Your Guide to the Moon in 2022

Jan 31, 2022

In this issue:

An overview of lunar missions in 2022
A detailed calendar of missions in 2022
China makes history on the Moon
Lunar testbeds cropping up around the world
China & Russia-led lunar research station
ILRS vs. Artemis: Which way will Europe go?
Commercial payloads straight out of Sci-Fi
Other lunar news from January 2022

Overview of lunar missions in 2022

I returned from the new year holiday to a Google Alerts folder full of articles about the high number and variety of lunar missions in store for 2022. While the information was not new to me, I was pleased to see coverage in some major publications that tend to favor popular science stories. I hope this will begin to generate more widespread interest in the emerging lunar exploration industry.

Here are just a few of the headlines:

The Economist: In 2022 a Moonrush will begin in earnest
The New York Times: 2022 Is Full of First Steps to the Moon
Axios: Companies, nations aim for the Moon in 2022
The Hill: 2022 will be the year the world begins to return to the moon

There are currently 6 government and 4 commercial missions shooting for the Moon in 2022—depending on how you count them. This doesn’t account for things like government rovers flying on commercial landers; if you count each individual payload on these spacecraft as a unique mission, those figures become much higher. Tallying it all up would be complicated, so for simplicity, I only accounted for the main transportation vessel, or mothership, so to speak.

Of course, schedules can change as a result of technical problems, launch availability, and other reasons, but this is the current announced timeline.

Calendar of Lunar Missions in 2022

Q1 2022

NASA’s CAPSTONE: Rocket Lab is planning to launch NASA’s small lunar orbiter, CAPSTONE, from New Zealand on March 19.1 CAPSTONE will test the stability of the planned orbit for the lunar orbital space station known as Gateway. In 2019, NASA awarded $13.7 million to Colorado-based Advanced Space to develop the satellite.

Q2 2022

JAXA’s SLIM: In April, The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA) is expected to attempt a precise landing with its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). Nicknamed Moon Sniper, SLIM is 190 kg (420 lbs) “on an empty stomach” (without propellant) and 2.4 m tall x 2.7 m wide (almost 8 ft x 9 ft). During its descent, the lander will utilize facial recognition technology to identify nearby craters. Its possible that SLIM may be the nation’s first lunar surface mission. SLIM was built by Mitsubishi Electric and it will launch on a rocket operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.2 3 4
NASA’s Artemis 1: NASA aims to launch its $20 billion Space Launch System (SLS) for the first time in April or May. However, NASA's Inspector General projects that it won’t launch until summer. When it does launch, the colossal rocket will send an uncrewed space capsule known as Orion for a weeks-long voyage around the Moon. It will also deploy 10 small satellites, including 2 from Japan—one of which, OMOTENASHI, has been dubbed “the world’s smallest lunar lander”—and a commercially-developed CubeSat from Italy. The payloads will seek evidence of lunar water and study the radiation environment, among other research.5 6 7 8 9
UPDATE (Feb. 2, 2022): The original text mentioned late March as the scheduled launch. Shortly after posting, NASA announced the launch will be postponed until April or May 2022.10 11

Mid 2022 (Or sometime in 2022)

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1: This month, the Houston-based lander company tweeted that its first mission (IM-1) will be “moving outside of Q1 2022 to later this year.” When its time, Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C lander is planned to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 6 NASA-funded and 4 commercial payloads, according to a recent release. Those reportedly include cameras, an astronomical telescope, a radiation counter, a small rover, and an instrument to measure the plume of dust kicked up during landing.12 13 In 2019, Intuitive Machines received $77 million in funding from NASA for its first mission.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One (PM1): This month, John Thornton, CEO of the space robotics company, said PM1 could possibly launch in the first half of 2022.14 However, Ars Technica suggested that United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket—Astrobotic’s selected launcher—might not make its debut flight until at least Q1 2023.15 16 Astrobotic’s website says PM1 will carry payloads from 6 different countries, including small rovers, a micro-printed library, and student-made “microrobots” built with support from The Mexican Space Agency. In 2019, Astrobotic received $79.5 million in funding from NASA for its first mission.17
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3: India’s space agency said it is aiming to send its lander to the Moon in August.18 19 With the exception of an orbiter, Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2, which crashed into the lunar surface during an attempted landing in 2019, attempting to land in the same location and deploy a rover; the orbiter for that mission is fully functional. If successful, Chandrayaan-3 will make India the 4th country, after the United States, Russia and China, to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
CORRECTION: In my original post, I mistakenly reported that this mission was delayed until 2023 due to a misunderstanding about the Chairman’s “New Year Message - 2022” which was dated Jan. 3, 2022, and stated, “the mission could be launched by middle of next year.” Presumably, it was drafted in 2021, referring to 2022, but published in the New Year. (At least I wasn’t the only one to make the mistake as some Indian media did the same!)

