SPACEX LAUNCHES 29 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX headed into the weekend with a pair of launches planned for Florida’s Space Coast with both supporting the company’s Starlink broadband satellite internet constellation. First up to bat was Starlink 6-89, which flew from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff happened at 10:08 p.m. EST (0308 UTC) with the rocket flying on a south-easterly trajectory.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 16)

NASA SETS LAUNCH COVERAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL OCEAN TRACKING MISSION - The agency is preparing to launch Sentinel-6B, an international satellite that will measure sea surface height for 90% of the planet’s ocean. NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Sentinel-6B, an international mission delivering critical sea level and ocean data to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial activities at sea.   More
(Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Nov 16)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 20 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH ON DIFFERENT SPACECRAFT AFTER FINDING WINDOW CRACKS IN THEIR OWN - The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou 20 mission safely touched down on the Dongfeng Landing Site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shortly before 3.45 a.m. EST (0845 GMT) on Nov. 14, after spending over 6 months in low-Earth orbit aboard the Tiangong space station. Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie have since exited the return spacecraft and appear to be in good health, having made a final parachute-aided descent to Earth's surface.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 15)

POLAND SETS UP FIRST-EVER MILITARY SATELLITE LAUNCH - In a bid to secure an Earth observation system for the country’s armed forces, Poland is advancing a project to have its first three military satellites launched this month. Developed by a consortium of Finnish manufacturer ICEYE and Wojskowe Zakłady Łączności No 1, an offshoot of Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ, the national satellite reconnaissance system will be the first component of the military space capabilities Warsaw aims to field in the coming years, defense officials said.   More
(Source: Defense News - Nov 15)

6 THINGS TO KNOW FROM NASA ABOUT NEW US, EUROPEAN SEA SATELLITE - With launch set for no earlier than 12:21 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 17, Sentinel-6B is the latest satellite in a series of spacecraft NASA and its partners have used to measure sea levels since 1992. Their data has helped meteorologists improve hurricane forecasts, managers protect infrastructure, and coastal communities plan. After launch, Sentinel-6B will begin the process of data cross-calibration with its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, to provide essential information about Earth’s ocean.   More
(Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA - Nov 15)

CHINA’S STRANDED ASTRONAUTS RETURNING FROM SPACE STATION ON SPACECRAFT THAT BROUGHT NEW CREW - Three Chinese astronauts stranded at their nation’s space station after their spacecraft was apparently hit by space debris departed for home Friday using the craft that had brought a replacement crew, China’s space agency said. The astronauts were on a six-month rotation at the space station and originally scheduled to return Nov. 5, four days after the new crew arrived.   More
(Source: AP News - Nov 14)

ISS ASTRONAUTS TAKE COVER FROM RADIATION AS SOLAR STORMS SPARK AURORAS ACROSS THE PLANET - It's not all about pretty auroras when the sun shoots some ejecta our way. As people across the Earth gazed at the sky the past few nights, staring up at the brilliant auroras brought on by recent intense solar storms, Earthlings in orbit had to take some precautions. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were forced to rearrange some of their sleeping arrangements due to the potential threat posed by recent solar storms, a recent communications exchange between ISS mission control and crew members aboard the space station shows.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 14)

BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES TWIN MARS PROBES FOR NASA AS NEW GLENN MAKES FIRST LANDING - Blue Origin launched its second heavy-lift New Glenn rocket Thursday, putting two small NASA satellites onto a long, looping course to Mars to learn more about how the sun has slowly blown away the red planet’s once thick atmosphere. The centerpiece of Amazon- and Blue Origin-founder Jeff Bezos’ space ambitious, the towering 321-foot tall New Glenn rocket’s seven methane-burning main engines ignited at 3:55 p.m. EST, majestically pushing the booster skyward atop 3.8 million pounds of thrust.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 14)

ULA LAUNCHES VIASAT-3 FOLLOWING VALVE REPLACEMENT ON ATLAS 5 ROCKET - United Launch Alliance launched its Atlas 5 rocket Thursday night, which carried a communications satellite for California-based communications company, Viasat. The launch came a week after the mission was scrubbed due to a faulty liquid oxygen tank vent valve on the Atlas booster. ULA rolled the rocket back to the Vertical Integration Facility about third of a mile away, replaced it with a new valve and returned the rocket to the pad on Nov. 12.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 14)

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