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International Lunar Decade

October 24, 2007
Chang'e on its way to the Moon!
At the beginning of a 35 minute launch window that opened at 10:05 UTC, Chang'e was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, located in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
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This is an extraordinary time for lunar exploration. Lunar missions are in development in China, Japan, India, the United States, and Italy, and Europe just completed the successful SMART-1 mission. With so many nations, and perhaps private groups, focused on going to the Moon, The Planetary Society has proposed an International Lunar Decade to help coordinate these disparate efforts and to share the results with the world.

The International Lunar Decade would commence in 2007 with the launches of Japan's Kaguya mission (formerly known as SELENE) and China's Chang'E. It would end when humans return to the Moon -- by 2018, we hope, but at least by 2020.

The Planetary Society has long championed international cooperation both for enhancing the scientific return from space exploration and to capture the public interest that comes from global ventures. One of the chief attributes of space exploration is the inspiration it provides to the people of Earth through discovery, adventure, and great achievements.

The interest of many spacefaring nations in lunar missions is an opportunity to enhance international cooperation and to realize a benefit greater than just that of the individual missions.

The International Lunar Decade take inspiration from the International Polar Year (2007-08), the International Space Year (1992), and, perhaps the best precedent, the International Geophysical Year (1957-58). After a considerable slow down in Antarctic exploration, the International Geophysical Year (IGY) vigorously renewed exploration of that forbidding landscape, and, in fact, triggered the Space Age, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 as part of their IGY program.

We hope an International Lunar Decade might spur a similar reinvigoration of lunar exploration and perhaps lead to the next great -- and maybe even unforeseen -- step in space exploration.

The International Lunar Decade has now been endorsed by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group and COSPAR (the International Council of Scientific Unions' Committee on Space Research), and has received foundation support from the Secure World Foundation. In addition, the concept has been presented to the International Astronautical Federation General Assembly for consideration, and the Society plans to present it to the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

Download the PDF of the International Lunar Decade proposal presented to Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR).



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