Q3 2022

Roscosmos’ Luna-25: Russia’s space agency is expected to launch its uncrewed Luna-25 lander as early as July 23, or as late as October. The objective is to touch down near the lunar South Pole, which would be the first landing in that territory and an area of interest for a permanent base on the Moon. The lander will carry 9 instruments designed to study lunar soil. It will be Russia’s first Moon landing since 1976.20 21
KARI’s KPLO: South Korea’s space agency has said it’s on track to launch the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) on SpaceX Falcon 9’s rocket in August with an arrival in lunar orbit by December, marking the nation’s first lunar mission.22 23 The robotic spacecraft, which will operate for one year, will carry 5 science instruments from South Korea and 1 from NASA. The tools will measure the Moon’s magnetic strength; investigate the chemical makeup of the surface; test a type of interplanetary Internet; and survey potential landing sites for a subsequent mission, among other research. Nearly 236.7 billion won ($200 million USD) was committed to the project over the last 6 years.24

Q4 2022

ispace’s HAKUTO-R M1: As of this month, ispace, a lunar exploration company headquartered in Tokyo, is currently planning to launch its first mission (M1) around Q4 2022 at the earliest. If the landing for that mission is successful, its lander is expected to deploy a pair of rovers: one from Dubai-based Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and the other, a toy-sized “transformable robot” jointly developed by JAXA, Tomy Company, Sony, and Doshisha University. The lander is planning to carry an additional 5 payloads, including 360-degree cameras, an AI flight computer, and an experimental solid-state battery.* 25 26
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2: Intuitive Machines was awarded approximately $47 million by NASA in October 2020 to deliver a drill combined with a mass spectrometer to the Moon’s South Pole by December 2022.27 In June 2021, the company said it plans to deploy a communications satellite into lunar orbit as part of this mission. As of September 2021, the company said IM-2, which aims to land 130kg of payloads, is “scheduled to launch no earlier than December 2022.”

China’s makes history on the Moon

So far, only China has landed on the Moon successfully in the 21st century. The world’s second largest economy has been busy making impressive progress and historic “firsts” with its lunar exploration program in recent years, such as landing on the far side of the Moon in 2019 and a lunar sample return in 2020.

This month, China was credited with discovering the first on-site evidence of water on the Moon’s surface.28 29 30 It was detected by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) Chang'e 5 lander, which made the sample return. Meanwhile, it’s Yutu-2 rover, which has been exploring the far side of the Moon for 3 years, achieved a milestone of having traveled 1,000 meters this month.31

Last week, China also released a white paper stating that it plans to launch 3 lunar missions over the next 5 years.32 33

(Image: Lunar samples from the Chang'e 5 mission in a display case that will be on view at the National Museum of China in Beijing. Credit: Xinhua)

Lunar testing facilities cropping up around the world

As if that wasn’t enough glory for one month, reports came out that China is building a research facility to simulate the Moon’s low-gravity environment. Using magnetic levitation in a vacuum chamber, the simulator itself is only 60 cm (2 ft) in diameter. However, lead scientist Li Ruilin, from the China University of Mining and Technology, said its the “first of its kind in the world” and it could test whether new technologies, such as 3D printing, can be used for construction on the lunar surface. Li said the facility, which lies between Beijing and Shanghai, will be open to researchers from around the world.34 35

Similarly, this month, two universities in Australia were awarded $2.1 million Australian dollars (about $1.5 million USD) in funding from the Australian government to establish their own ‘lunar testbed’. The Queensland University of Technology and The University of New South Wales will construct a 20 x 10 meter covered outdoor facility for testing equipment, robotics and materials simple construction and mining applications in realistic Moon conditions. Fitted with high-fidelity simulated regolith and a gantry crane for micro-gravity simulation, the facility is expected to support the development of a lunar rover as part of Australia’s first lunar mission anticipated to launch by 2026.36

In 2019, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology unveiled the world’s largest “dirty vacuum chamber” to be used as a testbed for lunar missions. I previously wrote about it in this issue.

China & Russia confirm lunar research station

This month, Chinese and Russian space officials said the two nations will sign a legally binding agreement to jointly construct a lunar research station by 2035. Details shared so far about the planned International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is intended to be “open and inclusive” to all countries, include that the facility will be unmanned, but allow for visiting astronauts. As such, it would be equipped with automatic functions and an Earth-to-Lunar flight system, while other research facilities would operate in orbit. It would also be nuclear-powered.37 38 39 40 China is reportedly developing a lunar nuclear reactor that is 100x more powerful than what NASA plans to put on the Moon in 2030.41

Note about timeline: When the agreement was first reported on Dec. 29, Chinese space authorities announced to state media a new completion target of around 2027—eight years earlier than planned—according to South China Morning Post. However, later the same day, the Russians told China-owned Global Times in an exclusive interview that the facility would be constructed by 2035. One month later, Bloomberg reported on a Jan. 28 media briefing where CNSA's deputy director said they are aiming to complete basic infrastructure by 2035, including systems for energy, communication and life support. UPI added that the countries aim to begin construction by 2026.

