SPACEX TO LAUNCH 23 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA DEC. 12 - SpaceX could give us a launch doubleheader on Tuesday night (Dec. 12). The company aims to launch 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday atop a Falcon 9 rocket, during a nearly four-hour window that opens at 11:02 p.m. EST (0402 GMT on Dec. 12). You can watch it live via SpaceX's account on X (formerly known as Twitter), beginning at about five minutes before the window open.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 12)

THIS COMPANY WANTS TO CREATE ‘GAS STATIONS IN SPACE’ - Since the dawn of the space age — the launch of the Sputnik I in 1957 — humans have sent over 15,000 satellites into orbit. Just over half are still functioning; the rest, after running out of fuel and ending their serviceable life, have either burned up in the atmosphere or are still orbiting the planet as useless hunks of metal. As such, they pose a threat to the International Space Station and to other satellites, with the European Space Agency estimating that over 640 “break-ups, explosions, collisions, or anomalous events resulting in fragmentation” have occurred to date.    More
(Source: CNN - Dec 11)

CHINA LAUNCHES NEW REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE - China on Sunday launched a Long March-2D carrier rocket, placing a remote sensing satellite in space. The rocket blasted off at 9:58 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and sent the Yaogan-39 satellite into the preset orbit. It was the 500th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.    More
(Source: China Military - Dec 11)

TOMATO LOST IN SPACE BY HISTORY-MAKING ASTRONAUT HAS BEEN FOUND - Perhaps nowhere in the universe is a fresh, ripe tomato more valuable than on the International Space Station, where astronauts live for months at a time subsisting mainly on prepackaged, shelf-stable goods. That’s why astronaut Frank Rubio became the central figure in a lighthearted whodunnit that has taken months to solve. After Rubio harvested one of the first tomatoes ever grown in space earlier this year, according to the astronaut, he admitted he misplaced it.   More
(Source: CNN - Dec 10)

CHINA LAUNCHES ZHUQUE-2 CARRIER ROCKET FOR THREE SATELLITES - China on Saturday successfully launched the Zhuque-2 Y-3 carrier rocket into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The carrier rocket blasted off at 7:39 a.m. (Beijing Time) and sent three satellites -- Honghu, Honghu-2 and TY-33 -- into planned orbit. It was the third flight mission of the Zhuque-2 carrier rocket.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Dec 10)

ROCKET LAB TO LAUNCH SOUTH KOREAN SATELLITE - NeonSat-1 is a high-resolution optical satellite that will be deployed as a technology demonstration for a planned future EO constellation. KAIST is Korea’s leading science and technology institution, having developed and operated Korea’s very first satellite KAIST when it was successfully launched more than 30 years ago. In addition to being launched by Electron, KAIST’s NeonSat-1 will use Rocket Lab’s MLB satellite separation system in the Company’s latest demonstration of its vertically integrated space systems strategy.   More
(Source: SatNews - Dec 9)

AIRBUS STARTS GALILEO SECOND GENERATION SATELLITE PRODUCTION - After initial preparation the panels will be dispatched to other Airbus sites before final integration and testing at Friedrichshafen. The Galileo G2 satellites are scheduled for launch in the coming years to support the initial deployment and validation of the G2 System. To meet the demanding schedule to deliver all six satellites in less than two years, Airbus has developed a coordinated production program to leverage the spacecraft manufacturing, integration, and testing expertise across Airbus sites including Backnang (near Stuttgart), Friedrichshafen, Madrid, Ottobrunn (near Munich) and Toulouse.   More
(Source: SatNews - Dec 9)

THREE SATELLITES PRESUMED LOST IN TRANSPORTER DEPLOYMENT MALFUNCTION - Three satellites on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare launch in November failed to deploy, including one from a company that previously stated its satellite was in orbit and operating. Momentus announced Dec. 5 that three of the five satellites that it flew on the Transporter-9 launch Nov. 11 did not appear to deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage. The company used a third-party deployer, rather than its own Vigoride tug, on that mission, and said that it was able to confirm that the Hello Test 1 and 2 satellites from Turkish company Hello Space were released.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 9)

CHINA LANDSPACE'S METHANE-POWERED ROCKET SENDS SATELLITES INTO ORBIT - A rocket developed by LandSpace Technology on Saturday launched three satellites into orbit, a milestone in the Chinese private rocket startup's mission to test whether its vehicle using methane and liquid oxygen is ready for commercial liftoffs. The success could boost investor confidence in methane as a potential rocket fuel, which is deemed able to help slash costs and support reusable rockets in a cleaner and more efficient way.   More
(Source: Reuters - Dec 9)

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