moonmehta
Jatan Mehta

https://jatan.space

Independent Space Writer & Journalist ~ Author of Moon Monday ~ Invited Speaker ~ Slow thinker ~ Human | Just read my blog: https://jatan.space 🌗

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Last Notes

2025-01-05 10:51:42

"I think blogs are a powerful, resilient way to do independent journalism, which we direly need more of in today’s world. Denying their monetization means denying such possibilities."
– My take on (fairly) monetizing freely readable blogs

2024-12-28 14:01:35

Guess who’s the latest guest on the “People and Blogs” series by Manu: https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-jatan-mehta https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-jatan-mehta

2024-12-25 11:06:08

In 2024, ISRO et al. planned an ambitious next decade for Indian space. I made a curated linked list of over 40 such notable developments across orbital rockets, Moon missions, human spaceflight, commercial and private space, space sciences, and more: https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-23/ 🇮🇳🚀 https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-23/

2024-12-23 04:55:48

"I suspect that it’s because many media outlets operate so opaquely like this on multiple fronts, and legacy publications think they’re above all, that people have lost trust in the media […]"
– The media and arbitrary ethics: https://journal.jatan.space/the-media-and-arbitrary-ethics/ https://journal.jatan.space/the-media-and-arbitrary-ethics/

2024-06-15 11:26:15

Taking the road in Bangalore will delay your ETA by 5 minutes in 2 minutes.

2024-06-14 13:34:10

Mission Director of India’s Chandrayaan 1 lunar orbiter has passed away https://jatan.space/interviewing-isro-chandrayaan-1-mission-director/

2024-06-13 17:47:20

Would you consider time to publish a story or new development to be the most important aspect of journalism?

2024-06-13 13:03:42

LED bulbs with built-in batteries are such a cool idea. It has helped me conveniently ignore Bangalore’s abrupt power cuts.

2024-06-13 06:43:39

Poem: For every child https://journal.jatan.space/for-every-child
https://journal.jatan.space/for-every-child

2024-06-12 19:26:16

Amazing how in just a week China’s Chang’e 6 landed on the Moon’s farside, collected samples, made a rover image the lander, launched the samples in an ascender, which auto-docked with a lunar orbiter, and stashed the samples in an Earthbound capsule: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-179 🤯🚀🌗
https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-179

2024-06-11 17:06:51

Do you write a personal #newsletter? If so, what is it about? How did you decide to write it?
If you have a personal #blog but not a personal newsletter, why not?

2024-06-11 12:14:29

The Space Review republished my article on challenges faced by Indian private rocket companies Agnikul and Skyroot: https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4807/1
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4807/1

2024-06-11 11:05:11

I’m truly excited to welcome Astrolab—maker or advanced lunar rovers—as the latest yearly sponsor of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter! https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-179 🚀🌗
https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-179

2024-06-10 13:23:22

Moon Monday #179: Chang’e 6 samples in lunar orbit, a fiery Starship, a critique of CLPS, and more https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-179/

2024-06-09 12:16:48

Enter the Chandrayaan coffee mug. Also from a47.in, who are sadly not sponsoring my exhaustive coverage of Chandrayaan Moon missions: https://jatan.space/tag/chandrayaan 🚀🌗
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/chandrayaan-mug-a47.jpg https://jatan.space/tag/chandrayaant

2024-06-09 11:55:30

Humans: Let’s meetup and chat all things X for hours.
Also humans: Let the location for it be a bar or pub, with loud music by default.
I will never understand people’s inability to understand not to do this. My throat is screwed after today’s meetup. -_-

2024-06-08 12:18:40

Bangalore has much better metro cards than Mumbai. Can get one on demand without submitting any documents, which also makes it private. Recharge information is printed on the card itself, with many options. Recharging via a human at a station also works. Can it get any easier than this?
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/img-0258.jpeg

2024-06-08 06:20:26

New ISRO t-shirts from a47.in join the rest of the space-wear.
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/new-isro-tshirts.jpg https://a47.in

2024-06-07 13:07:45

India’s most powerful rocket is on an inflection point. I wrote about ISRO’s efforts to ramp up LVM3’s production, key to the country’s human spaceflight, commercial launch, and planetary exploration ambitions: https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16/#preparing-for-human-spaceflight
Image: ISRO
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/chandrayaan-3-launch-gslv-mk-iii.jpg https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16/#preparing-for-human-spaceflight

2024-06-07 10:19:51

Which is the best free blogging platform that allows sending newsletters? I want to recommend people a good alternative to Substack, and can think of these:
Postcard: https://postcard.page
Mataroa: https://mataroa.blog
Nicheless: https://nicheless.blog
Please don’t say Medium or WordPress.
https://postcard.page https://mataroa.blog https://nicheless.blog https://journal.jatan.space/avoid-blogging-platform-silos/

2024-06-05 14:49:44

No potential for confusion at all.
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/img-0250.jpeg

2024-06-05 10:34:12

Is #dearMoon’s Starship flight cancellation purely a financial setback? I don’t think so: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178
https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178

2024-06-05 10:30:26

"At this point, China is making lunar landings seem easy while other countries work towards achieving the complex task as a routine."
China lands one more time on the Moon’s farside: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178 🌗🛰️
https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178

