RUSSIAN SPACE STATION: ROSCOSMOS APPROVES DESIGN FOR ORBITAL STATION AS ISS COLLABORATION NEARS END - Roscosmos, Russia’s state corporation responsible for space activities, has given the green light to the preliminary design of the country’s future space station paving the way to fulfill the country’s space ambitions. The design milestone for the future space station, achieved nearly a year after the first version of the design was completed, represents a crucial advancement in Russia’s plans for space exploration. More (Source: EurAsian Times - Apr 5)
CREW READIES FOR DEPARTURE WHILE HUMAN RESEARCH CONTINUES - Three International Space Station residents are in their final full day aboard the orbital outpost focusing their attention on Friday night’s departure. The rest of the Expedition 70 crew continued its human research activities ensuring crews remain healthy in space. NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara is nearing the end of her spaceflight that began on Sept. 15, 2023. She is returning to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya aboard the Soyuz MS-24 crew ship. The trio will undock from the Rassvet module at 11:54 p.m. EDT on Friday and parachute to landing inside the Soyuz in Kazakhstan at 3:17 a.m. on Saturday (12:17 p.m. Kazakh time). More (Source: NASA - Apr 5)
ESA TO LAUNCH ARCTIC WEATHER SATELLITE IN JUNE - The European Space Agency said Thursday it will launch a satellite in June which will improve weather forecasting in the Arctic—a region highly exposed to the effects of global warming. The Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) was designed over three years by European aerospace company OHB. More (Source: Phys.org - Apr 5)
WILL THE 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BE VISIBLE FROM SPACE? - NASA astronauts and weather satellites will watch next week's solar eclipse from space. SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), alongside at least one of the two Russian Soyuz crews on board right now, will experience a "very unique vantage point" when a total solar eclipse sweeps across Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8, a senior NASA manager said during a livestreamed eclipse science briefing on March 26. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 4)
CHINA LAUNCHES NEW REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITE ON LONG MARCH 2D ROCKET - China successfully launched a Long March 2D carrier rocket on Wednesday morning, deploying a new remote-sensing satellite into orbit, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The state-owned space agency reported the rocket lifted off at 6:56 am local time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. It successfully delivered the Yaogan 42A satellite to its designated orbit. More (Source: China Daily - Apr 4)
STARLINK RIVAL AST SPACEMOBILE DELAYS FIRST COMMERCIAL SATELLITE LAUNCH AGAIN - Starlink competitor AST SpaceMobile needs to push back the launch of its first commercial satellites again. The company originally wanted to launch the first batch of “BlueBird” satellites in Q1, before rescheduling it to Q2. But in an earnings report on Monday, AST SpaceMobile said the 700-square-foot satellites won’t arrive at the launch site until July or August. More (Source: PC Mag UK - Apr 3)
NORTH KOREA WANTS TO PUT 'SEVERAL' SPY SATELLITES INTO ORBIT THIS YEAR - North Korea plans to follow up last year's launch of a spy satellite by putting several more in orbit by the end of this year, according to state media. Pyongyang plans to make itself a "space power," putting it on the fast track to economic and scientific prowess, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) wrote Monday in a report marking the 11th anniversary of North Korea's space industry. More (Source: Newsweek - Apr 3)
TRASH FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MAY HAVE HIT A HOUSE IN FLORIDA - A few weeks ago, something from the heavens came crashing through the roof of Alejandro Otero's home, and NASA is on the case. In all likelihood, this nearly two-pound object came from the International Space Station. Otero said it tore through the roof and both floors of his two-story house in Naples, Florida. More (Source: Ars Technica - Apr 2)
SPACEX PULLS OFF STARLINK 7-18 MISSION ON FOURTH DAY OF LAUNCH ATTEMPTS - Following three unsuccessful launch attempts at the end of March, SpaceX was able to pull off an April Fool’s Day Starlink launch. The Starlink 7-18 mission launched at 7:30 p.m. PDT (10:30 EDT, 0230 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E). This was the 11th launch from the Western Range in 2024. The launch with a batch of 22 of its Starlink satellites on board ran into poor weather on the previous two attempts. SpaceX didn’t state why they scrubbed on Thursday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 2)
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