NASA REPORT STUDIES OPTIONS FOR A FUTURE NATIONAL LABORATORY IN ORBIT AFTER ISS - A NASA study examined several options for continuing a national laboratory in low Earth orbit after the International Space Station but stopped short of recommending a specific option. The study by the agency’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, released by NASA Dec. 20, represents what it calls an “initial assessment” of models for a future national lab in low Earth orbit (LEO) after retirement of the ISS. The study was directed by the National Space Council at its September 2022 meeting and released to coincide with the council’s most recent meeting Dec. 20.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 24)

STEVE WOZNIAK'S START-UP PRIVATEER DEVELOPS RIDE-SHARING SPACECRAFT TO REDUCE ORBITAL CLUTTER - Space start-up Privateer, co-founded by the famed Apple technologist Steve Wozniak, will begin orbital tests of its ride-sharing orbital module Pono in January. The module, which launched on Dec. 1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, was developed to encourage space users to share assets in order to reduce the growing amount of satellites and other orbital clutter around Earth.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 22)

LIVE COVERAGE UNDERWAY OF SPACEX DRAGON CARGO SPACECRAFT DEPARTURE - Live coverage of the departure of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app. Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, Dragon will undock at 5:05 p.m. EST from the forward port of the station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the station.   More
(Source: NASA - Dec 22)

TO SUSTAINABLY DEVELOP SPACE, WE MUST MANAGE ORBITAL CAPACITY - Once upon a time, we thought that our actions were too insignificant to impact something as large as the natural environment — that it wouldn’t be possible for fishermen to exhaust a fishery, that groundwater was so plentiful that conservation was unnecessary, and that the sky was big enough that the odds of two human-created objects colliding in space, much less threatening our ability to make use of orbits, was negligible. Today we know better. But the road from recognizing a resource as finite to managing it in a sustainable manner is long.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 21)

COMMERCIAL CHINESE ROCKET LAUNCHES SMALL RETURNABLE SPACECRAFT TO ORBIT - The Chinese commercial launch firm iSpace is once again putting satellites into orbit. The company's sixth Hyperbola-1 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 2:00 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT, 3:00 p.m. Beijing time) on Sunday (Dec. 17).   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 21)

BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES NEW SHEPARD ROCKET ON RETURN TO FLIGHT MISSION - Blue Origin appears to be back in the suborbital business. Under a mostly sunny west Texas sky, the company launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket at roughly 10:42 a.m. CST (1642 UTC). This marked the 24th flight of a New Shepard rocket. The launch was a big deal for Jeff Bezos’ company since it marked the first time in about 15 months that they were able to launch their vehicle. During the Sept. 12, 2022 launch of the NS-23 mission, the engine nozzle suffered a structural failure, forcing the mission to end prematurely.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 20)

SPACE X FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Monday night after high winds kept the rocket grounded last week. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 with 23 Starlink satellites occurred at 11:01 p.m. EST (0401 UTC). Blustery weather scrubbed a launch attempt last Tuesday and high seas in the recovery zone forced further delays for this mission but on Monday the winds had died down and the Falcon 9 lifted off into a chilly Florida night sky.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 19)

SPACEX DRAGON DEPARTURE FROM SPACE STATION FOR NASA TARGETS WEDNESDAY - NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the undocking of the company’s 29th Dragon commercial resupply services mission from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions. Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida to determine the best autonomous undocking opportunity. Coverage of Dragon’s departure Wednesday will begin at 4:45 p.m.   More
(Source: Space Coast Daily - Dec 19)

EUROCONSULT REPORTS FOUR TONS OF SATELLITES TO BE LAUNCHED DAILY BY 2032 TOTALING $558 BILLION - Commercial NGSO constellations, known for their size and advanced capabilities, are reshaping the manufacturing and deployment of satellites to deliver global connectivity. They dominate the industry by concentrating 65% of satellites demand yet contribute only 18% to the manufacturing and launch value, averaging $10.5 billion yearly.    More
(Source: SatNews - Dec 19)

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