CHINESE MEGACONSTELLATION LAUNCH CREATES FIELD OF SPACE DEBRIS - A Chinese launch to deploy a first batch of communications satellites has created more than 50 pieces of debris which could threaten spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The Long March 6A launched Aug. 6, from a specifically constructed launch pad at Taiyuan spaceport. The rocket’s upper stage, modif... More (Source: SpaceNews - Aug 9)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH ARCTIC SATELLITE BROADBAND MISSION AUGUST 11-12 - After a delay from the original launch date of July 15th, 2024, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission August 11-12, consisting of two satellites owned by Space Norway. The Falcon 9 will launch the two Northrop Grumman-built satellites into a highly elliptical orbi... More (Source: SatNews - Aug 9)
ISS ASTRONAUTS ON EIGHT-DAY MISSION MAY BE STUCK UNTIL 2025, NASA SAYS - Two US astronauts who blasted into space for an eight-day mission in June may be stuck on the International Space Station until next year if their Boeing Starliner cannot be repaired for them to return home, Nasa has said. Nasa officials on Wednesday said astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni William... More (Source: The Guardian - Aug 9)
PRIVATE CYGNUS FREIGHTER ARRIVES AT THE ISS WITH 4 TONS OF SUPPLIES - Northrop Grumman's robotic Cygnus freighter reached the International Space Station (ISS) early Tuesday morning (Aug. 6), carrying about 4 tons of supplies to the orbiting lab. The Cygnus, which launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday (Aug. 4), was captured by the station's robotic arm o... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 8)
HEAVIER SMALLSATS WEIGH DOWN MARKET FORECASTS - The number of smallsats forecasted to launch in the next decade is declining as some satellites get heavier. In a presentation at a side meeting during the Small Satellite Conference Aug. 7, Gabriel Deville, senior consultant at Novaspace, said his company was forecasting 14,500 smallsats would l... More (Source: SpaceNews - Aug 8)
SPACEX'S NEW DIRECT-TO-CELL STARLINK SATELLITES ARE WAY BRIGHTER THAN THE ORIGINALS - SpaceX Starlink satellites designed to connect directly to smartphones shine nearly five times brighter in the sky than traditional Starlinks, according to recent research. SpaceX plans to form what it calls "a cellphone tower in space" with thousands of direct-to-cell (DTC) satellites around Ear... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 7)
CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST SATELLITES FOR THOUSAND SAILS MEGACONSTELLATION - China successfully launched the first batch of 18 satellites Tuesday for the Thousand Sails low Earth orbit communications megaconstellation. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, north China, at 2:42 a.m. Eastern (0642 UTC) Aug. 6. The China Aerospace Science a... More (Source: SpaceNews - Aug 7)
NASA: CYGNUS ON TRACK FOR TUESDAY MORNING ARRIVAL AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft is preparing to end a roughly 40-hour journey playing catchup with the International Space Station. After launching late Sunday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the spacecraft is targeting its arrival at the orbiting ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 6)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink satellites to orbit early Sunday (Aug. 4), continuing a busy stretch for the company. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday at 3:24 a.m. EDT (0724 GMT; 12:24 a.m. local ... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 5)
NASA AND SPACEX LAUNCH A NORTHROP GRUMMAN CYGNUS SPACECRAFT TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - While the weather proved challenging heading into Sunday’s launch attempt of the Northrop Grumman-21 (NG-21) cargo resupply mission, SpaceX received enough of a good margin that it was able to launch the NASA mission to the International Space Station. With a liftoff of its Falcon 9 rocket at 1... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 5)
SPACEX SCRUBS NORTHROP GRUMMAN CYGNUS SPACECRAFT LAUNCH TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DUE TO POOR WEATHER - The launch of more than 8,200 pounds of science and cargo supplies to the International Space Station will have to wait a bit longer. Poor weather conditions forced the planned launch to push to no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 4. at 11:02 a.m. EDT (1502 UTC). When it launches, a Northrop Grumman-bui... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 4)
NASA REVEALS ASTRONAUTS FLYING ON SPACEX'S CREW-10 MISSION TO THE ISS - We now know who will fly on SpaceX's Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) next year. On Thursday (Aug. 1), NASA revealed the four astronauts of Crew-10, which will launch toward the ISS no earlier than February 2025. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers will comma... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 4)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites, increasing the company’s mega-constellation in low Earth orbit. The mission came as SpaceX works towards the launch of a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station over the weekend. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-6 mission from... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 3)
CHINA LAUNCHES SECOND SECRETIVE HIGH ORBIT INTERNET SATELLITE - China launched the second of a new series of geostationary communications satellites Thursday, though its purposes remain unclear. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 9:14 a.m. Eastern Aug. 1 (1314 UTC) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The China Aerospace Science and Techno... More (Source: SpaceNews - Aug 3)
ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES 5TH MISSION FOR JAPANESE EARTH OBSERVATION COMPANY, SYNSPECTIVE - Rocket Lab launched its ninth mission of 2024 and its 51st Electron rocket launch to date. The flight sent an Earth observing satellite to low Earth orbit on behalf of Japan-based Synspective. Liftoff of the “Owl for One, Owl for All” mission from Launch Complex 1’s Pad B in Mahia, New Zeal... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 3)
SPACEX TO RESUME ASTRONAUT LAUNCHES ON AUG. 18 WITH CREW-9 MISSION TO ISS - NASA and SpaceX are looking to launch the Crew-9 mission around the middle of this month. Crew-9, SpaceX's next astronaut launch to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, is currently set for Aug. 18. The four astronauts that will be on board are commander Zena Cardman, pilot Nick Hague,... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 3)
AFTER ISS: THE PRIVATE SPACE STATION ERA IS DAWNING - There are continual, creaky reminders that the International Space Station is showing its age. Hissy-fit pressure leaks in the Russian segment, loss of attitude control on two separate occasions in 2021. To remain safe and sound for human occupants, the massive structure requires continuous maint... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 3)
SPACEX LAUNCHING 23 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT EARLY AUG. 2 - SpaceX will launch another batch of its Starlink satellites to orbit early Friday (Aug. 2), continuing the company's bounceback from a July 11 failure. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink craft is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, during a four-hou... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 2)
NO, BOEING STARLINER'S NASA ASTRONAUTS ARE NOT STRANDED IN SPACE. HERE'S WHY. - Boeing Starliner's two astronauts knew to expect the unexpected when they took off on the spacecraft's first crewed mission on June 5. I learned this back in March, when NASA hosted reporters at the agency's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston for two days. We used four Starliner simulators, sp... More (Source: Space.com - Aug 2)
