Een verrassing was het niet echt meer, maar Jeff Bezos van Blue Origin (en Amazon) stelde deze week “Blue Moon” voor, hun idee van een (bemande) maanlander. Mooi op tijd in het kader van NASA’s opdracht om in 2024 opnieuw een mens op de maan te zetten. Blue Moon ziet er veel belovend uit, maar op dit moment is het nog een maquette. En of NASA dit ontwerp van een maanlander gaat kiezen dan wel een andere, dat gaat de volgende maanden wel duidelijk worden. Als diezelfde NASA uiteraard het geld krijgt van het Amerikaanse Congress om dit alles te realiseren. Na al die jaren blijft de uitspraak “No bucks ? No Buck Rogers !” nog altijd staan als een huis.

Bij de foto: Bezos stelt Blue Moon voor, een mogelijke maanlander.

Blue Moon – Bezos naar de maan.
Blue Moon: Meet Blue Moon.
“Meer” info over de BE-7 vind je hier.

Space News: Blue Origin unveils lunar lander.
Space Policy Online: Bezos unveils his Blue Moon lunar lander.
BBC: Jeff Bezos unveils Moon lander concept.
New York Times: Jeff Bezos Unveils Blue Origin’s Vision for Space, and a Moon Lander.
Financial Times: Jeff Bezos launches plan for moon vehicle.
Via Satellite: Blue Moon Rising Sparks Dramatic End to SATELLITE Week.
SpaceCom: Blue Moon: Here's How Blue Origin's New Lunar Lander Works.

VRT NWS: Jeff Bezos stelt maanlander voor: "We gaan naar de maan, en dit keer om te blijven".
Spacepage: Blue Origin wil naar de maan.

Time: Jeff Bezos Is Promising the Moon — But There Are Plenty of Reasons to Doubt Him.

Washington Post: Jeff Bezos’s new plans for space have stirred up old fights in science fiction.

SpaceCom: Elon Musk Jabs Jeff Bezos Over Blue Origin's Moon Lander.
Science Alert: Elon Musk Just Couldn't Stay Quiet About Jeff Bezos' Moon Lander.

Collect Space: Blue Origin kicks off kids' space club with offer to launch postcards.

De filmpjes:
Blue Origin: Going to Space to Benefit Earth (Full Event Replay).
Blue Origin: Introducing Blue Moon.
Time: Jeff Bezos Unveils Blue Origin's Lunar Mission: 'It's Time To Go Back To The Moon'.
Scott Manley: Blue Origin's Blue Moon, in Blue Lights Showing Big Blue Spherical Fuel Tanks.

Naar de maan in 2024.
The Space Review: NASA’s plan for a human lunar landing in 2024 takes shape.
The Space Review: Going to the Moon within five years and on the cheap: yes, it is possible.

SpaceCom: Cost of 2024 Moon Landing Is Still a Mystery.
SpaceQ: An update on NASA’s moon exploration plans.
NasaSpaceFlight: Northrop Grumman, NASA test Cygnus-derived lunar gateway habitat.

Space News: Foust Forward | Selling a fuzzy vision of going back to the moon.
NasaSpaceFlight: NASA Moving Ahead with Return to the Moon, with or without SLS.

Technology.Org: Lunar Power System Team Wins President’s Award.
NASA Glenn: Kilopower—A New Lunar Power System (filmpje).

The Mainichi: Japan to announce participation in US lunar project by year-end.

SpaceX – Ook parachutetest Crew Dragon verloopt niet volgens plan.
Space News: Crew Dragon parachutes failed in recent test.
Spaceflight Now: Commercial crew capsules still beset by parachute problems.

Parabolic Arc: Boeing Releases Video of Successful Starliner Parachute Test.

