AIRBUS STARTS GALILEO SECOND GENERATION SATELLITE PRODUCTION - After initial preparation the panels will be dispatched to other Airbus sites before final integration and testing at Friedrichshafen. The Galileo G2 satellites are scheduled for launch in the coming years to support the initial deployment and validation of the G2 System. To meet the demanding sc... More (Source: SatNews - Dec 9)
THREE SATELLITES PRESUMED LOST IN TRANSPORTER DEPLOYMENT MALFUNCTION - Three satellites on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare launch in November failed to deploy, including one from a company that previously stated its satellite was in orbit and operating. Momentus announced Dec. 5 that three of the five satellites that it flew on the Transporter-9 launch Nov. 11 did no... More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 9)
CHINA LANDSPACE'S METHANE-POWERED ROCKET SENDS SATELLITES INTO ORBIT - A rocket developed by LandSpace Technology on Saturday launched three satellites into orbit, a milestone in the Chinese private rocket startup's mission to test whether its vehicle using methane and liquid oxygen is ready for commercial liftoffs. The success could boost investor confidence in met... More (Source: Reuters - Dec 9)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 22 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX has launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday (Dec. 8) at 3:03 a.m. EST (0803 GMT; 12:03 a.m. local California time). The Falcon 9's first ... More (Source: Space.com - Dec 9)
NOAA'S OLDER EARTH-WATCHING SATELLITES GET NEW 'EXTENDED LIFE' - As many things have a shelf-life, so do satellites. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has plans to take their older polar-orbiting satellites off the path toward decommission, and instead use a cloud-based system to add some extra years to their lifespan. NOAA's n... More (Source: Space.com - Dec 8)
CHINESE STARTUP GALACTIC ENERGY BOUNCES BACK WITH SUCCESSFUL SATELLITE LAUNCH - Chinese startup Galactic Energy is flying high again after a successful satellite launch on Monday (Dec. 4). The company's Ceres-1 solid rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 6:33 p.m. EST on Monday (2333 GMT; or 7:33 a.m. Beijing time on Dec. 5). The rocket... More (Source: Space.com - Dec 8)
NASA LEADERS TO HIGHLIGHT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPACE STATION WITH CREW - NASA is celebrating the 25th anniversary of International Space Station operations during a live conversation with crew aboard the microgravity laboratory for the benefit of humanity. During a space-to-Earth call at 12:25 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Expedition 70 crew will speak with NASA Associ... More (Source: NASA - Dec 7)
CHINA LAUNCHES INTERNET TECHNOLOGY TEST SATELLITE FROM SEA BARGE - China launched a new internet technology experiment satellite from a sea platform Tuesday, apparently continuing tests for a low Earth orbit megaconstellation. The Jielong-3 (Smart Dragon-3) solid rocket lifted off from a mobile sea platform from waters off the coast of Yangjiang, Guangdong provi... More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 7)
SPACEX SENDS 23 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT ON 90TH FALCON LAUNCH OF 2023 - SpaceX hit another milestone with its overnight Starlink mission launch. The flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station marks the company’s 90th orbital launch in 2023 and its 280th Falcon 9 launch to date. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-33 mission took place at 12:07 p.m. EST (0507 UTC) from Space... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 7)
CAPELLA TO USE SPACEX FOR TWO ACADIA SATELLITE LAUNCHES - Capella Space will launch two radar imaging satellites on SpaceX rideshare missions after an Electron launch failure disrupted its deployment plans. Capella announced Dec. 5 that it had arranged to fly two of its Acadia satellites on SpaceX rideshare missions in the first half of 2024. Acadia-4 w... More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 7)
CHINA LAUNCHES EXPERIMENTAL SATELLITE FOR SATELLITE INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES - China successfully sent a satellite for testing satellite internet technologies into space from a sea area near Yangjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province, on Wednesday. The satellite was launched by a Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) rocket at 3:24 a.m. Beijing Time and has entered the preset orbit.... More (Source: CGTN - Dec 6)
CHINA'S COMMERCIAL CERES-1 Y9 ROCKET LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITES - China on Tuesday launched the CERES-1 Y9 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, sending two new satellites into their planned orbits. The commercial rocket blasted off at 7:33 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site. The launch was the 11th flight mission ... More (Source: Xinhua - Dec 6)
INDIA RETURNS CHANDRAYAAN-3 PROPULSION MODULE TO EARTH ORBIT - The spacecraft that transported the Chandrayaan-3 lander to the moon has returned to Earth orbit, a demonstration of technologies to support a future Indian lunar sample return mission. The Indian space agency ISRO announced Dec. 4 that the propulsion module for the Chandrayaan-3 mission is now i... More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 5)
SOUTH KOREA FLIES SOLID-FUEL ROCKET AMID SPACE RACE WITH NORTH KOREA - South Korea on Monday successfully conducted a flight of a solid-fuel rocket carrying a satellite over the sea near Jeju Island, the defence ministry said, amid a growing space race with neighbouring North Korea. It was the third successful test of the rocket's technology after two others in Marc... More (Source: Reuters - Dec 5)
TENSE 'I.S.S.' TRAILER TEASES ASTRONAUTS FIGHTING FOR CONTROL OF THE SPACE STATION - What would happen onboard the International Space Station (ISS) if war broke out on Earth? That's the question posed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite's tense-looking sci-fi I.S.S., which sees U.S. astronauts suddenly pitted against their Russian colleagues when they receive orders from the ground to tak... More (Source: Marshable - Dec 5)
COSMONAUTS DOCK RUSSIAN PROGRESS CARGO SHIP TO ISS ON REMOTE CONTROL AFTER AUTOPILOT GLITCH - Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) took manual control of an incoming cargo ship carrying tons of supplies after its automated rendezvous system suffered a glitch. The unpiloted cargo ship, called Progress 86, docked to the station's Russian-built Poisk module under remo... More (Source: Space.com - Dec 4)
LIFT-OFF FOR EIRSAT-1, IRELAND’S FIRST EVER SATELLITE - EIRSAT-1 was designed, built, and tested by students from University College Dublin (UCD) participating in ESA Academy’s Fly Your Satellite! program, a hands-on initiative supporting university student teams to develop their own satellites according to professional standards. The launch opportunit... More (Source: SatNews - Dec 4)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL ON STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX continued a busy weekend with the launch of another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late Saturday night. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 11:00 p.m. EST (0400 UTC). Overcoming weather hurdles, the Starlink 6-31 mission ma... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 4)
RUSSIA LAUNCHES SPACE STATION CARGO SHIP - A Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with more than 5,500 pounds of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station blasted off from Kazakhstan early Friday, kicking off a two-day orbital chase. Perched atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket, the Progress MS-25/86P spacecraft took off from the... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 3)
