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)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 26 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM VANDENBERG - SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force of the month, after previously scrubbing the flight nearly a week ago. The Starlink 15-3 mission was previously scheduled to launch on Saturday, May 3, before SpaceX pushed it a day and then punted to Friday, May 9. The company... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 10)
FAILED SOVIET VENUS PROBE KOSMOS 482 IS EXPECTED TO FALL TO EARTH TONIGHT, BUT WHEN AND WHERE? HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW - It's still quite uncertain just where and when the craft will fall, although it is expected to reenter around 2:26 am ET on May 10 +/- 4.35 hours. According to the European Space Agency, the current reentry window for the Kosmos 482 Venus probe is 2:37 a.m. ET (0637 GMT) on May 10 +/- 3.28 hours. Th... More (Source: Space.com - May 10)
VAST TO COMPLETE HAVEN-1 PRIMARY STRUCTURE IN JULY 2025, AHEAD OF TARGET MAY 2026 LAUNCH DATE - Space habitation company, Vast, is now one year away from being able to stake its claim as the first commercial space station in history. The company based in Long Beach, California, aims to launch its single-module Haven-1 space station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. To that end, it co... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 9)
NASA SCRAMBLES TO CUT ISS ACTIVITY DUE TO BUDGET ISSUES - NASA is considering scaling back its activities on the International Space Station, according to multiple sources. The changes, which are being considered primarily due to shortfalls in the space station budget, include: Reducing the size of the crew complement of Crew Dragon missions from fou... More (Source: Ars Technica - May 9)
MTG-S1 + SENTINEL-4 TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO SPACE - The second of the Meteosat Third Generation satellites and the first instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission have arrived at Cape Canaveral harbor in the United States. The Sentinel-4 instrument, which will monitor air quality over Europe, sits on board the MTG-Sounder (MTG-S) satellite. Th... More (Source: SatNews - May 8)
OLD SOVIET VENUS LANDER'S FALL TO EARTH WILL BE NO ORDINARY SPACE JUNK CRASH. HERE'S WHY - This will be no ordinary space junk fall. The Soviet Union's failed Kosmos 482 spacecraft will crash to Earth in the coming days after more than 50 years in orbit. Its homecoming may not spark the sorts of artificial meteor showers we're used to seeing from falling rocket bodies and other pieces ... More (Source: Space.com - May 8)