ILRS vs. Artemis: Which way will Europe go?

Some media have positioned China and Russia’s collaboration to construct the ILRS as a possible counterweight to the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, which seeks to establish internationally-accepted rules governing lunar exploration. As POLITICO put it, “both countries have made clear they aren't interested in signing up to the U.S.-led effort.” Meanwhile, they have invited all countries to participate in the ILRS, “possibly pulling other potential international partners into that collaboration instead of Artemis,” as suggested by Axios.

This month, Israel became the 15th nation to sign the Accords,42 following Mexico in December. Although U.S. Vice President Harris said France’s President Macron expressed intention to join the Accords,43 thus far, neither France nor Germany have signed on. Some voices in Europe question whether Europe should oppose the US-sponsored principles, either in objection to national appropriation of lunar resources or in favor of a European solution.44

“You would have expected Europe to have a different position on what’s in the Accords,” said Arthur Sauzay, a space policy expert at the Paris-based think-tank Institute Montaigne. “It’s quite striking to see some countries signing," he said, speaking of Luxembourg, Italy and Poland who have each signed.

At the same time, there is talk of European involvement in the ILRS. Last summer, the heads of Roscosmos and CNES (France’s space agency), discussed possible French participation in the ILRS.45 In fall, CNSA and Roscosmos hosted closed-door talks in China to discuss a draft declaration regarding the ILRS with experts from France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands in attendance.46 47

Commercial payloads straight out of Sci-Fi

Amazon, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin have joined forces to demonstrate how voice technology, AI and video conferencing may support future crewed missions to the Moon. The team created Callisto—a customized hardware featuring software similar to Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa and a tablet with webinar tools like Cisco's Webex interface—to be installed in the center console of the Orion space capsule that will orbit the Moon following NASA’s Artemis 1 launch later this year. Gleaming with Echo’s iconic pulsing blue ring light, Callisto will await voice commands from remote crew members sitting in NASA’s mission control center in Houston who will communicate to Alexa through a speaker inside Orion during an in-flight video conference. Alexa will be able to access real-time telemetry data and control connected devices onboard the spacecraft, such as changing the color of the interior lights.48 49 50 51

(Image: NASA and Lockheed Martin test connectivity for Callisto at Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control in Houston. Credit: Josh Valcarcel / NASA)

Michelin revealed a mockup of its airless tire it plans to equip to a future lunar vehicle being developed jointly with Northrop Grumman, AVL, Intuitive Machines, and Lunar Outpost. The team formed in response to a request from NASA to private companies for input on a vehicle to transport Artemis astronauts around the Moon. General Motors also announced they would be teaming up with Lockheed Martin to respond to NASA’s request; that team also revealed more concept art of their lunar vehicle this month, as well as a pretty cool new vision movie showing a fleet of them cruising along the lunar surface.

(Image: Concept art of General Motors-Lockheed Martin lunar vehicles. Credit: GM Design Instagram page, @generalmotorsdesign)

Last month, Japan-based space robotics startup, GITAI, published images of a prototype robotic arm that it contracted by Toyota to equip to the automaker’s Lunar Cruiser, a lunar vehicle Toyota is developing with JAXA. The concept is truly incredible. The arm is fitted with grapples on both ends, so it will be able to latch onto fixtures installed around the rover, enabling it to crawl all around the vehicle like a mechanical worm—charging itself while it moves! The grapples will also allow the arm to use a variety tools to perform different tasks.

(Image: A prototype of GITAI’s robotic arm to be used on Toyota’s lunar vehicle. Both ends of the arm can attach and detach from the fixtures. Credit: GITAI)

Northrop Grumman finalized its contract with Paragon Space Development Corporation to design, build, test and deliver the the life support system for a crew module called HALO, which will be part of the Lunar Gateway. The contract is valued at over $100 million.52

Other lunar news from the past month (or so)

ispace said its second mission is currently planned to occur in 2024. The company is also currently planning to deploy a micro rover on that mission, which is being developed in its EU office with co-funding from the Luxembourg Space Agency through an ESA contract in the Luxembourg National Space Programme, LuxIMPULSE.* 53
Masten Space Systems also announced plans for a second lunar mission in 2024. The company said its “getting ahead of potential supply chain challenges by ordering long-lead parts” for its next lander and upgrading its facilities to cover 20,000 sq. ft. for assembly, integration and testing.54
Japanese on the Moon: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Dec. 28 announced that Japan intends to be the second nation to put an astronaut on the Moon, after the United States, in the late 2020s.55

*Disclaimer

The author of this newsletter is employed by ispace, inc. However, this is a private activity and all opinions and analysis are my own. The view expressed should in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of ispace. This report does not constitute a sales offer and in no event shall it be liable for any investment decision based on the information included in this report. I cannot guarantee that the information included is accurate or complete. Please read the full ‘Disclaimer’ in the ‘About’ section.