Lessons on lapses in lunar missions operations from the 20th century | Moon Monday #281

Announcement before we begin: I’m excited to welcome PierSight as a returning sponsor of my independent space writing for another year! 🌙Ahmedabad-based PierSight is building a constellation of SAR satellites equipped with AIS sensors for persistent, all-weather ocean studies and monitoring. With $8 million raised in funds, and being co-selected to build India’s first public-private Earth observation constellation, PierSight is targeting a Q1 2027 launch for its first commercial satellite. The company is also hiring for various roles. Not sponsored: Personally, I’ve learnt much about space and lunar instruments from PierSight CEO and friend Gaurav Seth. He worked on the advanced dual frequency radar system on ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter. In our conversations, he’s quite happy that both the radar and orbiter at large have produced notable lunar exploration results. 🛰️The world’s new rush to the Moon, catalyzed by the discovery of water ice, is targeting not just robotic and crewed…