CHINA LAUNCHES FOUR METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITES - China successfully sent four meteorological satellites into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Friday. The satellites, belonging to the Tianmu-1 meteorological constellation, were launched by a Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket at 7:20 p.m. (Beijing Time) and have entered the planned orbit. They will be mainly used to provide commercial meteorological data services. It was the 25th flight mission of the Kuaizhou-1A rockets.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Jan 6)

SPACESUIT LOOP SCRUBS AND ROUTINE STATION MAINTENANCE FOR CREW ON THURSDAY - Another day of station upkeep is underway aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 70 crew spent most of the day on spacesuit and station maintenance, auditing equipment, and wrapping up experiments started earlier this week. In the morning, NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli was joined by ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen to perform a loop scrub on spacesuits that will be used during upcoming spacewalks this year. Moghbeli then reconfigured the hardware to initiate iodination, which is performed to remove contaminants from transfer loops.   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 5)

NASA’S 2023 SPACE STATION ACHIEVEMENTS - The International Space Station is a hub for scientific research and technology demonstration. Currently, in its third decade of human-tended operations, the orbiting lab is building on previous research to produce pivotal results while conducting cutting-edge science. Read highlights of some of the groundbreaking space station science conducted in 2023 that is benefiting humanity on Earth and preparing humans for journeys to the Moon and beyond.   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 5)

CHINA LAUNCHES 2 SETS OF COMMERCIAL WEATHER SATELLITES IN 3-DAY SPAN - Late last month, China launched two clusters of small satellites to provide commercial meteorological data. Two separate Kuaizhou 1A solid rockets lifted off from transport erector launchers at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 8:00 p.m. EST on Dec. 24 (0100 GMT and 9:00 a.m. Beijing time on Dec. 25) and 1:50 a.m. EST (0650 GMT, or 2:50 p.m. Beijing time) on Dec. 27.    More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 5)

SPACEX FALCON 9 LAUNCHES OVZON-3 SATELLITE, KICKING OFF LAUNCH YEAR AT THE CAPE - The orbital launch year in Florida began in the same way it ended 2023: with the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On board the workhorse launch vehicle was a communications satellite for Sweden-based Ovzon. Liftoff of the rocket happened at the opening of a ten-minute launch window that began at 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 UTC). It marked the second Falcon 9 flight in less than 24 hours, following the launch of 21 Starlink satellites from California late Tuesday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)

SPACEX’S FIRST FALCON 9 LAUNCH OF 2024 FEATURES FIRST 6 DIRECT-TO-CELL STARLINK SATELLITES - SpaceX is wasting no time in kicking off what it plans to be a historically busy year for orbital launches. The company launched its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink satellite mission Tuesday night. Liftoff occurred at 7:44 p.m. PST (10:44 p.m. EST, 0344 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Among the 21 Starlink satellites launching Tuesday evening were the first six that will feature direct-to-cell capabilities.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 3)

NASA AND RUSSIA WILL KEEP LAUNCHING EACH OTHER'S ASTRONAUTS TO ISS UNTIL 2025 - NASA and Russia have agreed to keep launching American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts on each other's spacecraft, media reports suggest. Roscosmos announced both it and NASA will continue the International Space Station launches with each other's crew members through at least 2025, "to maintain the reliability of the ISS as a whole," according to multiple reports including the Moscow Times.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 3)

INDIA LAUNCHES X-RAY ASTRONOMY SATELLITE - India launched an astronomy satellite to start a year that will feature key tests for its human spaceflight program and a potential joint crewed mission with NASA. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Dec. 31 (9:10 a.m. local Jan. 1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It deployed its primary payload, the XPoSat spacecraft, into a 650-kilometer orbit about 22 minutes later.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 2)

ISRO TO USHER IN 2024 WITH LAUNCH OF DEDICATED SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE TO STUDY BLACK HOLES - ISRO is set to welcome the new year with the launch of its first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite that would offer insights into celestial objects like black holes, onboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket on Monday. The launch comes after the success of its Gaganyaan Test Vehicle D1 mission in October. The PSLV-C58 rocket, in its 60th mission, would carry primary payload XPoSat and 10 other satellites to be deployed in low earth orbits.   More
(Source: The Indian Express - Jan 1)

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