ULA LAUNCHES VULCAN ROCKET ON FIRST SPACE FORCE MISSION - United Launch Alliance fired off it’s first fully operational Vulcan rocket Tuesday, boosting two military satellites into space in the first Space Force-sanctioned flight of a new launcher that eventually will replace the company’s Atlas 5 and already-retired Deltas. Equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters for additional takeoff power, the 198-foot-tall Vulcan’s two methane-fueled BE-4 engines thundered to life at 8:56p.m. EDT, instantly propelling the rocket away from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 13)
SPACEX RIVAL AST SPACEMOBILE PREPARES TO DEPLOY NEARLY FIVE DOZEN SATELLITES - Satellite designer AST SpaceMobile said it’s preparing to deploy nearly five dozen satellites to power cellular-based broadband networks, a move that establishes the company as a rival to Elon Musk’s dominant SpaceX. The company, based in Texas, released its second-quarter earnings after the bell on Monday, reporting that its satellites are fully funded and preparing for deployment with more than $1.5 billion on its balance sheet. More (Source: MSNBC - Aug 13)
LAUNCH ROUNDUP: VULCAN AND ARIANE TO LAUNCH AHEAD OF STARLINK MISSIONS - After a week of weather delays across the U.S, launch cadence increases as providers strive to catch up with the backlog. A navigational technology satellite and a classified payload are expected to launch atop Vulcan, followed by an Ariane 6 carrying a weather satellite, and a Chinese Chang Zheng 5B rocket; all these launches are scheduled for around Wednesday of this week. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 12)
SPACEX LAUNCHES AMAZON’S PROJECT KUIPER SATELLITES ON FIFTH SCHEDULED ATTEMPT - After four scheduled and unsuccessful launch attempts, the fifth time proved to be the charm as SpaceX managed to launch 24 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet service from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday morning. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida happened at 8:35 a.m. EDT (12:35 UTC), a couple hours after sunrise. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 12)
BAD WEATHER FOR FALCON 9 BOOSTER RECOVERY PREVENTS LAUNCH OF AMAZON’S PROJECT KUIPER SATELLITES - For a fourth time in as many days, SpaceX was unable to launch 24 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet service from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Technical issues with the Falcon 9 rocket prevented launches on Thursday and Friday and poor weather stymied launch attempts on Saturday and Sunday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 11)
CREW 10 RETURNS TO EARTH WITH PACIFIC OCEAN SPLASHDOWN - Two NASA astronauts, a Japanese flier and a Russian cosmonaut plunged back to Earth Saturday, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego to wrap up a five-month mission. Strapped into SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance, commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and cosmonaut Kirill Peskov gently splashed down in calm seas at 11:33 a.m. EDT, 17-and-a-half hours after undocking from the International Space Station. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 10)
HAM RADIO USERS EXPLAIN WHY THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT AST SPACEMOBILE'S SATELLITE PLANS - Ham radio enthusiasts have raised concerns about AST Spacemobile’s upcoming satellite operations, warning that expanded satellite communications might interfere with amateur radio frequencies and disrupt established communication channels. The debate centers on the technical challenges of frequency overlap and potential regulatory gaps that could weaken emergency response frameworks and the longstanding tradition of ham radio’s open, interference-free airwaves. Both communities are calling for transparent dialogue and collaborative solutions to balance innovation with the preservation of reliable, unencumbered communication for hobbyists and public safety alike. More (Source: PCMag - Aug 10)
CHINA LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITES FROM SEA - A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) rocket lifted off on Saturday morning from east China's Shandong Province, sending the Geely-04 constellation of 11 satellites into planned orbit. The rocket blasted off from sea at 12:31 a.m. (Beijing Time) near the city of Rizhao. The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted the offshore launch mission. It was the 6th flight mission to use an SD-3 rocket, according to the launch center. More (Source: Global Times - Aug 10)
DRAGON UNDOCKS, CREW-10 DEPARTS STATION FOR EARTH RETURN - At 6:15 p.m. EDT, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov undocked from the forward-facing port of International Space Station’s Harmony module aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. More (Source: NASA - Aug 10)
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