ONEWEB RESUMES LAUNCHES WITH FIRST COMMERCIAL GSLV MK.III - OneWeb has resumed deployment of its satellite constellation with the launch of 36 satellites aboard India’s GSLV Mk.III rocket. The mission – which marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV – lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 12:07 AM local time on Sunday, Oct. 23 (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22). The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.III (GSLV Mk.III), also known as LVM3, is India’s largest and most powerful rocket.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 23)

FORGET YOUR MORNING COMMUTE — WE NOW HAVE SATELLITE TRAFFIC JAMS IN SPACE - Gone are the days of traffic jams solely being a problem for drivers on their way to work: we now have to consider satellite congestion in outer space, too. As it turns out, a growing number of active satellites is positively correlated to risks such as overlapping orbits and debris collision. And as impending launches draw closer, experts are exploring how LEO (or low Earth orbit) — the area around the Earth that has an altitude of less than 1,000 kilometers, or about 620 miles — can accommodate the increasing number of satellites the private sector is projected to deploy in a safe and sensible manner.    More
(Source: Discover Magazine - Oct 22)

ANOTHER BATCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES LAUNCH FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - Fifty-four Starlink internet satellites fastened to a Falcon 9 rocket blasted off Thursday from Cape Canaveral, continuing SpaceX’s deployments for a broadband network reaching into an ever-expanding market linking rural households, ships, commercial airplanes, and Ukrainian military forces in their fight against Russia. The 54 satellites launched at 10:50:40 a.m. EDT (1450:40 GMT) Thursday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 21)

FALCON 9 LEADING CANDIDATE TO LAUNCH EUROPEAN SCIENCE MISSION - A European astrophysics spacecraft stranded when Russia cut off access to Soyuz launch vehicles may instead fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9, NASA officials said Oct. 17. At a meeting of NASA’s Astrophysics Advisory Council, Mark Clampin, director of the agency’s astrophysics division, said his understanding is that the European Space Agency was leaning towards launching its Euclid mission on a Falcon 9 in mid to late 2023.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 20)

CHINA GEARS UP FOR LAUNCHES TO COMPLETE TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China is preparing to launch the final missions to complete its three-module Tiangong space station which it plans to keep constantly occupied for at least a decade. A Long March 5B is being assembled and tested at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan. The 849-metric-ton rocket is expected to launch the third and final module for the Tiangong space station at the end of October.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 19)

NASA IS GO FOR U.S. SPACEWALKS OUTSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA completed a flight readiness review in October, and is “GO” to resume routine spacewalks outside of the International Space Station. The first of three planned spacewalks is targeted to begin around mid-November to continue the work to install roll out solar arrays, called iROSA. The review marks the completion of an investigation into the cause of a thin layer of moisture being discovered in March inside ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer’s helmet after station airlock re-pressurization following a nearly seven-hour spacewalk.   More
(Source: NASA - Oct 19)

EUROPE’S ALL-NEW WEATHER SATELLITE ARRIVES AT LAUNCH SITE - After a two-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the ship transporting the first Meteosat Third Generation satellite docked at Pariacabo in French Guiana and the precious cargo unloaded. Now safe and sound in one of the spaceport’s cleanrooms, satellite engineers will ready it for liftoff on an Ariane 5 rocket in December. Once in geostationary orbit, this new satellite, which carries two new extremely sensitive instruments, promises to further bolster Europe's leadership in weather forecasting.   More
(Source: European Space Agency - Oct 19)

VIRGIN ORBIT TO LAUNCH FIRST SATELLITE IN EUROPE WITHIN SIX WEEKS - BRANSON - Richard Branson's small satellite service provider Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc (VORB.O) will be doing its first launch from European soil within the next six weeks, its founder said on Tuesday. "Virgin Orbit can launch satellites into space from anywhere in the world into any orbit at a days notice," Branson said during a press conference in Milan.   More
(Source: Reuters - Oct 19)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 14 ASTRONAUTS SNAP STUNNING PHOTOS OF EARTH, THE MOON AND MORE - China's Shenzhou 14 astronauts have been busy testing a new space station module, conducting spacewalks and carrying out experiments — but they've also found time to take some spectacular photos. China's human spaceflight agency, CMSA, released the photographs taken by the astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station during their ongoing mission, which launched June 3.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 17)

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