GEOMAGNETIC STORMS CAUSE “MASS MIGRATIONS” OF SATELLITES - A pair of major geomagnetic storms this year led to unprecedented “mass migrations” of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit that create new concerns about space traffic coordination. The phenomenon was first seen in May during a major solar event called the Gannon storm. That event is best remembered for creating auroral displays in the northern hemisphere at latitudes much further south than normal.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 12)

INTELSAT 33E DEMISE EXPOSES VULNERABILITIES IN THE SPACE DOMAIN - Intelsat 33e’s break-up in geostationary orbit (GEO) highlights an emerging threat for the contested space domain, an executive at U.S.-based space-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions said Dec. 10 during the Spacepower Conference here. Clint Clark, ExoAnalytic Solutions chief growth officer and vice president of first impressions, said the company has identified a cloud of more than 700 pieces of debris following the Oct. 19 incident.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 11)

LOCKHEED MARTIN TO LAUNCH 5G DEMONSTRATION ON FIREFLY ROCKET - Lockheed Martin announced plans to launch its Tactical Satellite (TacSat) aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket in 2025, marking the second mission in a multi-launch agreement between the aerospace giant and the upstart rocket company. The mission, funded internally by Lockheed Martin, aims to showcase cutting-edge technologies targeting the defense market.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 10)

SENTINEL 1C RADAR SATELLITE BEGINS OPERATIONS TO ENHANCE EARTH OBSERVATION - A major addition to Europe's Earth observation capabilities, the Sentinel 1C satellite, has been successfully launched into orbit. Supported by the UK and launched aboard a VEGA-C rocket from French Guiana at 21:20 GMT on Thursday, December 5, Sentinel 1C will orbit 700 km above Earth to deliver critical imaging for environmental and disaster monitoring.   More
(Source: Space Daily - Dec 9)

EUROPE’S MOST ADVANCED WEATHER SATELLITE IS NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL - The first of EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites is now fully operational. MTG-Imager 1 also receives a new name – Meteosat-12 – to mark the occasion. The two main instruments on board Meteosat-12, the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager (LI), play a crucial role in enabling meteorological services to help protect lives and livelihoods by providing high-resolution, accurate data for predicting severe weather events.   More
(Source: Eurasia Review - Dec 9)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX launched its latest Falcon 9 shortly after midnight on Sunday, adding 23 more Starlink satellites to its growing mega-constellation. The midnight hour launch features 13 satellites which have Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff of the Starlink 12-5 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 12:12 a.m. EST (0512 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 8)

WATCH SPACEX'S 31ST DRAGON CARGO CAPSULE HEAD BACK TO EARTH DEC. 12 AFTER DELAY - A SpaceX cargo capsule is set to head back toward Earth on Dec. 12, and you can watch the action live. A robotic Dragon freighter will undock from the International Space Station's (ISS) Harmony module on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 11:05 a.m. EST (1605 GMT), if all goes according to plan. An undocking attempt set for Dec. 6 was delayed "due to forecasted unfavorable weather conditions at the splashdown site off the coast of Florida" NASA said in a statement.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 7)

SPACE STATION TRAJECTORY DATA NOW AVAILABLE - Space Station trajectory data is now available to the public! This data, called an ephemeris, is generated by the ISS Trajectory Operations and Planning Officer (TOPO) flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. TOPO keeps track of where the ISS is, where it is going to be, and most importantly makes sure it isn't at risk of colliding with other objects in space.   More
(Source: Phys.org - Dec 7)

SUPERHERO SATELLITE SENTINEL-1C SOARS INTO SPACE ON A MISSION TO PROTECT OUR PLANET - On the 5th December 2024, all eyes were on the skies as ESA’s Sentinel-1C satellite launched aboard a mighty Vega-C rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As the third satellite in the Sentinel-1 series, it will continue the important work of monitoring our planet's land and oceans with special technology that can see through clouds and even operate at night. Armed with advanced radar vision, it will take detailed images of our planet's surface no matter the weather—rain, shine, or even a full-on storm. These images will be used to monitor everything from shrinking glaciers to rising seas, and even to help people during natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.   More
(Source: - Dec 7)

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