ROCKET LAB’S ELECTRON SCRUBS NROL-199 MISSION - Rocket Lab scrubbed the launch the 29th Electron mission on August 2 due to unacceptable ground winds. NROL-199 will launch later this week from Launch Complex-1B (LC-1B) at Rocket Lab’s launch facility on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. In addition to the NROL-199 designation, the mission has been nicknamed “Antipodean Adventure” by Rocket Lab. It has been a tradition for the company to give each of its missions a unique nickname.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 2)

NASA INVITES MEDIA TO NEXT SPACEX COMMERCIAL CREW SPACE STATION LAUNCH - Media accreditation is now open for the launch of the fifth SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The earliest targeted launch date for the mission is Thursday, Sept. 29, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.    More
(Source: NASA - Aug 2)

RUSSIA LAUNCHES POTENTIAL INSPECTOR SATELLITE ON SOYUZ-2.1V - Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1v rocket today at 20:25 UTC from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The payload was the Kosmos-2558 satellite deployed into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). The payload is a satellite by the Russian Defense Ministry, with an unknown purpose. Kosmos is a generic filler name that is used for space assets of the former Soviet Union and now Russia. Kosmos-2558 in this case is a name for the payload that was assigned in order to not give the spacecraft’s true name and purpose.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 2)

WATCH ROCKET LAB LAUNCH A US SPY SATELLITE EARLY TUESDAY - Rocket Lab will launch a U.S. spy satellite in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (Aug. 2), and you can watch the action live. An Electron booster is scheduled to launch a payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Tuesday during a two-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT; 5 p.m. local time in New Zealand).   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 2)

RUSSIA HAS NOT YET FORMALLY NOTIFIED U.S. OF DECISION TO QUIT ISS, WHITE HOUSE SAYS - The United States said on July 26 that Russia has not formally notified NASA of its intention to quit the International Space Station (ISS) but that it is already "exploring options" for dealing with a withdrawal. The newly appointed head of Roskosmos, Yuri Borisov, said Russia will quit the ISS after 2024 to focus on building its own project in outer space.   More
(Source: Radio Free Europe - Aug 1)

STARLINK: WHY IS ELON MUSK LAUNCHING THOUSANDS OF SATELLITES? - Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been launching thousands of satellites into orbit. Many people say they've seen them in the skies. They're part of the Starlink project, which aims to provide high speed internet services from space, to remote areas on Earth. Starlink provides internet services via a huge network of satellites. It is aimed at people who live in remote areas who cannot get high-speed internet.   More
(Source: BBC News - Aug 1)

25-TON CHINESE ROCKET DEBRIS CRASHES TO EARTH OVER INDIAN OCEAN - A big piece of Chinese space junk has crashed back to Earth. The 25-ton (22.5 metric tons) core stage of a Long March 5B rocket reentered Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean this afternoon (July 30), ending its brief but controversial orbital stay. "#USSPACECOM can confirm the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Long March 5B (CZ-5B) reentered over the Indian Ocean at approx 10:45 am MDT [12:45 p.m. EDT; 1645 GMT] on 7/30," the U.S. Space Command announced via Twitter today (opens in new tab). "We refer you to the #PRC for further details on the reentry’s technical aspects such as potential debris dispersal + impact location."   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 31)

LONG MARCH 5B: DEBRIS FROM CHINESE ROCKET FALLS BACK TO EARTH - Chinese rocket debris has crashed to Earth over the Indian and Pacific oceans, US and Chinese officials say. China's space agency said most remains of the Long March 5 burnt in the atmosphere, identifying the Sulu Sea in the Pacific as the re-entry location. Earlier, space experts had said the probability of the rocket landing in a populated area was extremely low.   More
(Source: BBC News - Jul 31)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HAS 'PECULIAR ODOR,' ASTRONAUT SAYS - Call it the scent of space. There's a persistent "peculiar odor" on board the International Space Station (ISS) that takes a few days to get used to, according to European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. "When I got here a couple of months ago for my second flight, I could immediately smell a very peculiar odor that brought me back instantly to the memories and sensations of my first flight's odors," Cristoforetti shared on TikTok (opens in new tab) Monday (July 25).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 30)

Previous Next