Virgin Galactic start activiteiten op Spaceport America – Ruimtetoerisme weer een stap dichterbij.
WFMZ: Virgin Galactic finally moving to its space tourism headquarters.
NasaSpaceFlight: Virgin Galactic to move into Spaceport America for spaceport operations.
Space News: Virgin Galactic prepares to move vehicles, staff to Spaceport America.
CNN Business: Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is finally moving to its space tourism headquarters.
Spaceflight Now: Virgin Galactic to move remaining SpaceShipTwo test flights to New Mexico.
Parabolic Arc: Video: George Whitesides Discusses Virgin Galactic’s Move to New Mexico.

ISS – Dragon m.b.v. robotarm aan het ISS bevestigd.
NASA ISS Blog: SpaceX Cargo Craft Attached to Station.
NASA ISS Blog: Busy Monday as Astronauts Grapple Dragon and Store Critical Experiments.
NASA ISS Blog: New Science Being Unpacked and Worked Aboard Orbital Lab.
NASA ISS Blog: Human Research as Canadian, Japanese Robot Arms Swap Experiments.

Spaceflight Insider: CRS-17 Dragon arrives at ISS with cargo, stray cable.
SpaceCom: SpaceX Dragon Delivers NASA Cargo to Space Station.

De filmpjes:
SciNews: SpaceX CRS-17: Dragon capture.
SciNews: SpaceX CRS-17: Dragon berthing.
Space Videos: Coverage of the rendezvous and capture of the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon Cargo (de volledige uitzending).
Space Videos: Coverage of the installation of the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon Cargo Craft (de volledige uitzending).
CSA: Animation of Dextre unloading and reloading Dragon’s trunk.

ISS – ESA stuurt Parmitano voor een tweede maal naar het ruimtestation.
Luca Parmitano vertrekt op 20 juli (de dag van de 50ste verjaardag van de eerste maanlanding) voor een tweede keer naar het ISS.
ESA: Beyond Mission: Luca Parmitano.
Meer info over deze vlucht vind je in deze brochure (PDF).
ESA: Luca Parmitano 'Beyond' news conference (filmpje).

ISS – Meer nieuws.
Space Daily: RSC Energia developed a one-orbit rendezvous profile.
Spaceflight Now: X-ray communications experiment delivered to space station.

Enkele filmpjes:
NASA: SpaceCast Weekly - May 10, 2019.
NASA Johnson: Space to Ground: Reservations for Seven: 05/10/2019.

SpaceX – Starlink.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starlink launch debut to orbit dozens of satellites later this month.
Teslarati: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reveals radical Starlink redesign for 60-satellite launch.
Space News: SpaceX to launch “dozens” of Starlink satellites May 15, more Starlink launches to follow.
Ars Technica: SpaceX broadband testing to ramp up with launch of dozens of satellites.

SpaceX – StarHopper en Starship.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starhopper gains thruster pods as hop test preparations ramp up.
Teslarati: SpaceX stacks orbital Starship sections as Elon Musk teases June 20th event.

SpaceX – Gebruikte Falcon 9-trap krijgt nieuw thuis in Houston.
Collect Space: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to land on display at Space Center Houston.
Ars Technica: Old Falcon 9 rockets done firing their engines will now inflame imaginations.
Een impressie van de toekomstige setup vind je hier.

ESA – Ariane VI en Vega C.
Spacewatch: Arianespace starts manufacturing first batch of Ariane VI launch vehicles.

Space News: Avio gets ESA assurance for transition missions from Vega to Vega C.
Space News: Arianespace completes manifest for Vega dedicated rideshare mission.

Space News: ArianeGroup applying launch cost reduction targets to satellite components.

Nieuws uit de wereld der kleine raketten.
Space News: Spaceflight signs contract with Relativity for launches.
News21: Small space startup keeps landing big contracts.

Space Daily: First flight for microsatellite separation system by RUAG Space on Electron rocket

Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab to launch rideshare mission for Spaceflight.

Space News: China’s iSpace to make private orbital launch attempt in early June.
Teslarati: DeepSpace: Chinese rocket startups make tangible progress on the path to orbital launch.

