NASA-ISRO'S $1.3 BILLION SATELLITE NISAR DEPLOYS ITS ANTENNA IN ORBIT - In a landmark moment for global Earth science and international space collaboration, the world's most expensive civilian Earth imaging satellite-the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)-has successfully deployed its massive radar antenna in orbit, marking a critical step toward delivering life-saving data to communities across the globe. More (Source: NDTV - Aug 17)
FAA APPROVES STARSHIP FLIGHT 10 AFTER MISHAP PROBE, EYES AUGUST 24 LAUNCH - SpaceX has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket, with a targeted launch date of August 24. The approval for Flight 10 comes after the closure of an investigation into anomalies during the vehicle’s previous mission, marking a key step forward in SpaceX’s test program. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 16)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with a batch of 28 of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit during a mid-morning Thursday flight from Florida’s Space Coast. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 10-20 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 UTC). This was the 69th orbital launch from Florida so far this year. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 15)
THE PERFECTLY FINE, ALREADY-PAID-FOR SATELLITES TRUMP WANTS TO DESTROY IN A FIERY ATMOSPHERIC REENTRY - NASA is planning to decommission premier satellite missions that gather information on planet-warming pollution and other climate vital signs beginning as soon as October, sources inside and outside of the agency told CNN. The destruction of the satellites — which will be abandoned and allowed to eventually burn up in a fiery descent into Earth’s atmosphere — marks the latest step by the Trump administration to scale back federal climate science. More (Source: CNN - Aug 15)
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION UNDERGOES CREW HANDOVER, CHANGE OF COMMAND - Expedition 73 aboard the International Space Station (ISS) continues to perform its scheduled science and maintenance activities on humanity’s premier orbiting outpost, now more than a quarter-century old. The Station has a new commander and a new set of crew members on the U.S. side of the complex, as four astronauts departed this week to conclude their tour of duty on board ISS. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 15)
NEW SATELLITE LAUNCHED FOR CLIMATE ANALYSIS - A newly launched satellite will help with weather forecasting and climate analysis. UK Aerospace company Airbus, based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, built the MetOp-SG A1 under leadership from the European Space Agency (ESA). It was successfully launched into orbit on an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 01:37 BST. More (Source: BBC News - Aug 14)
CHINA LAUNCHES 8TH BATCH OF SATELLITES FOR 13,000-STRONG INTERNET MEGACONSTELLATION - China is ramping up construction of its national satellite-internet megaconstellation. A Long March 5B rocket lifted off from Wenchang Space Launch Center on the island of Hainan on Wednesday (Aug. 13) at 2:43 a.m. EDT (0643 GMT; 2:43 p.m. local time), carrying a batch of satellites aloft for the Guowang broadband network. More (Source: Space.com - Aug 14)
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)
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