SPACEX LAUNCHES 1,000TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF THE YEAR DURING FRIDAY MORNING MISSION - SpaceX launched another batch of 26 Starlink satellites from California after sunrise Friday morning. With this mission, the company has now launched more than 1,000 of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff of the Starlink 15-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at V... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 17)
SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT LAUNCH TO ISS, AX-4, DELAYED TO JUNE 8 - We'll have a wait a bit longer to see the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) lift off. NASA announced on Wednesday (May 14) that the target launch date for Ax-4, the fourth crewed flight to the ISS by Houston-based company Axiom Space, has been pushed from May... More (Source: Space.com - May 17)
NASA SATELLITE IMAGES COULD PROVIDE EARLY VOLCANO WARNINGS - Scientists know that changing tree leaves can indicate when a nearby volcano is becoming more active and might erupt. In a new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, scientists now believe they can detect these changes from space. As volcanic magma ascends through the Earthâ€... More (Source: NASA - May 16)
NASA, FRENCH SWOT SATELLITE OFFERS BIG VIEW OF SMALL OCEAN FEATURES - The international mission collects two-dimensional views of smaller waves and currents that are bringing into focus the ocean’s role in supporting life on Earth. Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the S... More (Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - May 16)
AXIOM MISSION 4 DELAYED DUE TO DRAGON CAPSULE READINESS - The debut of the fifth and planned final Dragon spacecraft is going to take a bit longer. The vehicle, tail number C213, will won’t be ready to support the flight of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station until next month. The fourth private astronaut mission was most recentl... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 16)
CHINA LAUNCHES TRIO OF YAOGAN REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITES TO ORBIT - China launched a a trio of satellites into orbit over the weekend. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China on Sunday (May 11) at 9:27 a.m. EDT (1327 GMT; 9:27 p.m. in Beijing). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) an... More (Source: Space.com - May 15)
CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST OF 2,800 SATELLITES FOR AI SPACE COMPUTING CONSTELLATION - China launched 12 satellites early Wednesday for an on-orbit computing project led by startup ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 14 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Insulation tiles fell away from the payload... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 15)
LIVE 4K VIDEO FROM SPACE! SEE 24/7 VIEWS OF EARTH FROM THE ISS VIA SEN CAMERAS - Click play, go full-screen, lean back and enjoy. That's how easy it is now to get lost in the absolutely stunning scape that is our planet Earth from space as it streams live before your eyes. Sen, a company based in London, provides views of Earth from orbit, with the hopes of making an experien... More (Source: Space.com - May 15)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 475TH FALCON 9 ROCKET TO DATE ON AFTERNOON STARLINK FLIGHT - SpaceX returned to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday afternoon with its Falcon 9 rocket. The company launched of its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites on the 475th Falcon 9 rocket to date. The Starlink 6-67 mission added 28 more spacecraft to the m... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 15)
CHINA MAKES HIGH-SPEED LASER LINKS IN ORBIT - A commercial Chinese firm has demonstrated ultrafast data laser transmission between two satellites, marking a step forward for the country’s communications megaconstellation plans. Laser Starcom, a commercial aerospace firm established in Beijing in 2020, announced in March that it had achieve... More (Source: IEEE Spectrum - May 14)
SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT ON RECORD-BREAKING 28TH FLIGHT - A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 28 of the company's Starlink internet satellites launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday (May 13) at 1:02 a.m. EDT (0502 GMT). It was the 28th liftoff for this particular rocket's first stage, breaking the reuse mark the same booster set on Apr... More (Source: Space.com - May 14)
AST SPACEMOBILE TO LAUNCH 243 SATELLITES - AST SpaceMobile (AST), a would-be supplier of direct-to-consumer cellular telephony from space, has told the FCC that it will have 243 of its BlueBird satellites in orbit by the end of 2028. The schedule will see 100 working in orbit by the end of next year, then 72 additional craft each year until ... More (Source: SatNews - May 13)
HOW SMALLER SATELLITES ARE RESHAPING THE GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT MARKET - For decades, geostationary orbit (GEO) was the undisputed home of satellite communications. From television broadcasts to internet backhaul and voice services, GEO satellites formed the backbone of global connectivity, delivering vast coverage from their fixed position 36,000 kilometers above Earth.... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 13)
EUROPE'S PROBA-3 SATELLITES ACE LANDMARK FORMATION-FLYING TEST - A pair of spacecraft have demonstrated ultra-precise formation flying in orbit for the first time, marking a milestone with major implications for both science and future space missions. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 mission, consisting of two spacecraft called the Occulter and the Co... More (Source: Space.com - May 13)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 26 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SFB - SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday evening. The mission, dubbed Starlink 15-4, added another 26 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened 6:15 p.m. PDT (9... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 13)
ROCKET LAB TO DEBUT POINT-TO-POINT CARGO TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITY ON 2026 AIR FORCE MISSION - Rocket Lab is looking to demonstrate the reusability of its forthcoming Neutron rocket next year with a so-called ‘return-to-Earth’ mission no earlier than 2026. Ahead of its first quarter 2025 earnings call on Thursday, the company announced a new contract for the mission signed with the U.S... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 12)
CHINA TO LAUNCH NEW MODULES TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China is preparing to launch new modules to its Tiangong space station to meet growing demands for science and potentially boost international cooperation. The Long March 5B, currently China’s most powerful rocket, is slated to launch new Tiangong modules, according to an official with China’... More (Source: SpaceNews - May 12)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 900TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF 2025 DURING SATURDAY MORNING FLIGHT - SpaceX launched its 900th Starlink satellite of the year, overcoming some challenging weather moving through the area Saturday morning. The Starlink 6-91 mission adds another 28 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the constellation of more than 7,400 satellites currently in low Earth orbit. ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 11)
FAILED SOVIET VENUS LANDER KOSMOS 482 CRASHES TO EARTH AFTER 53 YEARS IN ORBIT - A failed Soviet Venus lander's long space odyssey has come to an end. The Kosmos 482 probe crashed to Earth today (May 10) after circling our planet for more than five decades. Reentry occurred at 2:24 a.m. ET (0624 GMT or 9:24 a.m. Moscow time) over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia, a... More (Source: Space.com - May 11)
