CHINA JOINS RACE TO DEVELOP SPACE-BASED DATA CENTERS WITH 5-YEAR PLAN - It looks like China is getting in on the race to launch data centers into space. The state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported on Thursday (Jan. 29) that the main Chinese space company, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), will work on space-based data centers as a part of a larger five-year plan to expand the nation's already significant presence in space. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 6)
A POTENTIAL STARLINK COMPETITOR JUST GOT FCC CLEARANCE TO LAUNCH 4,000 SATELLITES - Aspiring Starlink competitor Logos Space Services has secured FCC clearance to launch more than 4,000 broadband satellites into low Earth orbit by 2035, as reported by Space News. Under FCC regulations, the company must deploy half of the approved amount within the next seven years. The company is headed by its founder, Milo Medin, a former project manager at NASA as well as a former vice president of wireless services at Google. The company has been raising money since it opened its doors in 2023 and reportedly hopes to deploy its first satellite by 2027. More (Source: Engadget - Feb 6)
NASA SELECTS TWO EARTH SYSTEM EXPLORERS MISSIONS - Two next-generation satellite missions announced Thursday will help NASA better understand Earth and improve capabilities to foresee environmental events and mitigate disasters. These two missions were selected for continued development as part of NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program, which conducts principal investigator-led Earth science missions based on key priorities laid out by the science community and national needs. The program is designed to enable high-quality Earth system science investigations to focus on previously identified key targeted observables. More (Source: NASA - Feb 6)
US NAVY WANTS COMMERCIAL SATELLITES FOR NIGHTTIME EARTH OBSERVATION - The U.S. Navy wants commercial satellites that can perform nighttime observation of the Earth, according to a Naval Research Laboratory Request for Information. “The objective is to understand the availability of systems that can provide data and services related to the remote sensing of nighttime scenes from space to inform potential future collaborations and acquisitions for a technology demonstration,” according to the RFI. More (Source: Defense News - Feb 5)
SPACEX GROUNDS ITS FALCON 9 ROCKET AFTER A PROBLEM WITH ITS UPPER STAGE. WILL THE CREW-12 ASTRONAUT MISSION BE AFFECTED? - SpaceX has temporarily grounded its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to launch four astronauts just eight days from now. A Falcon 9 delivered 25 of SpaceX's Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned on Monday (Feb. 2). But, after deploying the payloads, the rocket's upper stage failed to perform its deorbit burn, which was designed to bring it down for controlled destruction in Earth's atmosphere. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 4)
NASA BOOKS FIFTH AXIOM PRIVATE ASTRONAUT FLIGHT TO SPACE STATION - NASA has ordered a fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station from Axiom Space, targeting a launch no earlier than January 2027 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight, designated Axiom Mission 5, continues the series of commercially sponsored crewed missions to the orbital laboratory under NASA's commercial space strategy. More (Source: Space Daily - Feb 3)
SPACEX EXPERIENCES FALCON 9 UPPER STAGE ANOMALY FOLLOWING STARLINK DEPLOYMENT - SpaceX kicked off the month of February with a Monday morning Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. However, the rocket experienced an anomaly near the end of the mission. After liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:47:11 a.m. PST (10:47:11 a.m. EST / 1547:11 UTC), the rocket flew on a south-southwesterly trajectory to deliver 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 3)
RUSSIAN 'INSPECTOR' SATELLITE APPEARS TO BREAK APART IN ORBIT, RAISING DEBRIS CONCERNS - A Russian satellite once used to inspect other spacecraft appears to have disintegrated in a graveyard orbit high above the Earth, according to ground-based imagery. The Luch/Olymp satellite, launched in 2014, is one of two secretive military Russian satellites that have been used to stalk spacecraft from the US and others in the geostationary belt (GEO), around 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above the equator. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 2)
NASA SELECTS AXIOM SPACE FOR FIFTH PRIVATE MISSION TO SPACE STATION - NASA and Axiom Space have signed an order for the fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than January 2027 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “The award of our fifth private astronaut mission shows that commercial space is not a distant promise, but a present reality,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “By expanding access and sharpening competition in low Earth orbit, these missions are building the capabilities NASA will rely on as we move outward to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We look forward to building upon those capabilities with many private astronaut missions to come.” More (Source: NASA - Feb 1)
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