2024-06-05 10:25:14

I’m over the Moon to share that Open Lunar Foundation is continuing to be a sponsor of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter for the fourth year in a row! https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178 🚀🌗
https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178

2024-06-04 14:40:54

No matter how many times I select the option to deliver packages together, even if later, #Amazon keeps sending them separately, wasting so much packaging and resources. I get that fast delivery is desirable but when I’m explicitly choosing an option they provide, why not respect it? -_-

2024-06-03 17:43:29

Moon Monday #178: The fourth Chinese lunar landing, dearMoon, mission updates, and more https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-178/

2024-06-02 11:36:17

How to have the most productive Mondays ever? Just start a newsletter that announces in its name to the whole world that it will go out every Monday: https://jatan.space/tag/moon-monday 🌝
https://jatan.space/tag/moon-monday

2024-06-01 14:51:16

Whoever is writing @ghost@threads.net’s ActivityPub updates has impeccable taste in nerdy humor.
https://micro.blog/ghost@threads.net

2024-06-01 14:10:06

I’m thrilled to welcome space startup PierSight as the latest sponsor of my monthly Indian Space Progress blog+newsletter! I have learnt much about space and lunar instruments from PierSight CEO and friend Gaurav Seth. https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16
🚀 … 🌏 … 🛰️
https://piersight.space/ https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16

2024-06-01 13:40:42

I have some thoughts, clarifications, and even corrections regarding the coverage and importance of Agnikul’s recent launch in my latest blog+newsletter analyzing India’s progress in space. Indian private rocket companies face a grim uphill battle: https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16
https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16/

2024-06-01 04:06:26

Of course I got a Jupiter.
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/img-0233.jpeg

2024-05-31 13:51:11

Indian Space Progress #16: An unsorted launch market, ISRO’s most powerful rocket, and more https://jatan.space/indian-space-issue-16/

2024-05-31 03:42:35

If ActivityPub is adopted by India at scale, let’s call it ActivityTapri.

2024-05-29 13:37:36

Let’s explore our Moon’s mountains!
The highest, lowest, and tallest spots (with cool graphs): https://moonsummits.carrd.co 🌖📏
The intense way Moon mountains form: https://jatan.space/exploring-moon-mountains ☄️💥
Gallery of great views: https://jatan.space/gallery-of-moon-mountains 🏔️✨
Image: NASA
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/montes-carpatus-flyover-view.jpg https://moonsummits.carrd.co https://jatan.space/exploring-moon-mountains https://jatan.space/exploring-moon-mountains http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1002

2024-05-29 04:51:34

Finally getting back in the game. 🏸

2024-05-28 11:21:26

China’s plans for a Moonbase include many technology demonstrations and science objectives, and even a lunar station! In the 4th Chinese lunar special of my Moon Monday blog+newsletter, I lay down and contextualize it all: https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-177
🌗 #space #science #tech #blog 🛰️
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/long-march-2f.jpg https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-177/

2024-05-27 13:44:39

Moon Monday #177: China’s lunar base, the depths of polar water, mission updates, and mountains https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-177/

2024-05-26 14:14:49

A pleasant evening in a park reading an unpleasant article: The Lunacy of Artemis
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/reading-on-a-kindle-in-cubbon-park.jpg https://idlewords.com/2024/5/the_lunacy_of_artemis.htm

2024-05-24 16:21:59

Honestly, very few things feel as satiating as running into people at a conference who express how much they love my blog https://jatan.space. Multiple people did that today at a US-India Business Council meet! I love being an independent writer but such moments make the challenges worthwhile.
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/meeting-george-at-usbic.jpg https://jatan.space

2024-05-21 15:10:12

Welcome to the 3rd Chinese lunar special edition of Moon Monday! Here I’ve contextualized all elements of China’s ambitious plan to land humans on the Moon. I also question narratives calling the mission limited and Apollo-like compared to NASA Artemis: jatan.space/moon-mond… 🚀🌗
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2024/screenshot-2024-05-21-at-8.36.10pm.jpg https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-176/

2024-05-20 14:22:17

Moon Monday #176: The anatomy of China’s first crewed lunar landing, CLPS updates, and more https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-176/

2024-05-13 11:37:50

Moon Monday #175: China helps Pakistan kickstart lunar exploration, and preps for crew with Chang’e 8 https://jatan.space/moon-monday-issue-175/

2024-01-31 10:38:08

Indian Space Progress #12: Doubling down on space telescopes, lunar exploration, and Earth observation https://blog.jatan.space/p/indian-space-issue-12

2024-01-29 15:48:06

Moon Monday #161: Savoring SLIM’s success in precision landing, India’s role in it, and more mission updates https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-161

2024-01-24 05:07:41

Coming soon https://webwisely.mymagic.page/coming-soon/

2024-01-22 18:44:46

Moon Monday #160: On Japan’s breakthrough with SLIM and investing in a lunar future https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-160

2024-01-15 16:35:50

Moon Monday #159: On Astrobotic’s failed lunar landing and its wake, mission updates, Artemis delays, and science from KPLO https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-159