China gaat raket vanop zee lanceren.
Xinhua Net: China plans to launch carrier rocket at sea.

Eerste Pakistani met China de ruimte in?
Spacewatch: Pakistan signs space cooperation agreement with China to enable first Pakistani astronaut.
Outlook India: China, Pakistan sign agreement on space exploration.

Nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Aarde:
Spacepage: Groen licht voor Nederlands aerosol-instrument op NASA-satelliet.
NASA Earth Observatory: 20 Years from NASA Earth Observatory (filmpje). 
Parabolic Arc: FCC Approves Theia’s 112-Satellite Earth Imaging Constellation.

Maan:
Aviation Week: India’s Second Moon Journey To Begin In July.
The Hindu: Chandrayaan-2 will carry 14 Indian payloads.
Moon Daily: India aims to be 1st country to land rover on Moon's south pole.
Spacewatch: ESPI BRIEF 28: China is one step closer to the moon … and Europe ?
Spacewatch: PTScientists and ArianeGroup cooperate on future lunar missions.

Mars:
NASA: InSight Sees Drifting Clouds on Mars.
NASA: For InSight, Dust Cleanings Will Yield New Science.
NASA JPL: NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Departs Vera Rubin Ridge (360 View) (filmpje).
The Martian Chronicles: Sols 2397-2399: Go SAM, Go!
Thales: Thales Alenia Space marks key milestone in the ExoMars 2020 ESA mission.
ESA: ExoMars laboratory passes Red Planet simulation.
BBC: How do you learn to drive on Mars?
Popular Mechanics: NASA's Mars 2020 Mission Passes Critical Heat Shield Test.

Jupiter:
NasaSpaceFlight: NASA puts SLS Europa Clipper option in the wind tunnel.

Neptunus:
Seeker: Inside NASA’s Race Back To Neptune’s Icy Moon (filmpje).

Ryugu en Bennu:
SpaceCom: Boulders on Diamond-Shaped Asteroids Hint at Dusty Landslides.

Itokawa:
SpaceCom: Water Found in Tiny Dust Particles from Asteroid Itokawa.
Popular Mechanics: What Finding Water on an Ancient Asteroid Means for Life on Earth.

Kleine satellieten en grote constellaties.
Misschien eerst met dit beginnen:
The Space Review: Satellite constellations and radio astronomy.

SpaceQ: Airbus and Thales Maxar Consortium complete milestones in bid for Telesat contract.
Telesat: World’s First 5G Backhaul Demo over LEO Satellite.
Space News: Telesat’s LEO plan: dedicated satellite factory, bulk launch contracts and a variety of antennas.

Space News: Cloud Constellation selects LeoStella to build 10 data-storage satellites.
Geek Wire: Cloud Constellation chooses LeoStella to build cloud data satellites in Seattle area.

Business Wire: PlanetiQ Selects ATLAS Space Operations to Provide TT&C and Data Services for Constellation of Weather Satellites.

Space News: Airbus eyes opportunities in future U.S. military LEO constellations.

Space News: ITU wants megaconstellations to meet tougher launch milestones.

Space News: GEO smallsats emerging as a best-of-both-worlds approach.
Space News: Satellite operators worried about losing Ka-band spectrum.

Breaking Defense: Securing The Space Cloud: It’s Really Hard.

De dreiging van planetoïen en ruimteafval.
Cosmos: Asteroid incoming, Bruce Willis little help.
Inside Science: NASA's Plan to Deflect Would-Be Killer Asteroids.
Sky & Telescope: Planetary Society Grants Help Astronomers Track Dangerous Asteroids.

Aviation Week: Debris From Indian ASAT Test Still In Orbit.
SatTrackCam Leiden: Why India's ASAT test was reckless.

MIT News: A sustainability rating for space debris.

ESA: ESA’s annual space environment report (PDF).

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen