RUSSIAN SATELLITE TUMBLING OUT OF CONTROL - Cosmos 2553 is thought to be part of a Russian effort to develop a nuclear weapon that could indiscriminately fry many other satellites at once in Low Earth Orbit. That approach would threaten proliferated constellations that wouldn’t otherwise be affected by losing a few spacecraft to traditional anti-satellite weapons. According to a Reuters report, the craft has been alleged by US observers to be part of a Russian nuclear space weapon system.   More
(Source: SatNews - May 2)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX kicked off of the month of May with the first of likely several Falcon 9 missions launching more of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Onboard the Starlink 6-75 mission were 28 of the internet supporting satellites, adding to the more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 9:51 p.m. EDT (0151 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 2)

STATION MANEUVERS TO AVOID ORBITAL DEBRIS - The Progress 91 thrusters were fired at 6:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday for 3 minutes, 33 seconds, to raise the orbit of the International Space Station to provide an extra margin of distance from a piece of orbital debris from a fragment of a Chinese Long March rocket launched in 2005.   More
(Source: NASA - May 2)

SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION TO ISS, AX-4, TO LAUNCH MAY 29 FOR AXIOM SPACE - The next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is just a month away. Houston-based company Axiom Space announced on Tuesday (April 29) that it's targeting May 29 for the launch of its fourth crewed spaceflight to the orbiting lab, a mission known as Ax-4.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 2)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 19 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER 6 MONTHS ABOARD TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission came home on Wednesday (April 30) after six months in orbit. The Shenzhou 19 spacecraft — carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze — undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday (April 29) at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT; 4 a.m. on April 30 China Standard Time), according to Chinese space officials.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 2)

NASA'S EXPEDITION 19 CREW CAPTURED SATELLITE IMAGERY OF MAN-MADE OBJECT THAT'S SLOWING DOWN EARTH'S ROTATION - NASA’s Expedition 19 mission made history for multiple reasons. Launched in 2009, the crew conducted a range of scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station, worked on complex engineering tasks, and supported Earth observation programs. One of their most impressive observations was the capture of satellite imagery of the Three Gorges Dam in China, a human-made structure that scientists say is having an impact on the planet’s rotation.   More
(Source: Yahoo News UK - May 1)

ALPHA LAUNCH OF LOCKHEED TECH DEMO SATELLITE FAILS - A Firefly Alpha rocket malfunctioned during an April 29 launch, preventing a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite on board from reaching orbit. The Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:37 a.m. Eastern. A launch attempt the previous day was scrubbed because of problems with ground support equipment that could not be resolved before the launch window closed for the day.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Apr 30)

VEGA-C ROCKET LAUNCHES EUROPEAN FOREST-MONITORING 'BIOMASS' SATELLITE TO ORBIT - A European forest-monitoring satellite headed toward orbit from South America early Tuesday morning (April 29). The European Space Agency's (ESA) Biomass spacecraft lifted off atop a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Tuesday at 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT; 6:15 a.m. local time in Korea). Arianespace's stream began at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT), and the launch can now be watched on demand.   More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 30)

CHINA LAUNCHES THIRD BATCH OF GUOWANG MEGACONSTELLATION SATELLITES - China launched a third batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites Tuesday, advancing its ambitious low Earth orbit communications network to rival Starlink and other global systems. A Long March 5B heavy lift rocket with a Yuanzheng-2 upper stage lifted off at 4:10 p.m. Eastern (2010 UTC) April 28 from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island, southern China, with the rocket climbing above heavy fog at the spaceport.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Apr 30)

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