FOURTH SATELLITE OF KOREA “425 PROJECT” CONSTELLATION SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED - The fourth Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite of Korea 425 Project constellation was successfully launched yesterday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Thales Alenia Space contributes to this program cooperating with the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems Corporation (HSC), for the Korean Agency for Defence and Development (ADD) as the prime developer. More (Source: Thales Alenia Space - Nov 4)
CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST GEO YAOGAN SATELLITE AS INDIA LOFTS RECORD-MASS COMMSAT - China launched a new Yaogan reconnaissance satellite late Sunday, following India’s launch of its highest mass communications satellite to date. A Long March 7A lifted off at 10:47 p.m. Eastern, Nov. 2 (0347 UTC, Nov. 3) from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan, rising into a grey sky. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced launch success, revealing the previously undisclosed payload to be the Yaogan-46 satellite. More (Source: - Nov 4)
COMMERCIAL SPACE STATION DEMO, DATA CENTER PRECURSOR LAUNCH ON SPACEX BANDWAGON-4 MISSION - An Nvidia-backed data center demo, a testbed for Vast’s future commercial space station and artificial intelligence-powered weather satellites were among the spacecraft deployed on SpaceX’s latest Bandwagon ride share mission to low Earth orbit. Bandwagon-4 was the fourth multi-customer flight to a mid-inclination orbit and the 18th mission as part of SpaceX’s small sat ride share program, which also includes the Transporter series, going to higher inclinations. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 3)
WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WHILE THE GOVERNMENT IS SHUT DOWN? - Although the U.S. government is shut down, NASA's astronauts in space are still expected to show up for work every day. As the shutdown continues into its second month, many federal employees are furloughed. Some, however, keep working (mostly without pay at the moment), because they're considered critical to the continued operation of the nation's functions, like the delivery of the mail. More (Source: Space.com - Nov 3)
SOON 100 POCKETQUBE SATELLITES WILL BE ON-ORBIT FOR THE POCKETQUBE COMMUNITY - Four PocketQubes will be deployed by PocketQube broker, Alba Orbital, in collaboration with SEOPS as part of the Transporter-15 rideshare mission with SpaceX. The PocketQube standard was first developed in 2009 at Morehead State University (MSU) and Kentucky Space to help universities and researchers across the globe perform space science and exploration at a fraction of the traditional cost. Each PocketQube measures just 5 cm³ per unit (or “1P”), making them among the smallest operational satellites ever developed. More (Source: SatNews - Nov 3)
LVM3-M5 LAUNCH: ISRO SHOOTS OFF INDIA’S HEAVIEST COMMUNICATION SATELLITE ON ‘BAHUBALI’ - India's space ambitions received a significant boost with ISRO's launch of its heaviest satellite, the 4,410 kg GSAT-7R, aboard the LVM3-M5 rocket. This mission is crucial for enhancing the Indian Navy's communication capabilities and maritime domain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region. More (Source: The Economic Times - Nov 3)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 100TH STARLINK FLIGHT OF 2025 - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Halloween afternoon marking its 100th Starlink mission of the year. This was also its 15th orbital launch during the month of October. The Starlink 11-23 mission added another 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into the low Earth orbit megaconstellation. According to stats maintained by expert orbital tracker and astronomer, Jonathan McDowell, there are more than 8,800 Starlink satellites currently in orbit. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 3)
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MARKS 25 YEARS OF NONSTOP HUMAN PRESENCE IN ORBIT - It’s an unprecedented space streak: 25 years of people living off-planet without even a moment’s pause. The International Space Station marks a quarter-century of continuous occupancy this weekend, boasting a guest list of nearly 300 — mostly professional astronauts but also the occasional space tourist and movie director. The first full-time residents opened the hatch on Nov. 2, 2000. More (Source: Military.com - Nov 1)
CHINA LAUNCHES SHENZHOU 21 MISSION, CARRYING 3 TAIKONAUTS - AND 4 MICE - TO REPLACE SPACE STATION CREW - China launched its Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on Friday, carrying a new three-person crew to man the country's Tiangong space station on a mission focused on scientific research. The replacement crew includes China's youngest-ever taikonaut — as China's space program calls its astronauts — and, for the first time since Beijing launched its program, it will also include live mammals. More (Source: CBS News - Nov 1)
Next
