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)
CHINA'S SHENZHOU 19 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER 6 MONTHS ABOARD TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission came home on Wednesday (April 30) after six months in orbit. The Shenzhou 19 spacecraft — carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze — undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday (April 29) at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT; 4 a.m. on Ap... More (Source: Space.com - May 2)
NASA'S EXPEDITION 19 CREW CAPTURED SATELLITE IMAGERY OF MAN-MADE OBJECT THAT'S SLOWING DOWN EARTH'S ROTATION - NASA’s Expedition 19 mission made history for multiple reasons. Launched in 2009, the crew conducted a range of scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station, worked on complex engineering tasks, and supported Earth observation programs. One of their most impressive observati... More (Source: Yahoo News UK - May 1)
ALPHA LAUNCH OF LOCKHEED TECH DEMO SATELLITE FAILS - A Firefly Alpha rocket malfunctioned during an April 29 launch, preventing a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite on board from reaching orbit. The Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:37 a.m. Eastern. A launch attempt the previous day was scrubbed because o... More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 30)
VEGA-C ROCKET LAUNCHES EUROPEAN FOREST-MONITORING 'BIOMASS' SATELLITE TO ORBIT - A European forest-monitoring satellite headed toward orbit from South America early Tuesday morning (April 29). The European Space Agency's (ESA) Biomass spacecraft lifted off atop a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Tuesday at 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT; 6:15 a.m. lo... More (Source: Space.com - Apr 30)
CHINA LAUNCHES THIRD BATCH OF GUOWANG MEGACONSTELLATION SATELLITES - China launched a third batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites Tuesday, advancing its ambitious low Earth orbit communications network to rival Starlink and other global systems. A Long March 5B heavy lift rocket with a Yuanzheng-2 upper stage lifted off at 4:10 p.m. Eastern (2010 UTC) Apri... More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 30)
VETERAN NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS ISS CAN OPERATE PAST 2030 - A veteran NASA astronaut just back from the International Space Station believes the orbiting facility can operate well past its planned 2030 retirement date — and he wouldn’t mind another trip there. Don Pettit returned to Earth April 19 (U.S. time) on a Soyuz spacecraft, completing his thi... More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 30)
CHINA'S SHENZHOU 20 ASTRONAUTS TAKE CONTROL OF TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's outgoing Shenzhou 19 crew have handed over the reins of the Tiangong space station to a new set of astronauts. The Shenzhou 20 mission launched on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China on April 24. The spacecraft arrived at the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours l... More (Source: Space.com - Apr 30)
NEW SATELLITE WILL SEE THROUGH CLOUDS TO 'WEIGH' EARTH'S FORESTS - A first-of-its-kind satellite due to launch on Tuesday will be able to see through clouds and leafy canopies to assess how they are protecting the planet from climate change. The Biomass satellite, from the European Space Agency, will "weigh" the Earth's forests, revealing how much planet-warming... More (Source: BBC - Apr 29)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON 50TH FALCON 9 ROCKET OF 2025 - SpaceX completed its second Falcon 9 rocket launch in less than half a day. The Starlink 12-10 mission took flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center about six hours after another Starlink flight took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened at 10:34 p.m. EDT... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 29)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 27 STARLINK LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched the Starlink 11-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base with 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites onboard on Monday afternoon, following a one-day delay. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened Monday, April 28 at 1:42 p.m. PDT (4:42 p.m. EDT, 2042 UTC).... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 29)
ULA LAUNCHES FIRST PRODUCTION AMAZON KUIPER SATELLITES ON ATLAS 5 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - Against the setting Sun, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket thundered off the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force State to begin the flight of the first production satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite internet constellation. Five solid rocket boosters helped propel the rocket a... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 29)
AMAZON TO LAUNCH 1ST SATELLITES INTO ORBIT: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PROJECT KUIPER - Amazon is preparing to launch its debut batch of satellites into orbit as it seeks to establish its own internet service for customers worldwide. Project Kuiper, a subsidiary of billionaire Jeff Bezos' online commerce behemoth, is meant to one day rival the satellite constellation that SpaceX fou... More (Source: USA Today - Apr 28)
