SPACEX LAUNCHED 21 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE - Hours after a successful liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX completed a second Falcon 9 flight, this time from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff of the Starlink 9-4 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 2:22 a.m. PDT (5:22 a.m. EDT, 0922 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 29)

ISS ASTRONAUT CAPTURES AURORAS AND A METEOR IN STUNNING TIMELAPSE FROM SPACE - Auroras, stars and a fleeting meteor are captured in a mesmerizing new video from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, commander of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, shared a new timelapse of photos taken of Earth just before sunrise. This nighttime view includes auroras dancing through Earth's atmosphere, glittering stars, passing satellites and a brief meteor streak.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 28)

ULA PREPARES FOR FINAL ATLAS 5 LAUNCH SUPPORTING A NATIONAL SECURITY PAYLOAD - United Launch Alliance is preparing for a seminole moment for its Atlas 5 rocket. The launch vehicle is preparing to launch its 58th and final national security mission on Tuesday. The United States Space Force-51 (USSF-51) mission will also be the 100th national security mission launch for ULA. Following the completion of a launch readiness review on Friday, ULA rolled the rocket to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. First motion came shortly after noon on Saturday with the journey wrapping up after 12:30 p.m. EDT.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 28)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 RETURN TO FLIGHT MISSION FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - A two-week launch hiatus for SpaceX came to a close after midnight on Saturday with the Starlink 10-9 mission returning the Falcon 9 to flight after an upper stage mishap on a July 11 grounded the workhorse rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 UTC). The mission marked the 50th dedicated Starlink launch in 2024. A successful payload deployment was confirmed just over an hour after launch.   More
(Source: Spaceflight Now - Jul 28)

AST SPACEMOBILE COMPLETES FIRST FIVE COMMERCIAL SATELLITES NOW READY TO SHIP IN AUGUST - AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), building space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications, successfully completed its first five Bluebirds commercial satellites. Each satellite has communications arrays measuring 693 square feet and are now ready for shipment to Cape Canaveral during the first week of August, with a 7-day launch window in September.   More
(Source: SatNews - Jul 27)

50 DAYS AFTER LAUNCH TO ISS, BOEING STARLINER ASTRONAUTS STILL HAVE NO LANDING DATE - Boeing's Starliner will do a "hot fire" test in orbit soon, as NASA and the company continue to probe the cause of thruster failures and a helium leak in space. Starliner will conduct the test-fire of its 28-thruster reaction control system (RCS) on either Saturday (July 27) or Sunday (July 28) at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA and Boeing announced in a press conference today (July 25). Only 27 of the RCS thrusters will be used, however, as one previously was deemed unusable for the flight home.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 27)

IRAN PLANS TO LAUNCH TWO SATELLITES FROM RUSSIAN SPACEPORT — NEWS AGENCY - According to the agency, ISA head Hassan Salariyeh said on July 9 that the organization planned to launch within a year Kosar observation satellite and Hodhod communication satellite, designed and built by private companies. Kosar can be used for agricultural purposes, surveying and border demarcation. Its lifetime in orbit is two years. Hodhod, in particular, will be used in the area of the Internet of Things and transportation.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 26)

US SPACE FORCE IS SET TO INSTALL 24 SATELLITE JAMMING STATIONS CAPABLE OF DISRUPTING RUSSIAN OR CHINESE COMMUNICATIONS - The US military is installing modular state-of-the-art satellite jammers capable of disrupting Russian or Chinese communications, should the need arise. Even though the hardware is ground-based, the US Space Force will oversee installation and operation. The technology is already past prototyping. The military tested the system at two different locations earlier this year. The DoD allocated funds to build 24 remote installations, with 11 scheduled to deploy before the end of the year. This device is not a preventative measure against adversaries disrupting US communications. It’s the opposite.   More
(Source: SatNews - Jul 25)

RUSSIA UNVEILS TIMELINE FOR BUILDING ITS NEW SPACE STATION, STARTING IN 2027 - Russia has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap for building its newest space station and associated Earth-based infrastructure, with the first modules expected to launch within three years. On July 2, the leadership of Russia's space agency Roscosmos described their upcoming mission to create the nation's newest space station, currently known as the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), according to Russian news agency TASS.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 25)

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