2024-01-11 12:17:52

The one app to read them all already exists, and it’s called RSS https://web.jatan.space/p/why-use-rss

2024-01-09 14:54:42

How to follow CLPS mission updates https://blog.jatan.space/p/how-to-follow-nasa-clps-updates

2024-01-08 11:07:15

Moon Monday #158: On Astrobotic’s lunar lander launch, following NASA CLPS updates, an international Artemis, and more https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-158

2023-12-29 12:55:06

Coming soon to your browser: Read and Surf Sanely, a blog & newsletter to help you better peruse the Internet https://web.jatan.space/p/introducing-read-and-surf-sanely

2023-12-28 13:08:00

I’d like to share with you highlights from my space endeavors in 2023 https://blog.jatan.space/p/best-of-2023

2023-12-21 06:40:06

A slice of Hyderabad’s history https://thoughts.jatan.space/p/a-slice-of-hyderabad-history

2023-12-14 18:26:27

The engineer who played a key role in Chandrayaan 3’s triumphant touchdown on the Moon https://blog.jatan.space/p/kalpana-kalahasti-chandrayaan-3-nature

2023-12-11 19:02:23

Moon Monday #157: On maneuvering the Chandrayaan 3 orbiter back to Earth orbit, the upcoming trio of robotic lunar landers, infrastructure galore, and more https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-157

2023-12-09 16:13:46

A day out in Indore https://thoughts.jatan.space/p/a-day-out-in-indore

2023-12-04 15:13:01

Moon Monday #156: On NASA getting access to China’s lunar samples, Artemis updates, and more https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-156

2023-11-27 15:42:35

Moon Monday #155: Prepping for PRIME-1 time, a Canadian capcom, a FLEXible rover, and more https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-155

2023-11-17 16:57:24

My Mumbai metro card works in other cities in India too! Over the past two months, I’ve found that it works in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. And that’s despite the local staff saying it will not—because the card color is unusual for their city. I love this convenience. 🚈

2023-11-17 13:02:33

I was sad to work on this month’s Indian Space Progress report. Even as we celebrate a successful safety test key to human spaceflight and ISRO’s new ambition to send an Indian to the Moon by 2040, having 200 million+ school students learn about Chandrayaan 3 mixed with mythology is very worrying.
https://blog.jatan.space/p/indian-space-issue-10

2023-11-17 05:17:01

I’m thrilled to welcome SatSure subsidiary KaleidEO as a sponsor of my monthly Indian Space Progress reports. 🚀🛰️
Alongside the other organization sponsors of the Takshashila Institution and SkyServe, my newsletter is on firm footing to reflect on the Indian space landscape for years to come. 🌏
https://satsure.co https://satsure.co/kaleidEO https://blog.jatan.space/p/indian-space-issue-10 https://takshashila.org.in https://skyserve.ai

2023-11-16 15:18:35

Indian Space Progress #10: ISRO aces safety test for human spaceflight while school students to learn about Chandrayaan 3 mixed with mythology https://blog.jatan.space/p/indian-space-issue-10

2023-11-16 03:14:06

I’m delighted to welcome space writer and author Gurbir Singh as an individual sponsor of both my Moon Monday and Indian Space Progress newsletters for a year! If you too would like to support any of these one-of-a-kind resources for space communities worldwide, get in touch. 🚀
https://gurbir.co.uk https://jatan.space/connect

2023-11-15 18:03:28

NASA gets serious about extracting oxygen from soil on the Moon as the agency plans to fund such a demonstration mission end of decade, which will feed forward to mature systems that will provide oxygen for future astronauts and Moon bases: blog.jatan.space/p/moon-mo… 🚀🧑🏽‍🚀🌗
https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-153

2023-11-13 15:35:04

Moon Monday #153: On NASA’s plan to extract lunar oxygen, an Aussie seismometer on Firefly’s lunar lander, and more https://blog.jatan.space/p/moon-monday-issue-153

2023-11-13 14:22:57

New business card. I’ve always valued my editorial independence the most as a space exploration writer, even if it hasn’t been easy to earn and maintain that. It feels so good to feature my own publication on my card rather than someone else’s. A big thanks to all who read and support my work. 💛🌗
https://notes.jatan.space/uploads/2023/new-business-card-with-qr-code.jpg https://blog.jatan.space/about

2023-11-12 15:44:19

BTW I’m on Patreon if you’d like to support my independent space writing on Moon exploration and more! 🚀🌗
Indian users, you can directly UPI me if you love my coverage of all things (civil) Indian space! 🇮🇳
https://jatan.space/patreon https://blog.jatan.space/about https://jatan.space/upi

2023-11-12 05:19:53

"When we do not accept loss of a single life in human spaceflight without far-reaching programmatic consequences or outright cancellations, and strive to avoid any severe injuries too, why should the rate of such harm be any higher for the people making human spaceflight happen?"
New blog post →
https://blog.jatan.space/p/a-worrisome-report-on-safety-issues-at-spacex

2023-11-11 12:48:27

A worrisome report on safety issues at SpaceX https://blog.jatan.space/p/a-worrisome-report-on-safety-issues-at-spacex