Status of International Lunar Decade
- Paper number
IAC-15,A3,2B,10,x31641
- Author
Dr. Vid Beldavs, University of Latvia, Latvia
- Year
2015
- Abstract
ILD is a global event and process for international collaboration in space initiated by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG), the National Space Society and the National Science Center FOTONIKA-LV of the University of Latvia. ILD is planned for launch in 2017, the 60th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year that marked the dawn of the space age with the launch of Sputnik. The ILD is envisioned as a decade long process of international collaboration in lunar exploration with the concurrent development of policies, key enabling technologies and infrastructures on the Moon and in cislunar space leading towards an eventual goal of industrial development of the Moon and economic activity beyond Earth orbit. This second International Lunar Decade will build on the foundations of the ILD first proposed in by the Planetary Society in 2006 and endorsed by COSPAR, ILEWG and other organizations. Starting in 2007 it included a series of lunar exploration missions coordinated through the ILEWG. Advances in technology such as CubeSats and 3D printing and fundamental changes in mind-set marked by initiatives such as the Google Lunar-X prize and asteroid mining ventures have made industrial development of the Moon a thinkable proposition. The ILD to be launched in 2017 is intended to set the stage for the Moon to become a wealth generating platform for human expansion into the solar system. ILD has already been a significant topic in several international conferences. Through this and many other conferences to follow the initial organizers expect that key organizations will see a role for their activities within the ILD process, endorse it and start to shape implementation plans. This report will cover the progress of launching ILD 2017-2019 covering conferences planned, international organizations involved and links to websites and publications. The activities of the International Lunar Decade Working Group can be followed at https://ildwg.wordpress.com/
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)