FAILED SOVIET VENUS PROBE KOSMOS 482 IS EXPECTED TO FALL TO EARTH TONIGHT, BUT WHEN AND WHERE? HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW - It's still quite uncertain just where and when the craft will fall, although it is expected to reenter around 2:26 am ET on May 10 +/- 4.35 hours. According to the European Space Agency, the current reentry window for the Kosmos 482 Venus probe is 2:37 a.m. ET (0637 GMT) on May 10 +/- 3.28 hours. This story was updated to reflect the most current prediction.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 10)

VAST TO COMPLETE HAVEN-1 PRIMARY STRUCTURE IN JULY 2025, AHEAD OF TARGET MAY 2026 LAUNCH DATE - Space habitation company, Vast, is now one year away from being able to stake its claim as the first commercial space station in history. The company based in Long Beach, California, aims to launch its single-module Haven-1 space station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. To that end, it completed both its primary structure and qualification article and is moving into manufacturing the flight version.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 9)

NASA SCRAMBLES TO CUT ISS ACTIVITY DUE TO BUDGET ISSUES - NASA is considering scaling back its activities on the International Space Station, according to multiple sources. The changes, which are being considered primarily due to shortfalls in the space station budget, include:
Reducing the size of the crew complement of Crew Dragon missions from four to three, starting with Crew-12 in February 2026...   More
(Source: Ars Technica - May 9)

MTG-S1 + SENTINEL-4 TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO SPACE - The second of the Meteosat Third Generation satellites and the first instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission have arrived at Cape Canaveral harbor in the United States. The Sentinel-4 instrument, which will monitor air quality over Europe, sits on board the MTG-Sounder (MTG-S) satellite. The latter, which carries the MTG-S Infrared Sounder, is one of the three MTG satellites that will provide improved data for weather forecasting and storm detection.   More
(Source: SatNews - May 8)

OLD SOVIET VENUS LANDER'S FALL TO EARTH WILL BE NO ORDINARY SPACE JUNK CRASH. HERE'S WHY - This will be no ordinary space junk fall. The Soviet Union's failed Kosmos 482 spacecraft will crash to Earth in the coming days after more than 50 years in orbit. Its homecoming may not spark the sorts of artificial meteor showers we're used to seeing from falling rocket bodies and other pieces of debris, however, because Kosmos 482 was built different: It's a Venus lander.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 8)

FOREST SATELLITE’S BIG ANTENNA OPENS UP - Just a week after its launch, ESA’s Biomass mission has reached another critical milestone on its path to delivering unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their vital role in Earth’s carbon cycle – the satellite’s 12-metre-diameter antenna is now fully deployed.   More
(Source: European Space Agency - May 8)

SPACEX LAUNCH 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON 470TH FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit on Tuesday night. The Starlink 6-93 mission was the company’s 470th Falcon 9 rocket launch to date and added another 28 satellites to the constellation of more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 9:17 p.m. EDT (0117 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 7)

NASA BUDGET PROPOSAL DRAWS STRONG CRITICISM - he White House’s proposal to cut NASA’s budget by nearly 25% and cancel several major programs has drawn criticism from industry and members of Congress, while raising concerns among international partners. The top-level or “skinny” budget released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget May 2 proposed $18.8 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2026, a $6 billion cut from the $24.9 billion the agency received in 2025. The budget called for the cancellation of the lunar Gateway, ending the Space Launch System and Orion programs after Artemis 3 and termination of science missions like Mars Sample Return. It also proposed curtailing use of the International Space Station and sharp cuts in space technology funding.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 7)

A SOVIET SPACECRAFT WILL CRASH TO EARTH THIS MONTH - A Soviet space probe stuck in orbit since a failed 1972 launch is expected to crash to Earth this month. The spacecraft, dubbed Kosmos 482, is predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere sometime overnight between May 9 and May 10, according to the U.S. Space Force as well as satellite analyst Marco Langbroek at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands.   More
(Source: ScienceNews - May 7)

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