CHINA LAUNCHES RESEARCH SATELLITE - China successfully launched a scientific research satellite named "Shijian XI-01" into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province at 10:45 am on November 12, as reported by China Central Television (CCTV). The satellite "Shijian XI-01" is carried by a China-developed Long March 2C rocket. China's Shijian, or "Practice", series of satellites are designed for scientific research and technological experiments. This is the 119th satellite flight in this series. More (Source: Global Times - Nov 12)
ITALIAN COMPANY SAYS NO LAUNCH FOR IRAN SATELLITE - An Italian company that helped build a communications satellite for Iran said Wednesday there are no plans to launch it, denying an announcement made in Tehran this week. Iran's government said Tuesday that it will use Italy to launch the satellite some time after March 2011, after waiting years for Russia to do the job, Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency reported. But Italy's Carlo Gavazzi Space company said no launch is planned, or would even be possible More (Source: The Associated Press - Nov 12)
IRAN TO LAUNCH SECOND RESEARCH SATELLITE IN 2011 - Head of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), Mehdi Farahi, said Tuesday that Iran will launch its second research satellite in 2011, local satellite Press TV reported. Iran has drawn up its final schedule to launch a semi-domestic research satellite as a part of Tehran's attempt for an independent space program, the report said. "The completion of the semi-domestic research satellite dubbed Mesbah (Lantern) is another recent achievement of Iranian aerospace experts," Farahi was quoted as saying. More (Source: Xinhua - Nov 11)
POISK LAUNCHES TO ADD NEW ROOM FOR SPACE STATION - A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the plains of Kazakhstan Tuesday with the International Space Station's newest addition, a module doubling as a docking port for visiting spacecraft and an airlock for spacewalking astronauts. The 168-foot-tall booster roared away from Launch Pad No. 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1422 GMT (9:22 a.m. EST) Tuesday, or just after nightfall Tuesday night in Kazakhstan. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Nov 10)
RUSSIA TO RESUME ISS CONSTRUCTION - After a hiatus of almost a decade, Russia is set to resume construction of its share in the International Space Station (ISS) with the launch of a new module this week. A Poisk ("Quest") Mini-Research Module-2 (MIM-2 in the Russian abbreviation) is set for launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday at 1422 GMT. The spacecraft is essentially a twin of another Russian module - the Pirs Docking Compartment - added to the outpost in September 2001. More (Source: BBC News - Nov 10)
SPACE STATION PREPARES FOR BUSY NOVEMBER - First the Russians will deliver the Mini-Research Module 2, followed by a Nov. 16 NASA launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. With only six space shuttle missions remaining to the International Space Station, NASA is focusing on getting a supply of spare parts to the ISS. The crew of the International Space Station is gearing up for a busy November. On Nov. 12, the MRM2 (Russian Mini-Research Module 2) is scheduled to dock at the space station, and four days later, the space shuttle Atlantis launches for NASA's final 2009 mission to the ISS. More (Source: eWeek - Nov 9)
NASA TWEETUP FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LIFTOFF - For the first time, NASA Twitter followers are invited to view a space shuttle launch in person at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is hosting this unique Tweetup on Nov. 11 and 12. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch at 4:04 p.m. EST, Nov. 12 on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. More (Source: Space Ref - Nov 9)
CHINA TO LAUNCH FRENCH-MADE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE - China will launch a French-made communications satellite for the Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Holding Limited in the first half of 2012. A contract for the launch service was signed here Sunday. The satellite, dubbed APTSTAR-7 and made by the Thales Alenia Space, will be sent into space by China's Long March 3B/E carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China, according to a statement issued by the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), the contractor of the launch on Sunday. More (Source: China Daily - Nov 9)
NASA SETS STS-129 PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS - News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 16 More (Source: Reuters - Nov 5)
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