http://moon.luxspace.lu/

This little spacecraft will be launched as a secondary payload with the Chang'E 5 test vehicle on Thursday 23 October... tomorrow as I write this.

It won't do a lot, but it will loop around the Moon and come back roughly towards Earth - the trajectory will be rather uncertain and it can't be changed, so we don't really know where it will end up, but probably it will burn up in our atmosphere.
It will transmit signals for amateur radio systems to pick up, including some radiation data. The website suggests some contests etc. to be designed around it.

Phil

Also - I only learned this today:

https://twitter.com/mySpacecraft

http://pocketspacecraft.com/

A second private mini-spacecraft will launch with the CE5 test vehicle. EDIT - no - see below. My mistake.

Phil

Thanks for those links, Phil. I've been chatting with PocketSpace on Twitter. This is not a distinct satellite, it's a radio beacon that is part of the 4M project. They wanted to make very clear they're not a distinct satellite; they don't want to steal 4M's thunder. They are piggybacking a communication and navigational experiment on the 4M mission.

Oh, good, thanks! That's really good to know.

Phil

4M comes with a radiation experiment provided by the engineering corporation iC-Málaga located on Mallorca.

MMMM (AKA M4) is about to loop around the Moon, and its signals are being received by radio enthusiasts:

http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/

Phil

Still alive apparently:

AMSAT-UK Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
Following Chang'e-5 FTD reentry capsule landing north of Hohhot at 2242UTC yesterday, main spacecraft receding in unknown high apogee orbit.
Meanwhile, Chang Zheng 3C 3rd stage rocket with LuxSpace 4M amateur radio payload in 141090 x 416326 km x 54 deg orbit after its lunar flyby


AMSAT-UK ‏@AMSAT_UK · 19h19 hours ago
#JT65B signals still received from 4M #Lunar payload orbit 141090x416326km x 54deg https://www.facebook.com/amsatuk/posts/784457504930634 … #amsat #hamradio #hamr #ChangE5T1



Phil

Is this the first private payload beyond LEO?

If you don't count the old communication satellite which used 2 lunar gravity assists to rescue itself and get back to a geostationary orbit.

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=33835

Phil

There was also the Japanese Shin-en payload in May 2010, not a great success but the last transmission was from 300,000 km.

Ah, cool, I'd never heard of that - thanks.

4M end of mission is reported:


http://amsat-uk.org/2014/11/11/4m-end-of-mission/



Nov 11 2014

4M – End of Mission

The JT65B amateur radio payload, which successfully completed a lunar flyby, has fallen silent after transmitting for 438 hours.

During the afternoon of November 10 the battery voltage dropped from 13.1V to 12.1V and continued falling. The last signal was received by Rein W6SZ at 01:35 UT on November 11 when the battery voltage had fallen to 8.4 volts.

Ghislain LX2RG posted the following to the Moon Net list:

Here at Luxspace, we have to thank you all for the reports, for the tracking, and we also hope that we provided you with the challenges you expected.

4M may possibly awaken from time to time if illumination becomes better.

We shall now endeavor to prepare the next one.

Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) LX0OHB-4M http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/

4M Lunar Payload http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/15/4m-lunar-pa...-keps-released/


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Phil