SLS TO ROLL BACK TO VAB AS HURRICANE APPROACHES FLORIDA - NASA will move the Space Launch System rocket from its launch pad back the Vehicle Assembly Building as a precaution for an approaching hurricane, a decision that may delay the Artemis 1 mission until November. NASA announced Sept. 26 that mission managers decided, after days of deliberation, to move the SLS from Launch Complex 39B back to the VAB as a precaution given the approach of what is now Hurricane Ian to Florida. More (Source: SpaceNews - Sep 27)
NRO SATELLITE FLIES TO ORBIT IN DELTA 4’S FINAL WEST COAST LAUNCH - United Launch Alliance launched a classified National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite on a Delta 4 Heavy rocket September 24 at 3:25 p.m. Pacific from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. NROL-91 is the Delta 4’s final mission from the West Coast. The vehicle last flew in April 2021 when it launched NROL-82. About four minutes into flight, the outer boosters of the three-core Delta 4 Heavy separated. The second stage separated about two minutes later. More (Source: SpaceNews - Sep 27)
OPEN COSMOS UNVEILS OPENCONSTELLATION, SHARED SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE - British small satellite startup Open Cosmos announced plans Sept. 21 for OpenConstellation, shared space infrastructure that offers partners access to satellite data. At the International Astronautical Congress here, Open Cosmos invited countries, institutions or companies around the world to contribute their satellites to OpenConstellation. Eventually, Open Cosmos hopes OpenConstellation expands to include 25 satellites with sensors offering varying spatial and spectral resolutions. More (Source: SpaceNews - Sep 23)
SOYUZ MS-22 SPACECRAFT DOCKS TO SPACE STATION – NEW CREW BEGINS SIX-MONTH MISSION - NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:06 p.m. EDT (10:06 a.m. PDT) on Wednesday, September 21. The hatches between the International Space Station and the newly arrived Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft officially opened at 3:34 p.m. EDT. With the arrival of three new crew members in addition to the existing seven people already aboard for Expedition 67, the station’s population temporarily increases to 10. More (Source: SciTechDaily - Sep 23)
NASA ASTRONAUT LAUNCHES TO SPACE STATION ABOARD RUSSIAN ROCKET - Despite severely strained U.S.-Russian foreign relations, an American astronaut joined two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan and rocketed into orbit Wednesday on a two-orbit flight to the International Space Station. With commander Sergey Prokopyev at the controls, flanked on the left by co-pilot Dmitry Petelin and on the right by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, the Soyuz 2.1a rocket roared to life at 9:54 a.m. EDT (6:54 p.m. local time) and smoothly climbed away from its firing stand at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 22)
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLS OUT FOR LAUNCH OF RUSSIAN-AMERICAN CREW TO SPACE STATION - Ground teams at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan rolled a Soyuz rocket to its launch pad Sunday, moving a step closer to liftoff Wednesday with a team of two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut heading for the International Space Station, the first flight of a U.S. crew member on a Russian spacecraft since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More (Source: - Sep 21)
STARLINK GROUP 4-34 MISSION FINALLY LIFTS OFF AFTER WEATHER DELAYS - A SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 carrying 54 Starlink satellites has finally launched at 8:18 PM EDT on Sunday, Sept. 18 (00:18 UTC on Sept. 19) after unfavorable weather scrubbed attempts on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. A Saturday launch opportunity was also called off. This mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Sep 20)
PLANET SHARES INFORMATION ON TANAGER HYPERSPECTRAL CONSTELLATION - Planet released additional information about the hyperspectral constellation the Earth-observation company is developing through the Carbon Mapper public-private partnership. San Francisco-based Planet remains on schedule to launch the first two hyperspectral satellites in 2023 to gather data in 400 spectral bands with a resolution of 30 meters per pixel. While data to pinpoint methane and carbon dioxide sources will be shared publicly through the Carbon Mapper Coalition, Planet also will combine hyperspectral data with electro-optical imagery obtained by its Dove, Pelican and SkySat satellite fleets... More (Source: SpaceNews - Sep 19)
CHINESE ASTRONAUTS TAKE 4-HOUR SPACEWALK OUTSIDE NEW LAB AT TIANGONG SPACE STATION - Two Chinese astronauts took four-hour spacewalk outside the country's growing Tiangong station this weekend to work on its newest laboratory module, according to state media reports. Astronauts Chen Dong and Cai Xuzhe of the China National Space Administration began their spacewalk Saturday (Sept. 17) at 1:35 a.m. EDT (0535 GMT or 1:35 p.m. Beijing time) outside the Tiangong space station and spent 4 hours and 12 minutes working on its new Wentian laboratory module, according to the state-run CCTV news channel (opens in new tab). More (Source: Space.com - Sep 18)
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