NASA SCRAMBLES TO CUT ISS ACTIVITY DUE TO BUDGET ISSUES - NASA is considering scaling back its activities on the International Space Station, according to multiple sources. The changes, which are being considered primarily due to shortfalls in the space station budget, include: Reducing the size of the crew complement of Crew Dragon missions from fou... More (Source: Ars Technica - May 9)
MTG-S1 + SENTINEL-4 TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO SPACE - The second of the Meteosat Third Generation satellites and the first instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission have arrived at Cape Canaveral harbor in the United States. The Sentinel-4 instrument, which will monitor air quality over Europe, sits on board the MTG-Sounder (MTG-S) satellite. Th... More (Source: SatNews - May 8)
OLD SOVIET VENUS LANDER'S FALL TO EARTH WILL BE NO ORDINARY SPACE JUNK CRASH. HERE'S WHY - This will be no ordinary space junk fall. The Soviet Union's failed Kosmos 482 spacecraft will crash to Earth in the coming days after more than 50 years in orbit. Its homecoming may not spark the sorts of artificial meteor showers we're used to seeing from falling rocket bodies and other pieces ... More (Source: Space.com - May 8)
FOREST SATELLITE’S BIG ANTENNA OPENS UP - Just a week after its launch, ESA’s Biomass mission has reached another critical milestone on its path to delivering unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their vital role in Earth’s carbon cycle – the satellite’s 12-metre-diameter antenna is now fully deployed.... More (Source: European Space Agency - May 8)
SPACEX LAUNCH 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON 470TH FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit on Tuesday night. The Starlink 6-93 mission was the company’s 470th Falcon 9 rocket launch to date and added another 28 satellites to the constellation of more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space La... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 7)
NASA BUDGET PROPOSAL DRAWS STRONG CRITICISM - he White House’s proposal to cut NASA’s budget by nearly 25% and cancel several major programs has drawn criticism from industry and members of Congress, while raising concerns among international partners. The top-level or “skinny” budget released by the White House’s Office of Managem... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 7)
A SOVIET SPACECRAFT WILL CRASH TO EARTH THIS MONTH - A Soviet space probe stuck in orbit since a failed 1972 launch is expected to crash to Earth this month. The spacecraft, dubbed Kosmos 482, is predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere sometime overnight between May 9 and May 10, according to the U.S. Space Force as well as satellite analyst Marc... More (Source: ScienceNews - May 7)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit on Tuesday night. The Starlink 6-93 mission will be the company’s 470th Falcon 9 rocket launch to date and will add another 28 satellites to the constellation of more than 7,300 currently on orbit. ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 6)
SCIENTISTS CHASED A FALLING SPACECRAFT WITH A PLANE TO UNDERSTAND SATELLITE AIR POLLUTION - A dramatic aircraft chase of a falling spacecraft has provided new insights into the fiery processes that accompany the atmospheric demise of retired satellites. The measurements will help scientists better understand how satellite air pollution affects Earth's atmosphere. In early September last... More (Source: Space.com - May 6)
SPACEX LAUNCHES LARGEST BATCH OF STARLINK V2 MINI SATELLITES TO DATE - SpaceX launched its largest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to date in a predawn Falcon 9 flight on Sunday. Onboard the Starlink 6-84 mission are 29 of what the company calls Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites, which were first publicly mentioned in the company’s 2024 Progress Report. T... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 5)
CREW CLEANS UP AFTER SPACEWALK, STUDIES BIOLOGY, EARTH SCIENCE, AND MORE - The Expedition 73 crew members are cleaning up after a spacewalk on Thursday to upgrade power systems on the International Space Station. The lab residents also continued research and maintenance activities aboard the orbital outpost. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are reorganizin... More (Source: NASA - May 5)
PROPOSED 24 PERCENT CUT TO NASA BUDGET ELIMINATES KEY ARTEMIS ARCHITECTURE, CLIMATE RESEARCH - The White House released its proposed federal spending budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday and with it a series of deep cuts to most areas of discretionary spending, including to NASA. The requested cuts come, ironically, on National Space Day. If adopted as proposed, America’s space agency i... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 4)
SPACEX PUTS VANDENBERG LAUNCH ON HOLD - SpaceX is preparing for its third Falcon 9 launch of the month, which will send 26 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. SpaceX decided to forgo its launch opportunity on Saturday, but didn’t announce a reason for the scrub. The Starlink 15-3 mission will fly a south-easterly trajec... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 4)
NEW IMAGES OF SOVIET VENUS LANDER FALLING TO EARTH SUGGEST ITS PARACHUTE MAY BE OUT - That soon-to-reenter Cosmos 482 is getting increased attention by satellite trackers – and new imagery provides some interesting details. The former Soviet Union's Cosmos 482 was lofted back in 1972. But that country's attempted Venus probe ran amuck during its rocket-assisted toss to the cloud... More (Source: Space.com - May 3)
NASA ASTRONAUTS MCCLAIN AND AYERS REENTER STATION AND COMPLETE SPACEWALK - NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded their spacewalk at 2:49 p.m. EDT. The total time was 5 hours and 44 minutes. It was the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers, and the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. ... More (Source: NASA - May 3)
RUSSIAN SATELLITE TUMBLING OUT OF CONTROL - Cosmos 2553 is thought to be part of a Russian effort to develop a nuclear weapon that could indiscriminately fry many other satellites at once in Low Earth Orbit. That approach would threaten proliferated constellations that wouldn’t otherwise be affected by losing a few spacecraft to traditional... More (Source: SatNews - May 2)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX kicked off of the month of May with the first of likely several Falcon 9 missions launching more of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Onboard the Starlink 6-75 mission were 28 of the internet supporting satellites, adding to the more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 2)
STATION MANEUVERS TO AVOID ORBITAL DEBRIS - The Progress 91 thrusters were fired at 6:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday for 3 minutes, 33 seconds, to raise the orbit of the International Space Station to provide an extra margin of distance from a piece of orbital debris from a fragment of a Chinese Long March rocket launched in 2005.... More (Source: NASA - May 2)
SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION TO ISS, AX-4, TO LAUNCH MAY 29 FOR AXIOM SPACE - The next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is just a month away. Houston-based company Axiom Space announced on Tuesday (April 29) that it's targeting May 29 for the launch of its fourth crewed spaceflight to the orbiting lab, a mission known as Ax-4.... More (Source: Space.com - May 2)
