set to land on the moons surface next year, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced on Monday.

MBRSC has partnered with French space agency CNES (National Centre for Space Studies) for the Emirates Lunar Mission. Under the Emirati-French-agreement, CNES will provide MBRSC with two Caspex (Camera for space exploration) that can withstand vibrations during launch or landing.

Using microlenses and colour filter array, Caspex is based on the last generation of image sensors and has a dedicated high dynamic range (HDR) method to provide high-resolution and high-quality coloured images.

Panoramic visibility

According to MBRSC, one Caspex will be installed on top of the rovers mast to provide panoramic visibility of the rover surroundings while the rear-mounted CASPEX camera will deliver images of the lunar soil with high spatial resolution.

The latters images of the drive tracks will be analysed to determine wheel sinkage and to investigate the detailed wheel-soil interaction. Such data will be important to design the mobility systems of future rovers, MBRSC noted.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, MBRSC director-general, said: The UAE aims to lead an innovative and sustainable exploration of the moon through the Emirates Lunar Mission. Our partnership with CNES is a continuation of the already great collaborative effort with France and we will continue to strengthen it further. We believe that collaboration is the way forward for space exploration, and the more we work together to tackle challenges for the good of humanity, the greater our collective prospects for the future.

Philippe Baptiste, chairman and CEO of CNES, added: I am glad to add today a new milestone and a new destination to the longstanding partnership between France and the UAE. With MBRSC we have developed a fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation. It will allow us not only to take French technology to the Moon and bring back data for our scientists but most and foremost to strengthen the relations between our respective technology and scientific ecosystems.

Emirati rover

Rashid, an Emirati-made lunar rover named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, is the smallest and lightest rover to be deployed on the surface of the moon. Its height is 70cm, length is 50cm and width is 50cm. Its weight is approximately 10kg with payload.

Rashid will be launched next year, two years ahead of the original schedule. The exact landing site is yet to be revealed, but the rover will travel to a part of the moon that has never been reached before. Its mission is to better understand how lunar dust and rocks vary across the moon.

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Rashid Rover to have two full-HD cameras for space exploration - Gulf News

Turkey plans to send a rover to the moon by the end of the decade using a domestically built rocket engine that will first fly to the moon in a test mission in 2023.

Speaking at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) 2021 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday (June 16), Serdar Hseyin Yildirim, president of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), discussed details of the country's space program, which was officially unveiled by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February this year.

The rover, which will be launched in 2028 or 2029, according to Yildirim, will land softly on the moon and collect scientific data on its surface.

Related: The United Arab Emirates' Hope mission to Mars in photos

The rocket that launches the moon rover will be domestically built, using a hybrid engine that is currently being developed in Turkey, Yildirim said. To help make sure it's ready for the rover launch, a prototype of the rocket will fly to the moon in late 2023, if all goes according to plan.

"We intend to use our own engine to reach the moon," Yildirim said. "But for this phase, our spacecraft will be brought to low Earth orbit with an international collaboration."

According to a report by the Turkish Anadolu Press Agency, the 2023 mission will make a rough landing on the moon, which will help Turkish engineers to gather data for the soft landing in the late 2020s.

Turkey also plans to send a Turkish citizen to the International Space Station in the coming years to conduct scientific experiments.

"We are trying to finalize our negotiations with the parties," Yildirim said. "In a few months they will be finalized, and we'll start the training process."

Turkey's National Space Program, published in February this year, also foresees the establishment of a local Turkish spaceport and the development of a domestic regional positioning and timing satellite system.

Turkey launched its space agency in 2018. According to the website of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the move was criticized at the time, as it took place amid an economic crisis. Supporters, however, claim the space program can motivate researchers and scientists to stay in the country instead of seeking opportunities abroad.

Details of the space program's budget have not yet been revealed.

The space program will allow Turkey to join an exclusive club of only a handful of countries capable of pulling off complex space exploration projects on their own. The announcement of the space program in February took place on the same day that the Emirates Mars Mission, of regional rival United Arab Emirates, successfully entered orbit around the Red Planet.

Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Turkey aims to send rocket to moon in three years, land lunar rover by 2030 - Space.com

Investors approaching funds like the ARK Space Exploration ETF (ARKX)typically focus on space exploration and tourism.

While those are undoubtedly captivating concepts, ARKX offers more tangible appeal in the form of exposure to providers of satellite broadband services a complex market, but one that holds long-term potential for some ARKX holdings.

As ARK analyst Sam Korus points out, satellite broadband providers face several challenges, including bandwidth as a constraint on how many users a satellite system can adequately support, oversubscription scenarios, and costs consumers are willing to pay. For investors considering ARKX, the good news is that the satellite broadband market could be split into a pair of segments as it evolves.

ARKs research suggests that satellite broadband will evolve into two market segments, creating a global revenue opportunity of roughly $17 billion annually with a constellation of 12,000 satellites, says Korus. Ultimately SpaceX hopes to launch 42,000 satellites and the addressable market could grow to over $40 billion as bandwidth increases with more satellites.

