FIRST EVER WOODEN SATELLITE TO HEAD TO SPACE - Scientists in Japan are hoping to launch the first ever wooden satellite into space after securing a spot on a SpaceX rocket launching later this year. A team from Kyoto University and the logging company Sumitomo Forestry announced this week that they had completed the construction of the 10-cubic centimetre LignoSat probe. Made from magnolia wood, the LignoSat is durable enough to withstand the hostile space environment, according to ground tests carried out by the researchers.   More
(Source: The Independent - May 31)

LAUNCH DATE SET FOR NASA’S SECOND PREFIRE SATELLITE - NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting Saturday, June 1, to launch the second CubeSat for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. The launch window opens at 3 p.m. NZST, (11 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 31). The first satellite successfully launched on 7:41 p.m. NZST May 25 (3:41 a.m. EDT) on an Electron rocket, called “Ready, Aim, PREFIRE,” from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. Rocket Lab is now processing the second Electron rocket, called “PREFIRE and Ice,” for launch also from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.   More
(Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA - May 30)

NOAA’S NEWEST GOES SATELLITE LAUNCHING DURING BUSY SEVERE WEATHER SEASON, SPACE WEATHER - NOAA's next forecasting tool is ready to liftoff amid an already active season for severe weather and a busy time for space weather producing Northern Lights as far south as the Florida launch site where the GOES-U satellite will blast off. The fourth and final spacecraft that is part of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R series is scheduled to launch on June 25 at 5:16 p.m. ET on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39A in Florida.    More
(Source: FOX Weather - May 30)

THE SATELLITES USING RADAR TO PEER AT EARTH IN MINUTE DETAIL - Clouds cover around two-thirds of the world at any one time, preventing conventional satellites from seeing much of the planet. But now a declassified technology known as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be installed on satellites to "see" the Earth's surface in the dark, through the clouds (or the smoke of wildfires), to provide a constant unobscured view of our planet, and show changes on the Earth's surface in great detail.   More
(Source: BBC - May 30)

CHINESE ASTRONAUTS PERFORM RECORD-BREAKING SPACEWALK OUTSIDE TIANGONG SPACE STATION - Two Chinese astronauts just set a new spacewalking record for the country. Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu, two members of China's three-person Shenzhou 18 mission, spent about 8.5 hours working outside the Tiangong space station today (May 28). That's longer than any previous Chinese spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), according to the nation's state-run Xinhua news service.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 30)

NASA TO PROVIDE COVERAGE OF PROGRESS 88 LAUNCH, SPACE STATION DOCKING - NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 71 crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted Progress 88 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 5:43 a.m. EDT (2:43 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, May 30, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: NASA - May 30)

SPACEX HAS LAUNCHED THE EARTHCARE CLIMATE RESEARCH SATELLITE FOR ESA AND JAXA - The joint European-Japanese EarthCARE satellite has begun its mission to improve our understanding of Earth’s climate Tuesday, with a launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California happened at 3:20 PM Pacific Time (22:20 UTC).   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 29)

UPDATE: SHENZHOU-18 CREW TO CONDUCT EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES - The Shenzhou-18 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, will conduct their first extravehicular activities (EVAs) within the next few days, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Monday. The astronauts, stationed in the orbital complex for the last 32 days, have accomplished a rotation with the Shenzhou-17 crew, attended to the maintenance and upkeep of the space station platform, ensured the upkeep of the life and health support system, conducted inspections and tests on EVA suits, and prepared for spacewalk.   More
(Source: Xinhua - May 28)

NORTH KOREA SAYS ITS LATEST SATELLITE LAUNCH EXPLODED IN FLIGHT - North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight. The attempt came just hours after Pyongyang issued a warning that it would try to launch a satellite by June 4, in what would have been its second spy satellite in orbit.   More
(Source: CNBC - May 28)

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