EUROPE PLANS TO LAUNCH A QUANTUM ENCRYPTION SATELLITE FOR ULTRASECURE COMMUNICATIONS IN 2024 - Europe is aiming to launch a technology demonstration satellite for secure, quantum-encrypted communications in 2024, with a view to developing a larger constellation. The satellite, Eagle-1, will be the first space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) system for the European Union and could lead to an ultrasecure communications network for Europe, according to a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA). More (Source: Space.com - Oct 16)
CHINA LAUNCHES FOUR OBSERVATION SATELLITES IN 48 HOURS - In a span of fewer than 48 hours, China has launched four observation satellites, three of them intended for military reconnaissance, and one intended for environmental monitoring. These launches were both conducted by Chang Zheng 2 family vehicles, the environmental satellite from Taiyuan in the north, and the military launch from Xichang in southwest China. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 22:53 UTC, a Chang Zheng 2C launched from Launch Complex-9 (LC-9) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 15)
HOTBIRD-13F LAUNCHES ABOARD FALCON 9 FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - The Eutelsat Hotbird-13F geostationary communications satellite launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Falcon 9 booster 1069-3, which had flown the CRS-24 and Starlink 4-23 missions, launched the Hotbird satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch occurred at the end of the window on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1:22 AM EDT (05:22 UTC). The Falcon 9 launched due East into an initial parking orbit inclination of 28 degrees from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on the grounds of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 15)
CREW-4 RETURNS TO EARTH - SpaceX completed its fourth operational commercial crew mission to the International Space Station Oct. 14 with the safe return of a Crew Dragon spacecraft with four American and European astronauts on board. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville, Florida, at 4:55 p.m. Eastern, less than five hours after undocking from the ISS, a record for fastest return of a Crew Dragon from the ISS. On board the spacecraft were NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. More (Source: SpaceNews - Oct 15)
SPACEX CREW-4 UNDOCKS FROM THE ISS AHEAD OF RETURN TO EARTH - After living and working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for close to six months, Crew-4 and its crew of international astronauts are preparing to undock from the orbiting laboratory and begin their return to Earth. The four-person crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Kjell N. Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, departed the ISS aboard Crew Dragon Freedom on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at 16:05 UTC. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 14)
AMAZON’S SET TO LAUNCH ITS PROTOTYPE INTERNET SATELLITES EARLY NEXT YEAR - mazon is getting ready to launch two test satellites for its Project Kuiper satellite internet constellation, built to compete with services like SpaceX Starlink and OneWeb. In a press release on Wednesday, the company says the prototypes, charmingly named Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2, will be riding into orbit on a Vulcan Centaur rocket from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) in early 2023. More (Source: The Verge - Oct 14)
NASA INVITES MEDIA TO LAUNCH OF WATER-MONITORING SATELLITE - Media accreditation is now open for the upcoming launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a pathfinder mission about Earth’s water that will use new technology to address climate change and its impact on our environment. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Monday, Dec. 5, for launch of the Earth-facing satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. U.S. and international media interested in attending this launch must apply no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 27. More (Source: NASA - Oct 14)
CHINA LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE IN 3RD FLIGHT IN 6 DAYS - China sent its third rocket aloft in a week on Wednesday (Oct. 12), this time to launch a satellite intended for environmental monitoring. A radar satellite known as S-SAR01, nicknamed Huanjing-2E, flew to space atop a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi province, according to Chinese state media. Liftoff happened at 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT Wednesday, or 6:53 a.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 13). More (Source: Space.com - Oct 14)
NASA, SPACEX DELAY CREW CAPSULE RETURN TO WAIT FOR BETTER WEATHER - Four astronauts are preparing to ride a SpaceX Dragon crew capsule from the International Space Station back to Earth this week to close out a nearly six-month expedition, targeting splashdown off the coast of Florida. NASA and SpaceX officials waved off return opportunities Wednesday and Thursday due to unfavorable weather in the splashdown zones. Mission managers delayed the return of the Crew-4 mission from Wednesday and Thursday due to unfavorable weather in the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 13)
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