ISS MISSIONS WITH RUSSIA ARE LIKE WORKING WITH NAZIS, SAYS FORMER US ASTRONAUT - A retired US astronaut has told RFE/RL that joint missions with Russia on the International Space Station (ISS) should be scaled back, comparing them to collaboration with Nazi Germany at the height of World War II. "Cooperating with the Russians on the ISS is like going on an Antarctic expeditio... More (Source: Radio Free Europe - Jun 1)
HOW MANY SATELLITES COULD FIT IN EARTH ORBIT? AND HOW MANY DO WE REALLY NEED? - The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause? In the last five years, the number of satellites orbiting Earth has more than doubled and will likely doub... More (Source: Live Science - May 31)
U.S. SPACE FORCE, LOCKHEED MARTIN LAUNCH NEWEST GPS SATELLITE ON SPACEX FALCON ROCKET - The latest addition to the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation launched into medium Earth orbit Friday afternoon, skirting some season thunderstorms passing through the area. The GPS III-7 Space Vehicle 08 (SV-08) launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 31)
NASA HELPS WITH PROGRESS ON VAST’S HAVEN-1 COMMERCIAL SPACE STATION - NASA-supported commercial space station, Vast’s Haven-1, recently completed a test of a critical air filter system for keeping future astronauts healthy in orbit. Testing confirmed the system can maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere for all planned Haven-1 mission phases. Testing of the trace... More (Source: NASA - May 30)
CHINA LAUNCHES CLASSIFIED SHIJAN-26 SATELLITE WITH LONG MARCH 4B ROCKET - China carried out its ninth launch of the month early Thursday, sending the secretive Shijian-26 spacecraft into orbit. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 29 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China. Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket’s ... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 30)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH GPS III SVO8 SATELLITE FROM CAPE CANAVERAL ON MAY 30 - SpaceX is set to launch a GPS III SVO8 satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral, FL on May 30. The preparations for the upcoming mission for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) proceeded on an accelerated timeline to add the SV08 to the constellation. In press comments, Col. Andrew Menschner, underscored... More (Source: Inside GNSS - May 30)
SPACE ONE AND SPACE BD TO LAUNCH SATELLITE FOR JAPANESE MILITARY - The Japanese military has selected companies Space One and Space BD to launch a small satellite. The companies announced May 28 that they won a contract from the Japan Ministry of Defense for the launch of an optical imaging satellite that will be built by Canon Electronics. The announcement did ... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 30)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH ANOTHER GPS III SATELLITE IN RECORD TURNAROUND - SpaceX is gearing up to launch a Global Positioning System satellite for the U.S. military on May 30 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, marking another high-profile national security mission that shifted from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch of G... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 29)
ROCKET LAB TO LAUNCH PRIVATE EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITE JUNE 2 AFTER DELAY - Rocket Lab announced on May 28 that it's now targeting no earlier than June 2 EDT for the "Full Stream Ahead" launch "to allow for additional checkouts" and accommodate bad weather that's expected to come in. The mission, which Rocket Lab calls "Full Stream Ahead," will send the Gen-3 satellite to a... More (Source: Space.com - May 29)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 27 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 LAUNCH FROM NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning. The mission, dubbed Starlink 10-32, added 27 more satellites into low Earth orbit. This was SpaceX’s 420th launch of a flight-proven booster.... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 29)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FRESH GROUP OF STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FOGGY VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, SUCCESSFULLY LANDS BOOSTER - SpaceX kicked off a busy day with a Starlink satellite launch, which will be followed by the ninth-ever test flight of the company's Starship megarocket, if all goes to plan. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today (May 27) at 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT; 9:57 a.m. local ... More (Source: Space.com - May 28)
EMPYREUM, ITALY’S NEW SATELLITE PLATFORM FOR THE CONSTELLATION ERA - At SmallSat Europe 2025 in Amsterdam, Italy’s SITAEL unveiled Empyreum, its next-generation small satellite platform equipped with the company’s proprietary Spark electric propulsion system. In this exclusive interview, Chiara Pertosa – CEO of SITAEL and one of second-generation leader of Ange... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 28)
SPACEX REACHED SPACE WITH STARSHIP FLIGHT 9 LAUNCH, THEN LOST CONTROL OF ITS GIANT SPACESHIP - SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket for the ninth time ever today (May 27), on a bold test flight that featured the first-ever significant reuse of Starship hardware. Starship's two stages separated as planned on Flight 9, and the upper stage even reached space, which was an improvement over ... More (Source: Space.com - May 28)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH 24 STARLINK SATELLITES TO POLAR ORBIT FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX is aiming to launch Starlink satellites into a polar orbit for the first time since 2023. The mission, dubbed Starlink 17-1, will send 24 of the broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit at a 97 degree inclination. Launch teams are targeting a liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 E... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 27)
SONIC BOOM SHAKES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS SPACEX DRAGON RETURNS TO EARTH - Most of Southern California felt the shaking from a brief sonic boom created as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere on Saturday night. "Dragon is on track to reenter Earth's atmosphere and splash down off the southern coast of California near Oceanside at ~10:44 p.m. PT," sai... More (Source: CBS News - May 27)
FAA CLEARS SPACEX TO LAUNCH ITS 9TH STARSHIP SUPER HEAVY ROCKET, WHILE FLIGHT 8 MISHAP INVESTIGATION CONTINUES - A return to flight for SpaceX’s Starship program could be a just a holiday weekend away, after the Federal Aviation Administration gave the company the go ahead. In a statement published on Thursday, May 22, the regulator said that SpaceX “implemented all corrective actions” in response to ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 26)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FALCON 9 FLIGHT - With hundreds of people looking on along the shores of Florida’s Space Coast, SpaceX launched its 45th Starlink launch of the year, which took off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on the Starlink 12-22 mission from Space Lau... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 25)
SPACEX DRAGON UNDOCKS FROM STATION FOR SPLASHDOWN ON SUNDAY - At 12:05 p.m. EDT, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the zenith, or space-facing, port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down at approx... More (Source: NASA - May 25)
NEW SPECIES OF SPACE-ADAPTED BACTERIA DISCOVERED ON CHINA'S TIANGONG SPACE STATION - Scientists have discovered a previously unknown strain of microbe after analyzing samples taken from China's Tiangong space station. The new microbe strain, officially named Niallia tiangongensis, was found in microbial samples collected from the surfaces of Tiangong during the Shenzhou 15 crewed... More (Source: Space.com - May 23)
