SPACEX LAUNCHES 500TH ORBITAL FALCON ROCKET ON 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALCON 9 - SpaceX was back at the launch pad for a midweek flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Starlink 11-22 mission marked the company’s 500th orbital launch of a Falcon rocket, including Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East occurred at 4:40 p.m. PDT (7:40 p.m. EDT, 2340 UTC) on Wednesday, which also happens to be the 15th anniversary of the first Falcon 9 rocket launch. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 5)
SPACEX LAUNCHES MIDNIGHT HOUR STARLINK MISSION FROM FLORIDA - SpaceX managed to launch its latest batch of Starlink satellites Tuesday morning following a scrub in the pre-dawn hours of Monday. Liftoff of the Starlink 12-19 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 12:43 a.m. EDT (0443 UTC) on Tuesday, June 3, as thunderstorms pushed offshore. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 4)
CREW PREPS FOR FOURTH AXIOM PRIVATE MISSION, KEEPS UP HUMAN RESEARCH - The Expedition 73 crew members are turning their attention to the upcoming fourth private mission from Axiom Space. While the International Space Station crewmates prepare for the Ax-4 quartet’s arrival aboard a SpaceX Dragon they also continued studying how their bodies are adapting to weightlessness in the midst of ongoing lab maintenance duties. More (Source: NASA - Jun 4)
ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES BLACKSKY’S NEXT GEN-3 SATELLITE ON ELECTRON ROCKET FROM NEW ZEALAND - Rocket Lab successfully launched its 65th Electron rocket to date on a mission in support of its customer, BlackSky, and the next launch for its Gen-3 satellite constellation. Teams launched the mission, dubbed ‘Full Stream Ahead,’ from Pad A at Rocket Lab’s launch complex in Mahia, New Zealand, at 11:57 a.m. NZT on June 3 (7:57 p.m. EDT, 2357 UTC on June 2). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 3)
SPACEX SCRUBS MONDAY MORNING LAUNCH OF 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX decided to scrub its plans to launch 23 Starlink satellites in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, though the company didn’t state a reason for the change in plans. The launch team is now targeting a liftoff of the Starlink 12-19 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday, June 3 at 12:29 a.m. EDT (0429 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 2)
WEST COAST FALCON 9 LAUNCHES 27 SATELLITES FOR SPACEX’S STARLINK INTERNET SERVICE - SpaceX closed out May with its 16th Falcon 9 launch of the month. The Saturday afternoon launch from the company’s West Coast launch pad carried 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to a low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-18 mission from a foggy Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 1:10 p.m. PDT (4:10 p.m. EDT, 2010 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 1)
ISS MISSIONS WITH RUSSIA ARE LIKE WORKING WITH NAZIS, SAYS FORMER US ASTRONAUT - A retired US astronaut has told RFE/RL that joint missions with Russia on the International Space Station (ISS) should be scaled back, comparing them to collaboration with Nazi Germany at the height of World War II. "Cooperating with the Russians on the ISS is like going on an Antarctic expedition with Nazis in 1943," said Terry Virts, a former commander on the station. More (Source: Radio Free Europe - Jun 1)
HOW MANY SATELLITES COULD FIT IN EARTH ORBIT? AND HOW MANY DO WE REALLY NEED? - The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause? In the last five years, the number of satellites orbiting Earth has more than doubled and will likely double again within a similar timespan, thanks to the efforts of private companies such as SpaceX. But while these spacecraft can provide important benefits, they are also causing multiple issues that are only just being realized by scientists. More (Source: Live Science - May 31)
U.S. SPACE FORCE, LOCKHEED MARTIN LAUNCH NEWEST GPS SATELLITE ON SPACEX FALCON ROCKET - The latest addition to the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation launched into medium Earth orbit Friday afternoon, skirting some season thunderstorms passing through the area. The GPS III-7 Space Vehicle 08 (SV-08) launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff occurred at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 UTC), the end of a 15-minute window. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 31)
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