CHINA LAUNCHES 3 ASTRONAUTS TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION ON SHENZHOU 18 MISSION - China has launched its seventh crew to the Tiangong space station. A Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert today (April 25) at 8:59 a.m. EDT (1259 GMT or 8:59 p.m. Beijing Time). The rocket carried the Shenzhou 18 spacecraft and its three-person crew into orbit. The Shenzhou spacecraft separated from its launch vehicle 10 minutes into the flight, prompting the China National Space Administration to declare the launch successful. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 26)
CHINA UNVEILS SHENZHOU-18 CREW FOR SPACE STATION MISSION - Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu will carry out the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission, and Ye will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday. The Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship will be launched at 8:59 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA. More (Source: Xinhua - Apr 25)
CHINA'S TIANGONG SPACE STATION DAMAGED BY DEBRIS STRIKE: REPORT - China will beef up its space debris procedures for astronauts after a partial loss of power on its Tiangong space station, according to state media. Astronauts on the Shenzhou 17 mission conducted two spacewalks outside the Tiangong space station this winter, most recently on March 1. At the time, Chinese media said there had been a partial (but minor) loss of power supply after the outpost's solar panels suffered a debris strike. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 25)
SPACEX COMPLETES 300TH FALCON BOOSTER LANDING DURING STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX completed a Falcon 9 launch, highlighted by the company’s 300th booster landing to date. The Starlink 6-53 mission also marked the 30th orbital launch from Florida in 2024. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 25)
ELECTRON LAUNCHES SOUTH KOREAN IMAGING SATELLITE AND NASA SOLAR SAIL - Rocket Lab launched a South Korean smallsat and a NASA solar sail experiment on the company’s fifth flight of the year April 23. An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 6:32 p.m. Eastern. Liftoff was delayed nearly 20 minutes because of a problem with ground equipment. The rocket’s kick stage, deployed from the upper stage nine minutes after liftoff, carried out a series of maneuvers to deploy its two payloads into different orbits. More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 25)
NASA SETS COVERAGE OF ROSCOSMOS SPACEWALK OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - NASA will provide live coverage, beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 25, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is expected to begin at 10:55 a.m. and could last up to seven hours. NASA will stream the spacewalk on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. More (Source: NASA - Apr 23)
CHINA LAUNCHES SECOND YAOGAN-42 RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE - China launched its second Yaogan-42 reconnaissance satellite over the weekend, weeks after sending the first such satellite into a similar orbit. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 7:45 p.m. Eastern (2334 UTC) April 20. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced launch success within the hour. CASC’s statement revealed the previously undisclosed payload to be the second batch of Yaogan-42 satellites. Yaogan translates to “remote sensing”. More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 22)
NASA SATELLITE'S 'SHOCKING' SPACE JUNK NEAR-MISS WAS EVEN CLOSER THAN THOUGHT - Humanity dodged an orbital bullet recently by an even slimmer margin than we thought. In the wee hours of Feb. 28, the dead Russian spy satellite Cosmos 2221 and NASA's TIMED craft, which has been studying Earth's atmosphere since 2001, made an uncomfortably close pass in orbit, zooming within a mere 65 feet (20 meters) of each other. That was the initial estimate, anyway. Further study has shown that the shave was actually even closer, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 21)
JAPANESE SATELLITE WILL BEAM SOLAR POWER TO EARTH IN 2025 - Japan is on track to beam solar power from space to Earth next year, two years after a similar feat was achieved by U.S. engineers. The development marks an important step toward a possible space-based solar power station that could help wean the world off fossil fuels amid the intensifying battle against climate change. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 20)
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