JAPANESE SCIENTISTS WANT TO SEND A WOODEN SATELLITE INTO SPACE - Aluminum rockets and steel skyscrapers; slick high-speed shuttles and glassy facades: that’s how “the future” has been imagined for decades. But that’s not what Koji Murata imagines. A researcher at Kyoto University in Japan, Murata has been exploring how biological materials could be used in space. Murata wondered if he “could build a wooden house on the moon or Mars,” and decided to test the theory — by creating a wooden satellite.   More
(Source: CNN - Nov 8)

LEOLABS DATA SHOWS ON-ORBIT MANEUVERS BY RUSSIAN SATELLITES - The space tracking firm LeoLabs over the past year tracked two Russian satellites performing rendezvous and proximity operations. These satellites — Resurs-P3 and Cosmos-2562 — conducted maneuvers that offer a glimpse of the potential hazards that U.S. and allied spacecraft could face in low Earth orbit, the company said. Resurs-P3 — a Russian Earth observation satellite — performed a large maneuver in November 2022 after years of inactivity, and approached the Russian military satellite Cosmos-2562, according to a LeoLabs briefing.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 7)

CHINA LAUNCHES MYSTERY SATELLITE ON LONG MARCH 7A ROCKET - China launched what it describes as an experimental communications technology satellite late last week. A Long March 7A rocket lifted off from the coastal Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 10:54 a.m. EDT (1454 GMT, or 10:54 p.m. Beijing Time) on Friday (Nov. 3). The payload was revealed to be Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing-10 (TJS-10) by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) when the organization announced launch success within an hour of liftoff.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 7)

SPACEWALK SNAFU: ASTRONAUTS LOSE TOOL BAG IN ORBITAL OOPSY - NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara concluded their spacewalk today at 2:47 p.m. EST after 6 hours and 42 minutes. Their spacewalk began at 8:05 a.m. Moghbeli, designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), was wearing a suit with red stripes. O’Hara, designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), was in an unmarked suit.   More
(Source: scitechdaily.com - Nov 6)

TWO KOREAS RACE TO LAUNCH FIRST HOMEGROWN MILITARY SPY SATELLITES - In a high-stakes race, South and North Korea are vying for success in launching their first homegrown military spy satellites, backed respectively by the United States and Russia, as a pivotal initiative aimed at enhancing their military capabilities. The South Korean military is set to launch its domestically-developed reconnaissance satellite on Nov. 30 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, South Korea’s new Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Friday during his meeting with reporters.   More
(Source: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20231105000108 - Nov 6)

SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCHES ON RECORD-BREAKING 18TH MISSION - SpaceX broke its own rocket-reuse record on Friday (Nov. 3). A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 8:37 p.m. EDT (0047 GMT on Nov. 4). It was the unprecedented 18th mission for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 4)

NASA OPEN TO EXTENDING ISS BEYOND 2030 - A NASA official opened the door to keeping the International Space Station in operation beyond 2030 if commercial space stations are not yet ready to take over by the end of the decade. Speaking at the Beyond Earth Symposium here Nov. 2, Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, said it was “not mandatory” to retire the ISS as currently planned at the end of the decade depending on the progress companies are making on commercial stations.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 4)

SPACEX, NASA DELAY CRS-29 CARGO LAUNCH TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - The next cargo shipment to the International Space Station will wait on Earth two extra days. NASA and SpaceX have delayed the Cargo Dragon CRS-29 mission launch to the International Space Station to Tuesday (Nov. 7) at 9:16 p.m. EST (1316 GMT), agency officials wrote in an email update Thursday (Nov. 1). Space.com will carry the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch live, courtesy of NASA Television.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 3)

MIXED RESULTS FOR SPACEWALKERS AFTER TIME LOST DEALING WITH DIFFICULT-TO-LOOSEN BOLTS - Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara worked outside the International Space Station Wednesday to replace a bearing assembly in one of the lab’s solar array rotation mechanisms. But the task took longer than expected and they were unable to retrieve a failed electronics box as planned. It was the first spacewalk for Moghbeli and O’Hara, the fourth all-female excursion and the first such outing since January 2020 when Jessica Meir and Christina Koch completed their third EVA, or extra-vehicular activity.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 3)

Previous Next