FCC DIRECTING MORE SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS TO MITIGATE EFFECTS ON ASTRONOMY - The Federal Communications Commission is requiring more operators of satellite constellations to work with astronomers to minimize the effects their satellites will have on ground-based astronomy. The FCC issued authorizations Aug. 31 to Iceye and Planet, updating their licenses to add new satellites. Iceye, which operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites, added eight satellites to its license, while Planet added seven of its upcoming Pelican high-resolution imaging satellites to its constellation.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Sep 20)

ROCKET LAB SUFFERS ANOMALY DURING LAUNCH, EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE LOST - Rocket Lab suffered an anomaly during the launch of a radar Earth-observation satellite early Tuesday morning (Sept. 19). An Electron rocket carrying a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for the California company Capella Space lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site Tuesday at 2:55 a.m. EDT (0655 GMT; 6:55 p.m. local New Zealand time). The Electron's two stages separated as planned about 2.5 minutes after launch. But something went wrong shortly thereafter, ending the flight.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 19)

CHINA LAUNCHES YAOGAN-39 REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE - China on Sunday successfully launched a new remote sensing satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying the satellite Yaogan-39 lifted off at 12:13 p.m. (Beijing Time). Sunday's launch was the 488th mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Sep 18)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 22 STARLINK SATELLITES AFTER 1-DAY DELAY - SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites late on Friday night (Sept. 15) after a one-day delay. A Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 GMT on Sept. 16). SpaceX had been planning to launch shortly after midnight on Friday, but the weather apparently didn't cooperate, forcing a nearly 24-hour delay.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 17)

FIREFLY LAUNCHES SPACE FORCE ‘VICTUS NOX’ MISSION - The U.S. Space Force announced that Firefly Aerospace successfully launched a Millennium Space small satellite Sept. 14 — a mission designed to demonstrate capabilities to launch in a much shorter timeline than is typical for national security missions. The Space Force mission, known as Victus Nox, flew on a Firefly Alpha rocket. It lifted off at 7:28 p.m. Pacific from Space Launch Complex 2 West at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, the Space Systems Command said in a news release.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Sep 16)

SOYUZ SPACECRAFT WITH US ASTRONAUT, TWO RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS DOCKS AT ISS - A Russian spacecraft blasted off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome on Friday carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), live TV images showed. At 1853 GMT the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with American Loral O'Hara and Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on board docked at the ISS, Russia's Roscosmos space agency said. They will join the current crew of NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Frank Rubio, Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin, Konstantin Borisov and Sergei Prokopyev, as well as Denmark's Andreas Mogensen and Japan's Satoshi Furukawa.   More
(Source: Reuters - Sep 16)

RUSSIA ROLLS SOYUZ ROCKET TO THE PAD AHEAD OF SEPT. 15 ASTRONAUT LAUNCH TO ISS - Tuesday was an active day at Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, as the Soyuz rocket for the next astronaut launch to the International Space Station was rolled to the launchpad. A Soyuz 2.1a rocket will launch the Soyuz MS-24 mission on Sept. 15, at 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT). The spacecraft will carry three crew members of ISS Expedition 70 to relieve crewmembers delayed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) more than six months past their scheduled return to Earth.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 14)

NASA SETS COVERAGE FOR LAUNCH, DOCKING OF NEW SPACE STATION CREW - A NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are set to launch to the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 15. The U.S. space agency will provide full coverage of launch and crew’s arrival at the microgravity laboratory. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are scheduled to lift off on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:44 a.m. EDT (8:44 p.m. Baikonur time). Coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m. on NASA Television...   More
(Source: NASA - Sep 14)

HOW COULD RUSSIA HELP NORTH KOREA BUILD A SATELLITE? - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday toured Russia's most modern space launch centre, where President Vladimir Putin promised to help Pyongyang build satellites. The unprecedented visit comes as North Korea seeks to put its first spy satellite into orbit, an effort that has seen two failed attempts this year. The promised Russian aid comes as North Korea's scientists have vowed to try another launch of the new Chollima-1 booster in October.   More
(Source: Reuters - Sep 14)

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