As an actively managed fund a methodology that could prove particularly fruitful with space investing ARKX isnt constrained by an index, meaning it has some industry-level flexibility. Currently, the fund is positioned to capitalize on four space-related segments. That quartet includes orbital aerospace companies, where satellite firms reside.

Orbital aerospace firms are companies that launch, make, service, or operate platforms in the orbital space, including satellites and launch vehicles, according to the issuer.

Among publicly traded satellite broadband providers, Iridium (IRDM) is the fourth-largest holding in ARKX at a weight of 6.13%. Other companies with robust satellite industry exposure include Trimble (TRMB), which is ARKXs largest holding at 9.23%. Aerospace and defense contractors, several of which reside on the ARKX roster, also have satellite exposure.

As for the consumer side of satellite broadband, Elon Musks SpaceX, which is not yet a public company, is a player in this space. The companys ability to lure customers at varying price points could be telling with respect to the medium-term fate of satellite broadband service.

We believe one customer segment will pay roughly $75-$100 per month, and another $10-$20 per month, said Korus. Early adopters will be at the high end of the market, giving SpaceX the opportunity to drive costs down the satellite broadband learning curve and setting it up to tap into the low end of the market.

For more on disruptive technologies, visit our Disruptive Technology Channel.

The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.

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Investing in the Potent Satellite Broadband Market - ETF Trends

China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft returned fresh moon rock samples late last year, but the main science of the mission is still just getting underway.

Applications to borrow lunar samples delivered to Earth by Chang'e 5 in December are under review and will be decided soon, according to Jing Peng, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-5 spacecraft system at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

"There was a conference one week ago in China regarding the applications for lunar samples," Peng said, speaking on Thursday (June 17) at the Global Space Exploration (GLEX) conference held last week in St. Petersburg, Russia. The June 11 meeting reviewed 85 applications from 23 universities and scientific research institutes in China, according to China's Lunar Sample Management Office. International applications will also be considered.

Related: The latest news about China's space program

Samples available for loan can also be viewed and requested online at the Lunar Sample Information Database, hosted by the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC). Available samples include breccias, which are made of various fragments cemented together, as well as fine-grained soil, volcanic basalts and glass beads.

Peng said that while he has not been involved in analyzing the samples, colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have told him that the "age of the samples may be younger than the samples returned by the Apollo program. I think there will be more results in the near future." Confirming that rocks from this region are much younger would provide valuable new insights into the history of our nearest neighbor. Although Apollo moon rocks have allowed scientists to decipher the moon's early history in detail, without younger samples on Earth, more recent lunar activity is something of a blur.

In his presentation, Peng described the Chang'e 5 mission as China's most sophisticated space project to date. Peng detailed the exactly challenges of the complex, 23-day mission, including getting to and from the moon, landing in the targeted area in Oceanus Procellarum, blasting off from the lunar surface, docking two spacecraft in orbit around the moon, and executing a "skip" reentry, in which the return capsule first bounced off the Earth's atmosphere to slow down before reentering and landing.

Other key technologies Peng highlighted included automatic sampling using a scoop and a drill, transferring samples between spacecraft, and developing miniaturized, lightweight and durable components capable of performing exacting tasks.

The mission was also demanding in terms of the large amounts of fuel needed to overcome gravity to escape bodies like the Earth and the moon. The Long March 5 that launched the 18,078-lb. (8,200 kilograms) spacecraft weighed more than 940 tons (850 metric tons). However the final payload delivered by the Chang'e 5 return capsule was just 3.82 lbs. (1.73 kgs) of lunar samples.

While science is being conducted on the ground, the Chang'e 5 orbiter which released the return capsule just before arriving back to Earth is also still in action. Instead of reentering the atmosphere, the spacecraft headed to a gravitationally balanced area in space.

The spacecraft is now orbiting a region known as Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, which is about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from Earth in the direction of the sun where it is carrying out observations and tests.

Asked if there are further plans for the orbiter, Peng said that the spacecraft may not have enough propellant to travel to destinations such as Venus.

"I don't think there will be many opportunities for the orbiter to perform more complex orbit maneuvers with other bodies," he said. "I think it will stay in Lagrange point 1 or the Earth-moon system."

Next, China is planning a sample return mission to near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa (2016 HO3). That mission will build on Chang'e 5 technologies. Meanwhile, the Chang'e 5 backup mission, Chang'e 6, will launch around 2024 to collect more lunar samples, possibly from the lunar far side or south pole.

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China's moon rocks are ready to be loaned out for science research - Space.com

AfterAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced on June 7 that he would be flying to space, multiple petitions have been signed to prevent thebillionaire's return to Earth. Two of these petitions have collectively gathered over 56,000 signatures.

Bezos announced he would be going to space with his brother Mark Bezos when his space exploration company Blue Origin launches its first flight carrying humans. The rocket will take flight on July 20. "Ever since I was five years old, I've dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend," Bezos said in a video onInstagram.

While Blue Origin has not divulged its pricing strategy for future trips, a Reuters report in 2018 suggested that the space company was planning to charge passengers at least USD 200,000 for the ride, based on a market study and other considerations.

