LAUNCH OF IRELAND’S 1ST SATELLITE IS UPCOMING… - Built by students at University College Dublin under guidance of ESA’s Education Office, EIRSAT-1 is a 2U CubeSat carrying three experiments, including a novel gamma ray detector that will study some of the most luminous explosions in the universe. The mission has been in development since the ... More (Source: SatNews - Nov 27)
NORTH KOREA ROCKET EXPLODES DURING SPY SATELLITE LAUNCH, AND METEOR HUNTERS CAUGHT IT ON CAMERA - The first stage of a North Korean rocket apparently exploded Tuesday (Nov. 21) during a purported spy satellite launch, a new video suggests. A camera at South Korea's Yonsei University, usually used for tracking meteors or shooting stars, showed the first stage of the North Korean Chollima-1 roc... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 27)
CHINA CONDUCTS LAUNCH TO TEST SATELLITE INTERNET CAPABILITIES - China sent an undisclosed number of satellites into orbit Thursday to test satellite internet technologies. A Long March 2D rocket using a Yuanzheng-3 upper stage lifted off at 5:00 a.m. Eastern (1000 UTC) Nov. 23 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. The China Aerospace Scienc... More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 24)
CHINA'S YOUNGEST SPACE STATION CREW SEND HOME SPECTACULAR VIEWS FROM SPACE - China's Shenzhou 17 astronauts are getting into the rhythms of life in orbit — and also sending back some choice clips of their activities. Shenzhou 17 arrived at the Tiangong space station on Oct. 26, where they were greeted by the outgoing Shenzhou 16 mission crew. Mission commander Tang H... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 24)
CHINA'S NEXT CARGO SPACECRAFT ARRIVES AT LAUNCH SITE AHEAD OF EARLY 2024 LIFTOFF - China is preparing to send fresh supplies and more propellant to its space station. The robotic Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft arrived recently at China's coastal Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, according to Chinese state media. The spacecraft will undergo final assembly and testing ahead of a lau... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 23)
NASA ACKNOWLEDGES POSSIBILITY OF SHORT-TERM POST-ISS GAP - While NASA seeks to maintain an uninterrupted human presence in low Earth orbit, an agency official said a short-term gap between the International Space Station and commercial successors would not be “the end of the world.” NASA’s current approach to its future in LEO counts on supporting ... More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 23)
3RD TIME LUCKY? NORTH KOREA CLAIMS SUCCESSFUL SPY SATELLITE LAUNCH - South Korea moved Wednesday to suspend parts of a 2018 military pact with North Korea after Pyongyang defied warnings from the U.S. and its allies with what it said was the successful launch of its first spy satellite. North Korea launched the Malligyong-1 satellite on a Chollima-1 rocket from th... More (Source: NBC News - Nov 23)
NORTH KOREA CLAIMS IT HAS PUT A SPY SATELLITE INTO ORBIT IN 3RD ATTEMPT - North Korea claimed Wednesday to have successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit with its third launch attempt this year, demonstrating the nation's determination to build a space-based surveillance system during protracted tensions with the United States. The North's claim could not immediat... More (Source: NPR - Nov 22)
SPACEX SET TO LAUNCH 23 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA TONIGHT - SpaceX plans to launch 23 more Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida tonight (Nov. 21), continuing a busy stretch for the company. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a nearly four-hour window that opens at 11:01 p.m. EDT (... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 22)
NASA REQUESTS FUNDING FOR $1 BILLION ‘SPACE TUG’ TO DEORBIT THE ISS - NASA is developing a plan to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its lifetime, currently scheduled for 2030. Since the 356-foot-wide laboratory is too big to completely vaporize if left to naturally burn in Earth’s atmosphere, the space agency intends to send a US spacecraf... More (Source: SpaceRef - Nov 22)
NASA TOOL BAG TONIGHT: HOW TO SEE THE DROPPED SPACE BOX FLOATING ACROSS THE SKY - We’ve all been there. You’ve put something down, and now you can't find it – it’s like it disappeared into thin air. But earlier this month, a NASA tool bag literally did fly off into a vacuum during routine checks aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The tool bag has been orbiti... More (Source: BBC Science Focus - Nov 22)
WITH BUDGET CUTS AND AN AGING STATION, CAN NASA LEARN TO LOVE A GAP IN ORBIT? - Just in case you were under any illusions about the age of the International Space Station, Monday marked the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Zarya module. This Russian-built power and propulsion module formed the cornerstone of the space station, and the first residents arrived two years late... More (Source: Ars Technica - Nov 22)
NORTH KOREA TELLS JAPAN IT PLANS TO LAUNCH SATELLITE IN THE COMING DAYS - North Korea has notified Japan it plans to launch a satellite between Wednesday and Dec. 1, in what Tokyo and Seoul said could be a third attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit in violation of a U.N. ban. Japan's Coast Guard said on Tuesday the North gave notice of the launch in the direction ... More (Source: Reuters - Nov 21)
TODAY IN HISTORY: INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TURNS 25 - In a remarkable celebration of human achievement and collaboration, today marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the "International Space Station" (ISS), the largest man-made object in the solar system. Since its launch on November 20, 1998, the "ISS" has stood as a testament to the power of in... More (Source: Times of India - Nov 21)
SPACEX FALCON 9 LAUNCHES 22 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from the West Coast with another batch of 22 Starlink satellites at 2:30 a.m. PST Monday (5:30 a.m. EST / 1030 UTC). On this 55th Starlink delivery mission of the year, the Falcon 9 headed in a south-easterly direction after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 4E at V... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 21)
NASA STILL STUDYING ORION HEAT SHIELD EROSION FROM ARTEMIS 1 - A year after the launch of the Artemis 1 mission, NASA is continuing to study the performance of the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft, a review that may take several more months to complete. Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, said at a Nov. 17 meeting o... More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 20)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON 1ST OF BACK-TO-BACK MISSIONS THIS WEEKEND - SpaceX launched 23 Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Saturday (Nov. 18), on the first of two planned Starlink missions this weekend. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:05 a.m. EST (0500 GMT). The Falcon 9's first stage came back... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 19)
SPACEX LAUNCH ATTEMPT ENDS IN LOSS OF MOST POWERFUL ROCKET EVER BUILT - To say that space is a challenging environment is putting it lightly. During a recent spacewalk outside the International Space Station, a tool bag got away from NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara. The bag has gone into orbit around Earth and may be visible through binoculars unti... More (Source: CNN - Nov 19)
SPACEX POISED TO LAUNCH 22 STARLINK SATELLITES EARLY NOV. 20 - SpaceX plans to launch 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites from California early on Monday morning (Nov. 20). A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday during a four-hour window that opens at 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 GMT; 10:33 p.m. on Nov. 19 lo... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 19)
