SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS LIKELY TO BE POSTPONED: NASA - The two final US space shuttle missions before the shuttle program is phased out will likely be postponed, a NASA spokesperson told AFP. "It's not official yet but it's very likely," said Allard Beutel, media services chief at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "The decision will be officially announced July 1st," he said. The US space shuttles are being retired after President Barack Obama opted not to fund a successor program, deciding instead to encourage private spacecraft development.    More
(Source: AFP - Jun 26)

SOUTH KOREA'S FIRST GEOSTATIONARY WEATHER SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED SUNDAY - South Korea's first geostationary ocean weather satellite is being prepared for liftoff, three days behind the original launch date due to mechanical problems, a state-run aerospace agency said Saturday, reports Yonhap news agency. The Chollian communication, ocean and meteorological satellite had originally been scheduled to be placed into orbit aboard a French Ariane-5ECA rocket early Thursday but the countdown was halted three times due to what experts called "minor" glitches, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said.   More
(Source: Bernama - Jun 26)

NASA CHOOSES ORBITAL SCIENCES TO LAUNCH ITS CARBON OBSERVATORY SATELLITE - In another indication of the increasing importance of the new commercial space industry's importance, NASA's just selected Orbital Sciences to launch its first satellite dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide. The OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) satellite is due to be lofted into space in 2013 by an Orbital managed launch from California's Vandenburg Air Force base. It'll fly on top of a Taurus XL 3110 rocket, which is a four-stage solid-fueled system (a little like the Space Shuttle's solid boosters) that's based on Orbital's earlier successful Pegasus air-launch rockets. The vehicle's first stage is actually made by Thiokol using a design based on the Peacekeeper ICBM missile technology.    More
(Source: Fast Company - Jun 25)

JAPAN POSTPONES MICHIBIKI SATELLITE LAUNCH ON CONCERN OVER PART - Japan postponed the launch of a rocket carrying the Michibiki satellite because of concerns over a component produced by an overseas supplier, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said. The new launch date is undecided, Mitsubishi Heavy and JAXA said in a joint statement on the heavy machinery maker’s website that didn’t identify the manufacturer of the part in question. Mitsubishi and JAXA said earlier this month the rocket would be launched on Aug. 2.    More
(Source: BusinessWeek - Jun 24)

ISRAEL: SPY SATELLITE IS LAUNCHED - Israel launched a spy satellite into orbit Tuesday night from an air force base near the center of the country. The new satellite, known as Ofek-9, will help Israel more efficiently monitor the region, including Iran, said Chaim Eshed, the director of Israel’s military space program. It increases the speed at which Israel can receive high-resolution images of subjects of interest, he said.    More
(Source: New York Times - Jun 24)

KOREA'S OWN WEATHER SATELLITE READY FOR LAUNCH - Korea is poised to launch its first communication, ocean and meteorological satellite on Thursday. The satellite, dubbed Cheollian, has been installed on a space rocket in preparation for blastoff at the Ariane Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Sunday. The booster rocket is an Ariane V and will be launched between 6:41 and 7:45 a.m. KST on the day, it added.    More
(Source: The Chosun Ilbo - Jun 22)

GERMAN TANDEM-X SATELLITE SEEKS 3D VIEW OF EARTH - The TanDEM-X satellite has blasted into orbit on a mission to acquire the most precise 3D map of the Earth's surface. The German radar spacecraft will fly in formation with an identical platform called TerraSAR-X launched in 2007. Together, the pair will measure the variation in height across the globe to an accuracy of better than two metres. Their digital elevation model will have myriad uses, from helping military jets fly ultra low to showing relief workers where an earthquake's damage is worst.    More
(Source: BBC News - Jun 22)

NASA OFFERS TO SEND NAMES AND DIGITAL PHOTOS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THE FINAL TWO SHUTTLE MISSIONS - NASA will be sending photos and names from the public to space on its two final shuttle missions. People can upload their information on a new website under the Face in Space program to have it go into orbit along with the astronauts on the last two times the reusable space planes will launch. In a statement released by NASA's space shuttle program chief John Shannon he said: "The Space Shuttle Program belongs to the public, and we are excited when we can provide an opportunity for people to share the adventure of our missions. This website will allow you to be a part of history and participate as we complete our final missions "    More
(Source: Examiner.com - Jun 19)

THREE-PERSON INTERNATIONAL CREW LAUNCHED INTO SPACE - Lighting up the pre-dawn Kazakhstan sky, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a veteran cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts roared to life and vaulted into orbit Tuesday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Station veteran Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronauts Douglas Wheelock, a shuttle veteran, and rookie flight engineer Shannon Walker lifted off aboard the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft at 5:35:19 p.m. EDT (3:35:19 a.m. Wednesday local time) from Yuri Gagarin's launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Jun 17)

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