CLASSIFIED CHINESE SATELLITE RELEASES SMALL OBJECT IN ORBIT - A classified Chinese technology verification satellite that launched earlier this month has apparently released an object into orbit alongside it. China launched (opens in new tab) Shijian 23 on a Long March 7A rocket on Jan. 8, sending the satellite into an initial transfer orbit to reach its intended geostationary orbit (GEO), around 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 25)

SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS COULD INTERFERE WITH METEOROLOGICAL SPECTRUM - Satellite megaconstellations could pose a threat to the spectrum that meteorologists are eager to protect from radio frequency interference. At the American Meteorological Society annual meeting in Denver, meteorologists and spectrum experts expressed concern about proposals for SpaceX’s second-generation Starlink broadband constellations and acknowledged that other proposed megaconstellations could create interference as well.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 24)

ASTRONAUTS RING IN CHINESE NEW YEAR ON TIANGONG SPACE STATION - A Chinese astronaut crew decked their space station in red to celebrate the new year. The Shenzhou 15 crew carried lucky red signs and strung red banners around the Tiangong space station to welcome the Chinese New Year on Sunday (Jan. 22), which will be the Year of the Rabbit. "As we welcome the upcoming spring festival in China's space station, we wish you all peace and joy [and] getting what you wish for," commander Fei Junlong said in the video released by the China National Space Administration.    More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 24)

ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE SPACEWALK TO PREP FOR NEW ISS SOLAR ARRAYS - Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA astronaut Nicole Mann suited up and floated outside the International Space Station Friday for a spacewalk to prepare the lab for arrival of another pair of new solar arrays later this year. The astronauts switched their spacesuits to internal battery power at 8:14 a.m. EST (1314 GMT) Friday to mark the official start of the spacewalk, the first of the year at the space station. They floated out of the Quest airlock to begin gathering tools and headed to the starboard, or right, side of the station’s power truss.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 23)

WATCH 2 ASTRONAUTS PERFORM 1ST SPACEWALK OF 2023 AT SPACE STATION TODAY - Two astronauts will conduct the first spacewalk of 2023 on Friday morning (Jan. 20), and you can watch the action live. NASA's Nicole Mann and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are scheduled to step outside the International Space Station (ISS) at 8:15 a.m. EST (1315 GMT) on Friday, kicking off a roughly 6.5-hour-long spacewalk. Watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the agency (opens in new tab). Coverage will start at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 22)

CHINA LAUNCHES 14 COMMERCIAL SATELLITES INTO ORBIT ATOP LONG MARCH 2D ROCKET - China has 14 new satellites in orbit following its fifth launch of 2023. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 10:14 p.m. EST (0314 GMT or 11:14 a.m. Beijing time on Jan. 15). Insulation tiles fell from the rocket as pink and purple exhaust propelled it above the frosty surrounding hills of Taiyuan. Aboard were 14 satellites for a range of customers. Six of the payloads were Jilin-1 optical and infrared remote sensing satellites for a commercial satellite firm spun off from an institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 21)

CREW READY FOR SPACEWALK AND CONDUCTS BIOLOGY, PHYSICS RESEARCH - The first spacewalk of 2023 will begin on Friday to continue upgrading the International Space Station’s power generation system. The Expedition 68 crew members finalized preparations today for the excursion while continuing advanced space research and orbital lab maintenance. Astronauts Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nicole Mann of NASA are due to spend about six-and-a-half hours working outside the station during a spacewalk on Friday.   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 20)

NASA SCALES BACK PROJECT TO SEND SCIENTISTS TO ISS - A budget shortfall has caused NASA to scale back plans for a project that would support sending scientists to the International Space Station to conduct research. NASA sought funding in fiscal year 2023 for Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science, or CERISS, intended ultimately to allow scientists to fly on private astronaut missions to the ISS or future commercial space stations to conduct “hyper-specialized” research more effectively than if done by a professional astronaut.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 20)

SPACEX'S FALCON HEAVY ROCKET LAUNCH LOOKED TOTALLY MAGICAL FROM THE ISS - What does a rocket launch look like? It depends where you see it from. Nearby, it looks like a fiery, roaring beast as the rocket and spacecraft ascend. If you're on the International Space Station orbiting above Earth, you might see an ethereal, wispy ghost formation in the distance. On Wednesday, NASA's ISS account tweeted a look at SpaceX's Jan. 15 Falcon Heavy rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The stunning views are just as much art as science.    More
(Source: CNET - Jan 20)

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