SPACEX’S TUESDAY NIGHT STARLINK FEATURES RARE DEBUT OF A FALCON BOOSTER - SpaceX completed its first Falcon 9 launch of the month, which carried another batch of 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The Tuesday night launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base featured the flight of a new Falcon 9 rocket booster. The mission, dubbed Starlink 17-8, adde to the more than 1,900 of its satellites so far in 2025 with more than 1,600 supporting broadband internet and nearly 300 being direct-to-cell satellites. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 3)
NEW METOP SECOND GENERATION WEATHER SATELLITE RETURNS FIRST DATA - Less than three weeks since the first MetOp Second Generation weather satellite, MetOp-SG-A1, was launched, this remarkable new satellite has already started transmitting data from two of its cutting-edge instruments, offering a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come. More (Source: European Space Agency - Sep 3)
NEW FINDINGS REVEAL THE CAUSE OF POTENTIALLY DAMAGING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES ON SATELLITES - For the first time, researchers have found that the number of electrical discharges on a spacecraft directly correlates to the number of electrons in the surrounding environment—information that could help scientists better understand how to protect equipment in space. Spacecraft environment discharges (SEDs) are transient electrical breakdowns that can damage sensitive onboard electronics and communication systems. More (Source: Phys.org - Sep 2)
SPACEX LAUNCHES BATCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES INTO ORBIT - SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit from Florida on Sunday morning in its latest mission. The 28 broadband internet satellites were launched into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:49 a.m. EDT. The launch was the 23rd flight for the first-stage booster, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 15 Starlink missions, according to a mission description on SpaceX’s website. More (Source: Fox News - Sep 1)
ASTROSCALE JAPAN ANNOUNCES “REFLEX-J” REFUELING SPACECRAFT TO ADVANCE SPACE SUSTAINABILITY - Astroscale Japan has officially named its upcoming satellite refueling demonstration spacecraft “REFLEX-J” – short for Refueling for Extension and Flexibility - Japan. The name reflects the mission’s purpose: enhancing the flexibility of satellites in orbit by extending their lifespan and unlocking new operational possibilities. More (Source: Astroscale - Sep 1)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 24 STARLINK SATELLITES INTO POLAR ORBIT - SpaceX launched 24 Starlink broadband satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Friday evening on a Falcon 9 rocket launch. The mission dubbed Starlink 17-7 was the fourth and final Starlink mission to launch from California in August. SpaceX liftoff of its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East occurred at 9:59 p.m. PDT (12:59 a.m. EDT / 0459 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 31)
ROCKET LAB OPENS LAUNCH COMPLEX 3, A CRITICAL MILESTONE ON THE PATH TO NEUTRON’S FIRST LAUNCH - Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today celebrated the official opening of Launch Complex 3, its dedicated test, launch, and landing facility for its reusable rocket Neutron - representing a bold step forward in delivering an alternative, reliable, and responsive launch capability from U.S. soil with its next-generation challenger to the medium-lift launch industry. More (Source: Rocket Lab - Aug 30)
SPACEX LAUNCHES RECORD-BREAKING 30TH FLIGHT OF A FALCON 9 BOOSTER - SpaceX second Starlink launch in 24 hours featured the flight of a Falcon 9 booster for a record-setting 30th time. Liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened at 4:12 a.m. EDT (0812 UTC) Thursday. The Starlink 10-11 mission placed another 28 Starlink V2 Mini broadband internet satellites into the low Earth orbit constellation and follows a sunrise launch Wednesday from neighboring pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 29)
LATEST LAUNCH OF SPACEX’S STARSHIP DEPLOYS 8 DUMMY SATELLITES, THEN SPLASHES DOWN INTO INDIAN OCEAN - SpaceX launched the latest test of its mega rocket Starship on Tuesday night and completed the first-ever deployment of a test payload — eight dummy satellites — into space. After just over an hour coasting through space, Starship splashed down as planned in the Indian Ocean. More (Source: PBS - Aug 28)
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