RAIN, CLOUDS COULD MAR SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH - The US space shuttle Discovery's planned launch on Tuesday could be delayed due to rain and cloudy conditions, NASA said on Monday. A 60 percent chance of clouds and rain showers could interfere with the shuttle's planned 11:38 am (1538 GMT) launch time, shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said. More (Source: AFP - Oct 23)
NASA SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW RAPID GROWTH OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES - Images from NASA satellites illustrate how quickly wildfires have spread throughout Southern California. Powerful Santa Ana winds have fueled more than 10 large wildfires stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego. A pair of NASA images depicts the area around Los Angeles on Sunday. The top image, captured by NASA's Terra satellite at 2:35 p.m. EDT, shows several fires giving off small plumes of smoke. More (Source: NASA - Oct 23)
MOBILE TELEPHONE SATELLITES LAUNCHED INTO SPACE - Globalstar's satellite fleet has four new members after a Russian Soyuz rocket launched the replacement communication platforms Saturday to bolster the company's aging constellation. The Soyuz launched at 2012 GMT (4:12 p.m. EDT) from Complex 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The three-stage booster and an attached Fregat upper stage rocketed into space and released the four satellites about 100 minutes after liftoff. More (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com - Oct 22)
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY 'GO' FOR TUESDAY LAUNCH - NASA's shuttle Discovery is set for a planned Tuesday launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver a new orbital room to the high-flying laboratory, mission managers said Sunday. More (Source: Space.com - Oct 21)
NEW U.S. AIR FORCE NAVIGATION SATELLITE REACHES ORBIT - A Global Positioning System satellite with enhanced qualities is flying high after successfully soaring into space Wednesday to reinvigorate a corner of the precision navigation network. A 12-story United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket powered the 4,500-pound spacecraft to orbit from Cape Canaveral, thundering off its seaside pad 17A exactly on schedule at 8:23 a.m. EDT (1223 GMT). More (Source: Space.com - Oct 21)
SHUTTLE CLEARED FOR LAUNCH DESPITE WING CONCERNS - NASA's senior managers cleared space shuttle Discovery for liftoff Tuesday, overruling a safety group that called for further studies and wing repairs, if necessary, before next week's launch. The potential problem is with the critical thermal shielding on Discovery's wings. A new inspection method uncovered possible cracking just beneath the protective coating on three of the 44 panels that line the wings. More (Source: CNN - Oct 19)
CHINESE SCIENCE SATELLITE ENDS MISSION IN FIERY PLUNGE - A Chinese satellite plunged into the Earth's atmosphere and destroyed itself this week to end an extended mission studying the planet's magnetic field. The science satellite, dubbed TC-1, was officially decommissioned Sunday after lasting three years beyond its planned one-year mission lifetime. The spacecraft burned up as it reentered the Earth's atmosphere, according to a mission update. More (Source: Space.com - Oct 16)
CLASSIFIED SATELLITE FAILURE LED TO LATEST SBIRS DELAY - The loss of a classified satellite after only 7 seconds on orbit prompted the review of software and processors that has caused the most recent delay and a potential $1 billion overrun in Lockheed Martin's Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), says Gary Payton, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for space programs. More (Source: ABC News - Oct 16)
CHINA'S LUNAR PROBE LAUNCH SET FOR LATER IN OCTOBER - China will launch its first lunar probe later this month, state-run newspapers reported Tuesday, just weeks after regional rival Japan successfully sent a lunar satellite into orbit. The Beijing Evening News said the Chang'e 1 orbiter would be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. More (Source: The Associated Press - Oct 16)
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