SLS LAUNCHES ARTEMIS 1 MISSION - After years of delays, NASA’s Space Launch System lifted off for the first time Nov. 16, sending an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a shakedown cruise around the moon. The SLS lifted off from Launch Complex 39B here at 1:47 a.m. Eastern. The rocket’s upper stage, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), separated from the core stage eight and a half minutes after liftoff. The Orion spacecraft will separate from the ICPS two hours and five minutes after liftoff, after the stage completes a translunar injection burn. More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 16)
FIRST-TIME NASA SPACEWALKERS VENTURED OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION TUESDAY - The first in a series of end-of-the-year spacewalks kicked off Tuesday morning outside the International Space Station. First-time spacewalkers and NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio began their excursion outside the space station at 9:14 a.m. ET and ended at 4:25 p.m. ET, lasting for 7 hours and 11 minutes. Cassada wore the spacesuit with red stripes as extravehicular crew member 1, while Rubio was in the unmarked suit as extravehicular crew member 2. More (Source: CNN - Nov 16)
CHINA’S NEW SATELLITE-HUNTING RADAR AIMS TO BLIND US - China’s new electronically scanned array radar aims to blunt the military advantages long provided by satellite intelligence, raising proliferation concerns in Washington and other Western capitals. The 10-meter-tall SLC-1 radar unveiled at this year’s Zhuhai Airshow can detect and track low-orbiting satellites and predict their paths, its manufacturer China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) claimed at the show, the South China Morning Post reported last week. More (Source: Asia Times - Nov 15)
CHINESE ROCKET BODY BREAKS UP IN ORBIT AFTER SUCCESSFUL SATELLITE LAUNCH - China sent the Yunhai 3 environmental monitoring satellite into orbit on Friday (Nov. 11), on the second launch of the nation's new Long March 6A rocket. The Long March 6A lifted off from the hilly Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China at 5:52 p.m. EST on Nov. 11 (2252 GMT; 6:52 a.m. Beijing time on Nov. 12), just hours before China launched its latest cargo mission to the Tiangong space station. The satellite entered its intended orbit, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight (SAST), the state-owned manufacturer of the launch vehicle, announced (opens in new tab) within an hour of launch. More (Source: Space.com - Nov 15)
AST SPACEMOBILE HITS KEY MILESTONE TOWARD SATELLITE-TO-SMARTPHONE 5G SERVICE - Satellite-to-smartphone connectivity venture AST SpaceMobile announced Monday that the wide antenna of its recently launched test satellite deployed successfully — a critical milestone in the company’s development of a global network to provide 5G broadband service. The BlueWalker 3 satellite, launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in September, deployed its 693-square-foot antenna — which the company calls the largest-ever array deployed in low Earth orbit. More (Source: CNBC - Nov 15)
STATION CREW GETS READY FOR PAIR OF SPACEWALKS THIS WEEK - Two astronauts and two cosmonauts are gearing up for a pair of spacewalks this week at the International Space Station. Their Expedition 68 crewmates assisted the spacewalkers with preparations on Monday while also continuing science and maintenance on the orbiting lab. NASA Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio are set to exit the space station after setting their spacesuits to battery power at 8 a.m. EST on Tuesday signifying the start of their spacewalk. The duo will work on the starboard side of the station’s truss structure and spend about seven hours assembling a mounting bracket to enable the future installation of rollout solar arrays. The new rollout solar arrays will augment the space station’s power generation system. More (Source: NASA - Nov 15)
NASA SETS COVERAGE FOR NEXT SPACEX RESUPPLY LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION - NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:19 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 21, to launch the company’s 26th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew. Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Friday, Nov. 18. Follow all events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live More (Source: NASA - Nov 15)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 BOOSTER INTO RETIREMENT ON INTELSAT MISSION - SpaceX launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket boosters for the last time Saturday on a rare expendable mission for Intelsat, devoting all of the launcher’s propellant toward placing a pair of television broadcasting satellites into orbit. Intelsat says it paid SpaceX an additional fee for the expendable mission. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:06 a.m. EST (1606 GMT) Saturday after a four-day delay caused by Hurricane Nicole. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 14)
CHINA LAUNCHES TIANZHOU 5 CARGO SHIP TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China just launched a cargo mission to its newly completed space station in preparation for a coming crewed flight. The Tianzhou 5 freighter lifted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province atop a Long March 7 rocket at 9:03 p.m. EST on Nov. 11 (0203 GMT and 10:03 a.m. Beijing time, Nov. 12). The 35-foot-long (10.6 meters) freighter docked with the Tiangong space station just over two hours later, at 11:10 p.m. EST (0410 GMT and 12:10 p.m. Beijing time on Nov. 12), Chinese space officials said (opens in new tab). More (Source: Space.com - Nov 13)
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