SPACEX LAUNCHES U.S. SPACE FORCE’S FIRST MISSION OF 2023 ON FALCON HEAVY - A SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifted off Jan. 15 at 5:56 p.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying the U.S. Space Force USSF-67 mission to geostationary Earth orbit.  USSF-67 was the Space Force’s first national security mission of 2023 and marked Falcon Heavy’s fifth flight since its 2018 debut, as well as its second national security space launch following the Nov. 1 launch of USSF-44.  About two and a half minutes after liftoff, both side boosters separated. The second stage separated from the core stage just over four minutes after liftoff.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 16)

NSF AND SPACEX REACH AGREEMENT TO REDUCE STARLINK EFFECTS ON ASTRONOMY - The National Science Foundation has reached an agreement with SpaceX to mitigate the effects of the company’s second-generation Starlink satellites on astronomy, even as another organization goes to court to block the constellation’s deployment. NSF, which funds operations of several major observatories, announced Jan. 10 that is had completed an astronomy coordination agreement with SpaceX regarding its Gen2 Starlink constellation. The Federal Communications Commission granted a license Dec. 2 to allow SpaceX to deploy a quarter of that 30,000-satellite system while deferring consideration of the rest of the constellation.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 15)

NEW RUSSIAN CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR CREW OF DAMAGED SPACE CAPSULE - Russia's space agency Roscosmos announced new contingency plans Saturday for the three-member crew of a damaged capsule docked to the International Space Station, saying the U.S. member of the trio would return to Earth in a separate SpaceX vessel if they needed to evacuate in the next few weeks. The Soyuz MS-22 capsule, which serves as a lifeboat for the crew, sprang a coolant leak last month after it was struck by a micrometeoroid — a small particle of space rock — which made a tiny puncture and caused the temperature inside to rise.    More
(Source: voanews.com - Jan 15)

APSTAR, YAOGAN, AND SHIYAN PAYLOADS LIFT OFF FROM CHINA - China has launched two more missions to orbit, bringing its launch count in January to four launches already. First, a Chang Zheng 2C launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) on Thursday at 18:10 UTC, carrying APStar-6E. On Friday, a Chang Zheng 2D was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC), carrying the Yaogan-37 & Shiyan-22 A/B payloads.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jan 14)

EU INAUGURATES FIRST MAINLAND SATELLITE LAUNCH PORT - The European Union wants to bolster its capacity to launch small satellites into space with a new launchpad in Arctic Sweden. European officials and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the EU’s first mainland orbital launch complex on Friday during a visit to Sweden by members of the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm. The new facility at Esrange Space Center near the city of Kiruna should complement the EU’s current launching capabilities in French Guiana.   More
(Source: AP News - Jan 14)

VIRGIN ORBIT BLAMES LAUNCH FAILURE ON UPPER STAGE ANOMALY - Virgin Orbit says its first LauncherOne mission from the United Kingdom failed to reach orbit Jan. 9 when an anomaly caused a premature shutdown of the rocket’s upper stage. In a Jan. 12 statement, Virgin Orbit provided a few new details about the failed “Start Me Up” mission from England’s Spaceport Cornwall, which attempted to place nine satellites into orbit. The failure was the first for LauncherOne since an inaugural demonstration mission in 2020.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 13)

FIRST LAUNCH BY ABL SPACE SYSTEMS FAILS SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF - ABL Space Systems’ first RS1 rocket fell back on its launch pad at Kodiak Island, Alaska, shortly after liftoff Tuesday on the company’s first orbital launch attempt, destroying the rocket and damaging the ground facility, officials said. “After liftoff, RS1 experienced an anomaly and shut down prematurely,” ABL tweeted Tuesday. “This is not the outcome we were hoping for today, but one that we prepared for.”   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 12)

RUSSIA TO LAUNCH NEW SOYUZ CAPSULE TO REPLACE LEAKY SPACECRAFT ON SPACE STATION - Russia's space agency will launch an empty Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station February to replace a damaged spacecraft that is unsafe to return its crew of three to Earth, NASA and Russian space officials said Wednesday (Jan. 11).  The new MS-23 Soyuz spacecraft will launch on Feb. 20 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to replace the stricken Soyuz MS-22 capsule on the station, which suffered a coolant leak on Dec. 14 after being struck by a likely micrometeoroid, NASA and Russia's Roscosmos agency said.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 12)

SPACEX AND NASA TARGET CREW-6 ASTRONAUT LAUNCH IN MID-FEBRUARY - ASA's next crewed mission is approaching launch date. NASA and SpaceX are targeting mid-February for the launch of the next commercial crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry a crew of four to orbit aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavor, where the spacecraft will rendezvous and dock with the ISS for approximately six months of research and station maintenance.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 11)

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