Bezos is the founder of the space exploration company Blue Origin, which built New Shepard. The rocket is reusable and has a capacity for six passengers in its capsule. The Bezos brothers, one auction winner with USD 28 million to spare, and a fourth person will become the first crew aboard the reusable rocket for its 11-minute voyage to space.

After the announcement, multiple change.org petitions have already emerged and garnered thousands of signatures, in order to stop the billionaire from returning to the planet.

A user called 'Ric G' started a petition titled 'Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth' on change.org, a popular US-based petition website. "Billionaires should not exist on earth, or in space, but should they decide the latter they should stay there," reads the opening statement.

The petition, which was started two weeks ago, has received over 75,000 signatures and has become one of the top-signed petitions on the website.

Another petition that echoes the same sentiment has accumulated almost 20,000 signatures.

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Thousands sign petition to stop Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth from space trip, reason will leave you in - DNA India

Turkey is in talks with three countries as it seeks help in developing a space port in Somalia and a rocket to carry out lunar landings, according to the head of its space agency.

Serdar Huseyin Yildirim, head of the Turkish Space Agency, made his comments to the Sputnik news agency on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference, held in St Petersburg between the 14 and 18 of June.

Although he did not say which countries were involved, his remarks suggested Russia was one of them. We could work with Russia in many areas, on the spaceport, on rocket engines. We discussed the possibility of Russia providing assistance in the construction of our spaceport. They have a great deal of experience in this area, both in launch pads and spaceports themselves, Yildirim commented.

It was reported in February that Ankara was considering the construction of a spaceport in Somalia as part of a $1bn plan to develop a space exploration programme.

According to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, this is aimed at carrying out a hard landing on the Moon in 2023, the centenary of the founding of modern Turkey. This mission would allow Turkish scientists to gain experience for a soft landing in 2028 followed by the carrying out of scientific experiments and the deployment of an exploration vehicle.

Yildirim added that Turkey had held talks with the Centre for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Russian space agency Roscosmos, and more detailed planning may begin in the next year, once the location of the spaceport is finalised.

Turkey launched its space agency in December 2018. In 2020, it announced the testing of a rocket developed by defence contractor Roketsan.

It is also planning to send a Turkish astronaut to the International Space Station, and launch satellites to set up its own global positioning system.

In an interview with Sputnik last year, Yildirim indicated that the country's space agency was working on nearly 30 separate projects, and that it has held talks with about 20 countries on space cooperation, including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, Japan, China, Pakistan, India and Azerbaijan.

Image: President Erdogan announced Turkeys $1bn space programme in February (Dreamstime)

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Explore to realise: Space development in Japan

National Research and Development Agency JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), was born through the merger of three separate institutions; the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). It was designated as a core agency to successfully support the Japanese governments overall aerospace development and future utilisation, be it anything from conducting basic research and development to the implementation of programmes.

The JAXA corporate slogan is Explore to Realise, which reflects its management philosophy of utilising space and the sky to work towards a safe and affluent society. JAXA states that Explore indicates the original point of our activities and is also part of our agencys name, while Realise expresses our philosophy of becoming an agency of realising a safe and affluent society.

YAMAKAWA Hiroshi, the President of JAXA, believes that everyone within the organisation should share the following five key principles to continue challenging the frontiers of human knowledge, both in Japan and worldwide:

It is these five principals that enable the agency to remain at the forefront of space exploration. The biggest challenges of space science are to unravel the many mysteries of the structure and evolution of the universe, the processes of planet formation, and the origin of life. JAXA is currently implementing a number of major Research and Development Projects working towards this, such as GREAT: GRound station for deep space Exploration And Telecommunication, and the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), just to name a few.

It is important to promote space and aeronautics as an integral part of society by making them more valuable and connected with daily life. Satellites are one way in which space research and technology can benefit our day to day. Japanese satellites now in orbit are performing missions in a wide range of areas, such as playing an important role in assessing and analysing abnormal weather patterns.

Moreover, JAXA project Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM) uses satellites to observe all the Earths environmental changes for present and future generations. GCOM aims to construct, use, and verify systems that enable continuous global-scale observations (for 10 to 15 years) of effective geophysical parameters for elucidating global climate change and water circulation mechanisms. The GCOM mission consists of two satellites:

JAXA truly values international cooperation, and currently, most of their projects have been conducted through international cooperation. A recent example of this is the KiboCUBE Programme, a collaboration between JAXA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Launched in 2015 and recently extended until the end of December 2024, it provides developing countries with opportunities to deploy CubeSats from the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo of the International Space Station (ISS). Through KiboCUBE cooperation programme, JAXA and UNOOSA together aim to contribute to the capacity building of space-related technology in developing countries.

Furthermore, international cooperation between the United States and Japan began in 1969, when The Japan-U.S. Joint Communique on cooperation in space development was exchanged. Since then, JAXA has been participating in international projects, which have been mainly led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) such as the International Space Station, by dispatching Japanese astronauts on Space Shuttle missions, earth observations and scientific satellite missions.

JAXA aims to continue exploring the future for economic development, improvement of the quality of life, and safety and security for Japan, and furthermore, for sustainable development of mankind, expanding knowledge, as well as to exploring new fields.

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