SPACEX LAUNCHES 22 STARLINK SATELLITES, LANDS ROCKET ON SHIP AT SEA - SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites tonight (Aug. 6) and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight at 10:41 p.m. EDT (0241 GMT on Aug. 7). The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth as planned, landing about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. More (Source: Space.com - Aug 7)
NASA AND AXIOM SPACE SIGN-ON FOR 4TH PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION TO SPACE STATION - NASA and Axiom Space are honing-in on launch dates for the next two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station. NASA and Axiom are now targeting no earlier than January for the company's third private astronaut mission, Ax-3, one of the space agency's social media accounts revealed on Twitter. Addressing the delay from a previously announced November 2023 launch date, a follow up statement clarified that "this timeframe allows for teams to collaborate on the integration of the mission's scientific research priorities that continue to expand on what we can learn in low Earth orbit to benefit humanity." More (Source: Space.com - Aug 6)
CAPELLA’S EARTH-IMAGING SATELLITES ARE DEORBITING FASTER THAN EXPECTED - Capella Space’s synthetic aperture radar satellites are falling back to Earth much sooner than the three years they were anticipated to operate, according to publicly available satellite data. The startup has launched a total of ten small satellites to low Earth orbit since 2018, including eight in its family of “Whitney”-class spacecraft. Five of these satellites have reentered the atmosphere since the end of January of this year, including three of the Whitneys. Those Whitney sats were in orbit for less than two-and-a-half years; one, Capella-5, was in orbit for less than two years. More (Source: TechCrunch - Aug 5)
CYGNUS CARGO SHIP BERTHED AT SPACE STATION - An unpiloted Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship carrying four tons of supplies and equipment caught up with the International Space Station early Friday to wrap up a smooth two-and-a-half-day rendezvous. As the two spacecraft passed 260 miles above northern Africa, astronaut Woody Hoburg, operating the station’s Canadian-built robot arm from inside the lab complex, locked onto a grapple fixture at the base of the Cygnus at 5:52 a.m. EDT (0952 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 5)
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION NATIONAL LABORATORY AND PRIVATEER ANNOUNCE DATA AND INFORMATION SHARING PARTNERSHIP FOR GROWING SPACE COMMUNITY - The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and Privateer Space, a leader in space decision intelligence and data infrastructure, announced a partnership to bring additional resources to the growing space economy. The announcement was made during a session at the annual ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) focused on companies innovating within the space landscape. In 2022, Privateer developed Wayfinder, a free online tool that provides real-time data of satellite and debris visualization in space. The platform can be used by interested partners and agencies, as well as the general public, to keep space safe and accessible. Wayfinder can also serve as a marketplace for low-cost access to a variety of global remote sensing data to improve life on Earth. More (Source: SpaceRef - Aug 4)
WATCH A CARGO SPACECRAFT DOCK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EARLY ON AUG. 4 - The International Space Station (ISS) is about to get a visit from a familiar guest. Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft will dock at the station on Friday (Aug. 4), at 5:54 a.m. EDT (0954 GMT). This won't be a social visit, however. NG-19 Cygnus, also known as the SS Laurel Clark, named for the fallen space shuttle Columbia astronaut, will be hauling 8,200 pounds (3,700 kilograms) of cargo for the ISS. The whole rendezvous will be viewable live via NASA TV starting at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT). Watch it live here courtesy of the agency. More (Source: Space.com - Aug 4)
INTELSAT COMPLETES REFRESH OF SATELLITES WITH FALCON 9 LAUNCH OF GALAXY 37 - SpaceX launched an Intelsat communications satellite early Thursday, part of a fleet-wide refresh under a Federal Communications Commission push to free up transmission space for 5G cellular networks. The Falcon 9 blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1 a.m. EDT, lighting up the overnight sky as it arced away to the east atop 1.7 million pounds of thrust. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 4)
CHINA FOCUS: CHINA LAUNCHES FY-3F METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE - China on Thursday launched a satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Fengyun-3F (FY-3F) satellite was launched at 11:47 a.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-4C carrier rocket and successfully entered the planned orbit. The satellite was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and its ground application system is operated by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). More (Source: Xinhua - Aug 4)
NEW TARGET LAUNCH DATE SET FOR NEXT CREWED MISSION TO SPACE STATION - NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 5:23 a.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 21, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station. The adjusted date allows additional time for launch site processing at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If needed, a backup opportunity is available at 3:49 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. The target date is in coordination with activities aboard the International Space Station, including operations with other crew and cargo spacecraft. A Cygnus cargo spacecraft from Northrop Grumman and Roscosmos Progress cargo spacecraft are due at the station in the coming weeks. More (Source: NASA - Aug 3)
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