SPACEX LAUNCHES 51 STARLINK SATELLITES, LANDS ROCKET ON SHIP AT SEA - SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites toward orbit and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea today (May 10). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on schedule today at 4:09 p.m. ET (2009 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local California time). The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It touched down on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. More (Source: Space.com - May 11)
TIANZHOU-6 CARGO SPACECRAFT REACHES CHINA’S TIANGONG SPACE STATION - An upgraded Tianzhou cargo spacecraft docked at China’s Tiangong space station Wednesday ahead of a new crewed mission to the orbital outpost. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the coastal Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 9:22 a.m. Eastern, May 10. The rocket inserted the Tianzhou-6 spacecraft into its planned low Earth orbit around 20 minutes later. Docking at the Tiangong space station’s aft docking port occurred at 5:16 p.m., completing the rendezvous and docking process nearly eight hours after launch, according to China’s human spaceflight agency. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 11)
CHINA’S TIANZHOU 6 CARGO SHIP LIFTS OFF ON TIANGONG SPACE STATION MISSION - China’s Tianzhou 6 cargo ship lifted off on a resupply mission to the country’s Tiangong space station on Wednesday night – the first since the station was completed in November. The uncrewed ship – carrying 7.4 tonnes of fuel, food and other supplies – was launched on top of a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China’s Hainan island at 9.22pm, according to the China Manned Space Agency. More (Source: South China Morning Post - May 11)
VAST SPACE TO LAUNCH 1ST PRIVATE STATION ON SPACEX ROCKET IN 2025 - The first-ever private space station could launch to Earth orbit a little over two years from now. California-based startup Vast Space plans to loft its Haven-1 outpost aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than August 2025, the companies announced today (May 10). That initial mission will be followed in quick succession by Vast-1, a four-person jaunt to the new station that could last up to 30 days. Vast-1 will also launch atop a Falcon 9, and its astronauts will ride on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. More (Source: Space.com - May 11)
CHINA PREPARES RESUPPLY MISSION, LANDS SPACE PLANE, AND READIES METHANE ROCKET - China plans to continue its ongoing supply chain for the Tiangong Space Station (TSS) by launching the Tianzhou-6 mission. The launch is scheduled for 13:25 UTC on May 10 and will launch a Tianzhou capsule on top of a Chang Zheng 7 (Long March 7). The preparation for this mission began in late April. The Tianzhou-6 capsule was rolled to the fueling and encapsulation building to support final preparations before stacking on top of the rocket. At this stage, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) also stated that the capsule allows for 20% more payloads than previous Tianzhou capsules. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 10)
THE 1ST PHOTO OF EARTH FROM EUROPE'S POWERFUL NEW SATELLITE IS AMAZING - Europe's newest weather satellite has snapped an image of the Earth that reveals our planet's incredible beauty, despite gathering clouds. The image taken by Meteosat Third Generation — Imager 1 (MTG-I1) shows conditions over Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic to an incredible level of detail and demonstrates that the satellite is set to live up to its promise of revolutionizing weather forecasting including the prediction of severe weather. More (Source: Space.com - May 10)
THE SATELLITE BOOM IS FAR FROM OVER - The global satellite industry is booming and now dominates the rapidly expanding space economy. For 2023 and beyond, look for the sector to maintain its robust growth. The cost to build and launch satellites has declined sharply in recent years, which has led to their deployment in record numbers. In 2022, operational satellites increased more than 45% to over 7,000, according to Satellite Industry Association (SIA) President Tom Stroup. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 10)
CHINA’S SPACE STATION: MOVING TOWARDS UTILIZING THE ORBITING OUTPOST - China this week is expected to reach a new high point in outfitting its multi-modular space station as it moves from assembly in low Earth orbit to ongoing utilization. Rocket technicians at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in China’s southern island province of Hainan are in final readiness mode for the launch of a Tianzhou-6 uncrewed cargo spacecraft atop a Long March-7 Y7 booster, another upgrade in China’s blossoming space station program. The cargo craft-rocket combination has been rolled out vertically on a mobile launch platform, slowly scooting along on a specially-built track at the site. More (Source: SpaceRef - May 10)
NASA PROPOSES “HYBRID” CONTRACT APPROACH FOR SPACE STATION DEORBIT VEHICLE - NASA is proposing a hybrid contract approach for procuring a vehicle to help deorbit the International Space Station at the end of the decade, combining elements of cost-plus and fixed-price contracts. NASA released a draft request for proposals (RFP) May 4 for what the agency calls the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), a spacecraft that would dock to the station and perform a controlled reentry of it. NASA is seeking feedback on the draft through the end of the month before releasing a final RFP this summer. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 10)
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