NASA, NORTHROP GRUMMAN POSTPONE CYGNUS XL ARRIVAL TO ISS FOLLOWING PROPULSION ISSUE - Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL spacecraft will no longer dock with the International Space Station Wednesday morning as originally planned. In a blog post Tuesday evening, NASA announced that two, orbit-raising burns of the spacecraft’s main engine “stopped earlier than planned.” The agency didn’t state how much of the planned burns were able to be performed prior to the premature shutdowns.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 18)

CHINA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES TEST SATELLITE FOR SATELLITE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY - China successfully sent a test satellite for satellite internet technology into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in the country's northwest, on Tuesday. The satellite was launched at 9:06 a.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-2C carrier rocket, with the Yuanzheng-1S (Expedition-1S) upper stage attached to the rocket. The satellite has successfully reached its preset orbit. This was the 595th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.   More
(Source: www.gov.cn - Sep 17)

CREW AWAITS SECOND CARGO MISSION IN LESS THAN A WEEK; KEEPS UP BIOTECH RESEARCH - One cargo spacecraft has docked to the International Space Station and another one is on its way to continue resupplying the Expedition 73 crew. While the orbital residents await their next delivery, they continued researching on Monday advanced ways to keep humans healthy and nourished on long duration space missions.   More
(Source: NASA - Sep 17)

THESE 2 EUROPEAN TELESCOPES USE LASERS TO TRACK POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SPACE JUNK - Advanced laser systems at two European observatories are revolutionizing how space debris is monitored, enabling precise tracking of objects that might threaten operational satellites. Employing powerful laser beams and cutting‐edge telescopic technology, researchers can now detect and measure even small fragments of defunct spacecraft, which helps to forecast potential collisions in orbit. This innovative approach not only enhances the immediate safety of current space infrastructure but also informs strategies for long‐term debris mitigation and sustainable satellite operations in increasingly crowded orbital pathways.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 16)

SOLAR ARRAYS DEPLOY AS CYGNUS XL ORBITS TOWARD STATION - Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft deployed its two solar arrays after launching earlier Sunday at 6:11 p.m. EDT on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station.    More
(Source: NASA - Sep 16)

NORTHROP GRUMMAN’S 1ST CYGNUS XL SPACECRAFT LAUNCHES ON CARGO RUN TO THE SPACE STATION - Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL vehicle was jettisoned on its way to the International Space Station following a pre-sunset launch from Cape Canaveral Sunday evening. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket thundered off the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 6:11 a.m. EDT (2211). About 8 minutes after taking off, the booster shook the Space Coast with a sonic boom as it touched down at Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 15)

PROGRESS 93 CARGO CRAFT DOCKS TO STATION RESUPPLYING CREW - The unpiloted Progress 93 spacecraft arrived at aft port of the International Space Station’s Zvezda module at 1:23 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The Roscosmos spacecraft is delivering about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 73 crew aboard the space station. It will remain docked for approximately six months before departing for a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.     More
(Source: NASA - Sep 14)

RUSSIA LAUNCHES MILITARY SATELLITE AND STUDENT-BUILT SPACECRAFT FROM ARCTIC BASE - Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the successful launch of a Soyuz-2.1b medium-class carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region on 13 September, according to Russian news agency Interfax. The launch deployed two spacecraft into orbit: a military satellite serving Defense Ministry interests and the Mozhaets-6 educational-research apparatus.   More
(Source: Euromaidan Press - Sep 14)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 300TH STARLINK SATELLITE-INTERNET MISSION - SpaceX just lofted yet another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink craft lifted off from foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base in California today (Sept. 13) at 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 GMT; 10:55 a.m. local California time). It was the 300th Starlink mission that SpaceX has launched to date, according to the company.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 14)

Previous Next