Lunar space stations.

Sandhi Yudha

Well-Known Member
The last years some countries are planning to build a space station which will orbit the Moon. Not only for scientific research, but also for operations on the Moon and even for planned interplanetary space flights beyond the Moon.

The Lunar Gateway or Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G) is one of the two current programs in the planning. The Lunar Gateway will be a joint-development between CSA, ESA. JAXA and NASA.

The initial plan was that Roscosmos also participate in this program, but because the program was too U.S.-centric for Roscosmos to participate in, Roscosmos announced in January 2021 that it will leave the program.
The Lunar Orbital Station / Lunnaya Orbital'naya Stantsiya (LOS) is the planned Russian own project.

Yesterday on 16 June 2021, Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) held a joint session in St. Petersburg on the auspices of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021), dedicated to the presentation of the Roadmap for the creation of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).


So the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) is now the planned lunar base currently being developed by Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration.

The ILRS-program can be devided in four phases
1. (2021-2025) Preparation and initial development while gathering data and testing technologies using the .Chang'e and Luna spacecrafts.
2. (2026-2030) More development while using data gathered in the first phase.
3. (2031-2035) Actual construction and launches.
4. (2036~) Manned missions to the Moon.
 
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bearnard19

Member
I've read that Russia is going to build a station on the surface of the Moon with China. What do you think about that point? Do you think that really possible at all?
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
I've read that Russia is going to build a station on the surface of the Moon with China. What do you think about that point? Do you think that really possible at all?
Maybe but you can bet on China having to pay as Russia can’t afford it. Any future plans for manned missions to Mars will likely require a lunar base that hopefully can provide hydrogen and oxygen from ice.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
I've read that Russia is going to build a station on the surface of the Moon with China. What do you think about that point? Do you think that really possible at all?
It is quite feasible, but will be very expensive. Getting the required materials into earth orbit is the expensive bit. There will be plenty of engineering and expensive challenges.
 

bearnard19

Member
China has the resources and technology to do this on its own. Russia has a great deal of experience in manned space operations. Both have political reasons to pursue projects such as this.
 

bearnard19

Member
However, I guess that building a space station on the surface of Moon can cause some international conflicts on Earth between particular countries. So building a Moon station might be not a good idea
 
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Sandhi Yudha

Well-Known Member
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I've read that Russia is going to build a station on the surface of the Moon with China. What do you think about that point? Do you think that really possible at all?
Like John Fedup already said, Russia has the technology, expertise and experience, but not the budget, thats what only china can deliver.
 
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ngatimozart

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I have moved the posts about lunar bases that were originally posted in the NZ Space thread to here and edited out MrC's Moderator advice about off topic posting and @Sandhi Yudha link to this thread in his post immediately above.
 

Sandhi Yudha

Well-Known Member
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NASA has already selected its four American crew members for a spaceflight simulation study in which a multinational crew of six people will live together in isolation for eight months in Russia. One of the other crewmembers will be a Russian. The crew will experience various aspects of social isolation and confinement during the simulation.

This simulation is one of a series that forms the Scientific International Research In a Unique terrestrial Station program, also known as SIRIUS. The studies take place in a ground-based analog facility called Nazemnyy Eksperimental’nyy Kompleks, or NEK, within the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

NASA’s Human Research Program plans to integrate and support eight research investigations in SIRIUS-21, which will continue to help prepare humans for Artemis exploration missions to the Moon, trips to the planned lunar Gateway, and long-duration missions to Mars.


 

Sandhi Yudha

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Until last month Luna 25 (Luna-Glob) was scheduled for launch in October this year, but once again the planned launch is pushed back, this time to May 2022.



 
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Sandhi Yudha

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Until last month Luna 25 (Luna-Glob) was scheduled for launch in October this year, but once again the planned launch is pushed back, this time to May 2022.



Thw launch of Luna 25 is once again moved backwards, it is now planned for 22-08-22.




An american team of scientists has successfully grown plants in real Moonsoil for the first time.

The team got 12 gram of Moonsoil materiaal from NASA that was collected during Apollomissions 11, 12 en 17. The Arabidopsis seeds were inserted in cups with 1 gram of dust/soil of the Moon and in the first days eveything went alright, but after 6 days it was visible that the plants in the moonsoil were lagging behind the reference plants in earthsoil. This is probably caused by the fact that the moondust particles have a sharper shape than normal earthparticles.



Edit:
I just realized that i posted this post in the wrong thread, looking to the title this thread is only about lunar space stations, and not all lunar missions and exploration.
 
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ngatimozart

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Staff member
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An american team of scientists has successfully grown plants in real Moonsoil for the first time.

Edit:
I just realized that i posted this post in the wrong thread, looking to the title this thread is only about lunar space stations, and not all lunar missions and exploration.
No it's in the correct thread. They gotta eat and it's part of the process of surviving in a lunar space station.
 
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