Advances in Lunar Exploration
A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2024 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editors
Interests: formation flying; space robotics; complex space systems; visual navigation; vibration control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: spacecraft orbital and attitude control systems (AOCS); guidance, navigation and control (GNC); spacecraft systems and subsystems; spacecraft design; space robotics; distributed space systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
At the outset of the space age, the Moon stood as the ultimate objective. Today, over fifty years later, the Moon's significance as a foundational element for future space exploration has been significantly reassessed. In the 2020s, twenty-five missions have already embarked towards the Moon with diverse objectives: flybys, orbit insertion, or landings. This number is poised to escalate exponentially, driven by the determination of major space agencies worldwide to vie for a permanent foothold on the Moon in a revitalized space race.
Attention is gradually shifting from the traditional query of "how do we get there" to the even more formidable inquiry of "how do we stay there." This Special Issue of Aerospace delves into recent advancements and investigations concerning the technologies, applications, and services essential for enabling future Moon missions.
The focal points will span from the imperative to furnish navigation services for landers and orbiter spacecraft, to the utilization of in situ resources, surface exploration via rovers (which also entails employing artificial intelligence techniques for enhanced autonomy), communication with Earth and other lunar bases, outpost design, encompassing all the associated challenges (such as radiation shielding, impact protection, and power optimization), tailored life support systems addressing the unique challenges of the Moon, and the issues and opportunities surrounding lunar gateways.
Dr. Marco Sabatini
Dr. Leonard Felicetti
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- lunar exploration
- in situ resources utilization
- lunar satellite navigation
- communication
- rovers design and GNC
- new services for future missions
- landing
- outpost design and life support systems
