CHINA'S SHENZHOU 14 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER HELPING BUILD TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's Shenzhou 14 astronauts have handed over control of the Tiangong space station and returned to Earth. The return capsule from the mission's Shenzhou spacecraft set down safely after sunset within the Dongfeng landing area in the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Sunday (Dec. 4) at around 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT, 8:00 p.m. local time), about nine hours after undocking from the country's recently completed Tiangong space station.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 5)

ASTRONAUTS INSTALL NEW SOLAR ARRAY OUTSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio headed outside the International Space Station Saturday for a seven-hour spacewalk to install and unfurl a new roll-out solar array recently delivered by a SpaceX cargo ship. Cassada and Rubio, both on their first flights to space, began the spacewalk at 7:16 a.m. EST (1216 GMT) Saturday. The start of the excursion was officially marked when the astronauts switch their spacesuits to battery power.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 4)

FCC APPROVES SPACEX’S STARLINK GEN 2 APPLICATION UP TO 7,500 SATELLITES - The FCC approved part of SpaceX’s application for the second generation of the Starlink constellation, which will allow SpaceX to deploy up to 7,500 satellites. The order was a partial approval, because SpaceX had requested approval for 29,988 satellites, and the order also put additional constraints on the system.  The FCC’s partial approval released Dec. 1 worked to strike a balance of approving the system in order to bridge the digital divide, while protecting against orbital debris and spectrum interference and responding to other operators’ concerns.    More
(Source: Via Satellite - Dec 3)

ASTRONOMERS DENOUNCE SUPER-BRIGHT NEW BLUEWALKER 3 SATELLITE - Astronomers are increasingly concerned about the future of the night sky as new images show shocking trails left by a massive communications satellite against otherwise clear, dark patches of sky. In September, AST SpaceMobile launched the first satellite of a new constellation into orbit, paving the way for a system of cell phone towers in space. This prototype, known as BlueWalker 3, carries the largest antenna of any commercial communications satellite to date — and it's now one of the brightest things in the sky, outshining even some of the most famous stars.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 2)

CHINA HAS 6 ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE FOR THE 1ST TIME - China currently has six astronauts in orbit for the first time as the country carries out a space station crew handover. Three astronauts launched aboard the Shenzhou 15 spacecraft on Tuesday (Nov. 29) and docked with the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours later. Chen Dong, commander of the three-person Shenzhou 14 crew already aboard the newly-completed Tiangong, opened the hatch between the space station and spacecraft at 6:33 p.m. EST (2333 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 2)

NASA TO PROVIDE LIVE COVERAGE OF US SPACEWALKS OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a pair of U.S. spacewalks in December to install rollout solar arrays to increase electrical power in support of station operations and scientific research. NASA will provide live coverage of the first spacewalk beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 3 on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7:25 a.m. and last about seven hours.   More
(Source: NASA - Dec 2)

VEGA C TO LAUNCH FIVE COPERNICUS SPACECRAFT - The European Commission awarded a contract to Arianespace Nov. 29 for launches of five Copernicus Earth observation spacecraft on Vega C rockets between 2024 and 2026. The contract, Arianespace Chief Executive Stéphane Israël said in a press conference, secures the position of the European Commission, which operates both Copernicus and the Galileo navigation constellation, as the launch provider’s top institutional customer.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 1)

SHENZHOU 15 ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT CHINA’S SPACE STATION FOR FIRST CREW HANDOVER - China has six astronauts aboard its recently-completed space station for the first time following the arrival of three crew members aboard Shenzhou-15. Shenzhou-15 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 10:08 a.m. Eastern Nov. 29. Rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong space station was completed at 4:42 p.m., China’s human spaceflight agency, CMSA, confirmed.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 30)

SOYUZ-2.1B LAUNCHES FINAL GLONASS-M SATELLITE FROM PLESETSK - At 15:17 UTC on Nov. 28, a Soyuz-2.1b launched from Site 43/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, carrying the final GLONASS-M satellite to orbit, designated Kosmos-2564. This is the first of two planned launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in just three days, with a classified payload scheduled to launch onboard a Soyuz-2.1a on Wednesday, Nov. 30.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Nov 30)

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