SPACE FORCE OFFICIAL: COMMERCIAL SATELLITES CAN DO A LOT MORE THAN WE THOUGHT - A generation ago, when former NASA administrator Dan Goldin promoted the mantra of a "faster, better, cheaper" approach to the agency's science missions, critics often joked that NASA could only pick two. That's no longer the case. NASA is finding success in its partnerships with commercial space companies, especially SpaceX, with lower costs, quicker results, and improved performance. More (Source: Ars Technica - May 20)
SPACEX SCRUBS MONDAY NIGHT FALCON 9 LAUNCH MINUTES BEFORE LIFTOFF - SpaceX scrubbed the planned launch of its 60th Falcon 9 rocket of the year just minutes before its midnight mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took flight. The company concluded its broadcast before issuing a reason for the launch abort. When it launches, the Starlink 12-15 mission will carry 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. Among those, 13 feature Direct to Cell capabilities. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 20)
INDIAN ROCKET LAUNCH FAILS, EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE LOST - India's attempt to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite tonight (May 17) ended in failure. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-09 spacecraft lifted off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Saturday at 8:29 p.m. EDT (0029 GMT or 5:59 a.m. India Standard Time on Sunday, May 18). The satellite was lost due to an issue with the third stage of the rocket about six minutes into the launch. More (Source: Space.com - May 19)
WATCH INDIA LAUNCH ITS 2ND SPACE MISSION OF THE YEAR TONIGHT - India will launch an Earth-observing radar satellite tonight (May 17) on the nation's second mission of 2025, and you can watch the action live. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-09 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre tonight at 8:29 p.m. EDT (0029 GMT and 5:59 a.m. India Standard Time on Sunday, May 18). More (Source: Space.com - May 18)
LANDSPACE LAUNCHES 6 SATELLITES WITH ENHANCED ZHUQUE-2 ROCKET - Chinese launch startup Landspace sent six satellites into orbit Saturday with the fifth launch of its Zhuque-2 series methane-fueled rocket. The Zhuque-2E lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 17 from a dedicated pad at Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 18)
ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES RADAR IMAGING SATELLITE FOR IQPS - Rocket Lab launched the latest in a series of radar imaging satellites for a Japanese company May 17. An Electron rocket lifted off from Pad A at the company’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 4:17 a.m. Eastern. About 50 minutes later it deployed its payload, the QPS-SAR-10 satellite, into a circular 575-kilometer orbit at an inclination of 42 degrees. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 18)
RESEARCHERS UNVEIL UNPRECEDENTED SATELLITE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE TURNED OFF WHEN IT FLOATS OVER THE US: 'THIS WAS A PITY' - Determined to measure how much carbon Earth's forests capture, the European Space Agency and Airbus have developed the Biomass satellite. Launched on April 29, Biomass uses the P-band of the radio spectrum — usually banned for satellites — to gather its info, ABC News reported. Biomass is the first satellite of its kind and will be in orbit for about five years. Before its development, scientists had no direct way to measure how much carbon forests absorb. More (Source: Yahoo News - May 17)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 1,000TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF THE YEAR DURING FRIDAY MORNING MISSION - SpaceX launched another batch of 26 Starlink satellites from California after sunrise Friday morning. With this mission, the company has now launched more than 1,000 of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff of the Starlink 15-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 6:43 a.m. PDT (9:43 a.m. EDT, 1343 UTC). This was the 20th orbital launch from California this year. A wildfire on the base, north of the pad, which was contained after spreading across 27 acres, did not affect the launch. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 17)
SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT LAUNCH TO ISS, AX-4, DELAYED TO JUNE 8 - We'll have a wait a bit longer to see the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) lift off. NASA announced on Wednesday (May 14) that the target launch date for Ax-4, the fourth crewed flight to the ISS by Houston-based company Axiom Space, has been pushed from May 29 to June 8. More (Source: Space.com - May 17)
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