International Lunar Observatory Association News

Volume 2, Issue 4 – July-August 2007 – Hawai‘i Island

5th Contract Between International Lunar Observatory Association and SpaceDev Commences Operational Stage for ILO

The ILOA mission has advanced another step towards realization with the 20 July signing of the 5th contract between ILOA / Space Age Publishing Company and SpaceDev Inc. The Lunar Lander Demonstrator contract is focused on achieving risk reduction in the critical area of lunar lander technology, as well as initial hardware development. SpaceDev will also provide a 1/6 scale model of the ILO to be presented at the Preliminary Founders Meeting at the 58th IAC in India.

Preparations for the 4-8 November 2007 ILOA Founders Meeting on Hawai‘i Island are now well underway. Influential international leaders from the world’s major spacefaring nations including Canada, India, China, Russia, Japan, Europe and USA have confirmed their intentions to take part in this historic meeting. Regular registration for the Founders Meeting is still available until 1 October for US$975. Contact the ILOA today to register for the meeting and participate in humanity’s next step to becoming a multi-world species.

With logistical and promotional support of representatives of the Space Generation Advisory Council, most notably Kevin Stube, the ILOA Preliminary Founders Meeting in India is set for Wednesday 26 September, as organizers of the 58th International Astronautical Congress are confirming the necessary facilities for the meeting.

Along with seeking commercial investors for the multifunctional ILO, the ILOA is also encouraging healthy competition and cooperation among the many Aerospace / NewSpace companies currently aspiring to send humans to space and to the Moon. With this intention, the ILOA is exploring various MoUs with these pioneering companies for the ILO Human Service Mission.

The 2nd Lunar Commercial Communications Workshop, 27 July, was held by Space Age Publishing Company / ILOA at the Santa Clara Hilton. Representatives from Cisco Systems Inc., Ball Aerospace, Space Systems / Loral, SpaceDev, NASA, and other pioneering businesses, made progress in advancing a new field of communications industry and enterprise. The ILO lunar commercial communications function was a central focus of the meeting. A 3rd LCCW has been tentatively scheduled for this fall.

In early July, the ILOA team visited the Mauna Loa Observatory at 3650m elevation to study its viability as an analog for a future lunar “robotic village”. The ILOA is still considering suitable locations for a bureau on one of Hawai‘i Island’s two major mountains.

ILOA and its affiliate Hawai‘i Island Space Exploration Society (HISES) are communicating with Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) representatives about possible cooperation. The Hawai‘i Island based, lunar focused projects are developing productive synergies that will draw support from the State of Hawai‘i, as well as shared participants at their back-to-back November meetings.

With presentations at several major conferences, the ILOA continues to gain recognition as an important contributor to the future of human space exploration. ILOA acting director Steve Durst presented the ILOA mission at the 'Rutgers University Symposium on Lunar Settlements', 3-8 June in New Jersey. The conference also included three presentations in support of landing on ILO destination Malapert Mountain. Steve also participated on the “New Moon Race: Will NewSpace get there first?” panel at the recent ‘NewSpace 2007’ Conference in Washington DC. The ILOA has also received invitations to present at two major lunar development meetings this fall.

The upcoming lunar orbiter missions of Japan, China, India and the USA will soon refocus the international space community and the entire world on the Moon, and catalyze a new wave of expeditions to the lunar surface. With potentially the first lunar lander in over 30 years, the ILOA is closely following these missions and is poised to be at the forefront of this new generation of pioneers.

Ad Astra, Aloha