SPACEX TEST FIRES FALCON 9 BOOSTER FOLLOWING LAST-MINUTE LAUNCH SCRUB - SpaceX test fired a Falcon 9 on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral early Saturday to clear the booster for its 16th flight. A launch attempt early Friday was aborted in the final minute of the countdown. SpaceX did not disclose the reason for the scrub. SpaceX is pushing the envelope for the second time this week by attempting to fly a Falcon 9 rocket for the 16th time. On Sunday night another booster lifted off from the same launch pad becoming the first Falcon 9 rocket to make a 16th flight. Previously the Falcon 9 first-stage had been certified for use up to 15 times.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 15)

TAIWAN FLAGS SPACE AMBITION WITH DOMESTICALLY DEVELOPED WEATHER SATELLITE - Taiwan's first domestically developed weather satellite shows its determination to develop its space industry, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday, lauding the programme as a step to take the island to the stars. While Taiwan has since the 1990s had a satellite programme, called FORMOSAT, tension with China has given the government extra impetus, with plans to use satellites in medium- and low-earth orbit for internet services if China attacks and severs sea cables or other forms of communication.   More
(Source: Reuters - Jul 15)

CENTAUR MODIFICATIONS PUSH FIRST VULCAN LAUNCH TO FOURTH QUARTER - United Launch Alliance is now planning a first launch of its Vulcan Centaur rocket in the fourth quarter after the company completes modifications to and testing of the upper stage. In a call with reporters July 13, Tory Bruno, president and chief executive of ULA, said the changes to the Centaur upper stage stemmed from an investigation into a test mishap in March, where hydrogen leaked from a Centaur test article and ignited, damaging both the stage and the test rig. The company announced June 24 that it would delay the launch to make “minor reinforcements” to the Centaur.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 14)

ARIANE 5 RETIREMENT LEAVES EUROPE FACING AN ‘ACUTE LAUNCH CRISIS’ - Europe is facing months without its own independent access to space for large satellites following the retirement of its heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket this week after notching up its 117th and final mission over 27 years of operations. Ariane 6, the much-heralded successor, is still undergoing final development and testing. It is behind schedule and is unlikely to fly until the very end of this year, with some industry experts suggesting it may not make its maiden flight until later in 2024.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 13)

VIASAT-3 AMERICAS SATELLITE FACES DEPLOYMENT ISSUE - Viasat (VSAT.O) said on Wednesday there was an anomaly during the deployment of its ViaSat-3 Americas satellite in space which may affect the performance of the satellite, sending the company's shares down 20% after the bell. An unexpected event occurred during reflector deployment, the company said, adding that it had started a review. The ViaSat-3 Americas, designed to provide broadband connectivity in the Americas region, was launched onboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket on April 30.   More
(Source: Reuters - Jul 13)

CHINA’S LANDSPACE REACHES ORBIT WITH METHANE-POWERED ZHUQUE-2 ROCKET - Chinese private rocket firm Landspace achieved a global first late Tuesday by reaching orbit with a methane-fueled rocket. The 49.5-meter-long Zhuque-2 lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on July 11. Landspace and Chinese state media announced that the second Zhuque-2 reached orbit, making it the first methane-fueled globally to reach orbit. This was later verified by U.S. Space Force space tracking data, showing an object in a 431 by 461-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 97.3 degrees.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 12)

ASTRANIS WILL LAUNCH A DEDICATED INTERNET SATELLITE FOR THE PHILIPPINES NEXT YEAR - Space-based internet startup Astranis inked a new deal to launch and operate a dedicated satellite for the Philippines, which will provide enough bandwidth to connect up to 2 million people. Astranis is partnering with satellite services provider Orbits Corp, which will buy the capacity with its sister company HTechCorp., a Philippine internet service provider (ISP). The companies did not disclose the financial details of the contract.   More
(Source: TechCrunch - Jul 12)

CHINA LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITE TO TEST SATELLITE INTERNET TECHNOLOGY - A Long March 2C carrier rocket carrying a new satellite blasted off from northwestern China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday. The satellite, which will carry out test missions for satellite internet technologies, has since entered the predetermined orbit.    More
(Source: CGTN - Jul 10)

SPACEX, NASA TARGETING AUG. 15 FOR LAUNCH OF CREW-7 ASTRONAUT MISSION - SpaceX's next astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA now has a target launch date. The flight, known as Crew-7, will lift off on Aug. 15 if all goes according to plan, NASA officials announced on Wednesday (July 5). Like SpaceX's previous astronaut missions, Crew-7 will employ the company's Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. It will launch from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.   More
(Source: Yahoo News - Jul 9)

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