RUSSIAN SPACE DEBRIS FORCES SPACE STATION TO DODGE, DELAYS US SPACEWALK - NASA delayed a planned spacewalk to venture outside the International Space Station at the last moment on Wednesday after a large piece of Russian space debris came dangerously close to the orbital outpost. NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada were getting ready to step out from the U.S.-built Quest airlock on the International Space Station early Wednesday (Dec. 21) to install new solar arrays when their Mission Control team commanded them to halt the work. Instead, the space station will perform an emergency maneuver to get out of the way of a large piece of space debris that is on track to get dangerously close to the lab later in the day. The spacewalk was ultimately rescheduled for Thursday, Dec. 22. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 22)
TWO PLéIADES NEO EARTH-IMAGING SATELLITES LOST IN FAILURE OF EUROPE’S VEGA C ROCKET - The final two spacecraft in Airbus’s four-satellite, 600 million-euro commercial Pléiades Neo Earth observation fleet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after launch from French Guiana Tuesday night, falling victim to a failure of a European Vega C rocket. The Vega C rocket’s launch operator, Arianespace, confirmed the mission failed to place the two Pléiades Neo optical imaging satellites into orbit. The preliminary focus of the failure investigation centered on the Vega C rocket’s second stage. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 22)
VEGA C FAILS ON SECOND LAUNCH - The second flight of Arianespace’s Vega C failed to reach orbit Dec. 20 after its second stage malfunctioned, destroying two Pléiades Neo imaging satellites. The Vega C rocket lifted off at 8:47 p.m. Eastern from Kourou, French Guiana, carrying the Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 imaging satellites for Airbus. The liftoff took place on schedule and the initial phases of flight appeared to go as planned. However, on-screen telemetry showed that the rocket was deviating the from its planned trajectory within four minutes of liftoff, during the burn of the rocket’s Zefiro-40 second stage. More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 21)
SPACEX PREPARING TO START STARLINK GEN2 LAUNCHES THIS MONTH - SpaceX could start launching second-generation Starlink satellites in the coming weeks to add more capacity to its increasingly congested broadband network. In Dec. 16 regulatory filings with the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX said it “anticipates that it will begin launching Gen2 satellites before the end of December 2022.” The company is asking the FCC for a 60-day special temporary authority (STA) to connect existing user terminals to the upcoming satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO). If granted, the STA would allow SpaceX to start providing Gen2 services while waiting for the FCC to process its application for longer-term approval. More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 20)
RUSSIA MAY EXPEDITE LAUNCH OF NEXT SPACE CAPSULE AFTER LEAK - Russia's space corporation Roscosmos said Monday that a coolant leak from a Russian space capsule attached to the International Space Station doesn't require evacuation of its crew, but the agency kept open the possibility of launching a replacement capsule, if needed. Roscosmos said a panel of experts would determine later this month whether the Soyuz MS-22 capsule could be safely used by the crew for its planned return to Earth or if it should be discarded and replaced. More (Source: Yahoo News - Dec 20)
METEOROID STRIKE MAY HAVE CAUSED SOYUZ SPACECRAFT LEAK, RUSSIAN STATE NEWS REPORTS - The Russian space agency will decide by the end of December whether to fly a space station crew back to Earth in a damaged Soyuz spacecraft. The Russian federal space agency Roscosmos stressed there is no immediate danger regarding the damaged Soyuz spacecraft, which suddenly leaked coolant while docked to the International Space Station on Thursday (Dec. 14), potentially leaving three crew members without a lifeboat in case of trouble. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 20)
NORTH KOREA SAYS LATEST LAUNCHES TESTED 1ST SPY SATELLITE - North Korea said Monday it fired a test satellite in an important final-stage test for the development of its first spy satellite, a key military capability coveted by its leader Kim Jong Un along with other high-tech weapons systems. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency also released low-resolution, black-and-white photos showing a space view of the South Korean capital and Incheon, a city just west of Seoul, in an apparent attempt to show the North is pushing to acquire a surveillance tool to monitor its rival. More (Source: AP News - Dec 19)
ROCKET LAB DELAYS 1ST US LAUNCH DUE TO UNACCEPTABLY HIGH WINDS - Unfavorable upper level winds kept Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher on the ground Sunday night in Virginia. The company will try again Monday to launch its first mission from U.S. soil during a two-hour window opening at 6 p.m. EST (2300 GMT). An Electron rocket will head into orbit with three commercial radio frequency monitoring satellites for HawkEye 360. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 19)
NASA POSTPONES SPACEWALK TO SUPPORT SOYUZ INVESTIGATION - NASA is delaying a spacewalk at the International Space Station by two days to support the Russian investigation into a coolant leak on a Soyuz spacecraft docked there. In a statement late Dec. 16, NASA announced that a spacewalk by astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio, previously scheduled for Dec. 19, would be pushed back to Dec. 21. The spacewalk is the second of two planned to install a new set of solar arrays on the station, following one Dec. 3. More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 18)
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