BLUEWALKER-3 SATELLITE LAUNCHES THIS WEEKEND, MAY BE BRIGHT - A new satellite launching this weekend BlueWalker-3 could be conspicuously bright once it’s unfurled in orbit. A routine SpaceX Starlink launch this coming weekend carries an unusual passenger, that you many be able to easily see gliding through the increasingly crowded night sky. The launch is set to occur along with Starlink Group 4-2 from launch pad LC-39A from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, September 10th, at 9:10 PM EDT/1:10 UT (on the 11th)   More
(Source: Universe Today - Sep 10)

FCC TO SET FIVE-YEAR DEADLINE FOR DEORBITING LEO SATELLITES - The Federal Communication Commission wants to require operators of low Earth orbit satellites to deorbit their spacecraft within five years after their mission ends, a much shorter timeframe than currently required. The FCC issued a draft order Sept. 8 setting a “five-year rule” for post-mission disposal of LEO satellites. The commission will take up the order at its Sept. 29 open meeting.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Sep 9)

EUTELSAT INTERNET SATELLITE LAUNCHED ABOARD ARIANE 5 ROCKET - A powerful Eutelsat commercial communications satellite launched Wednesday aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana, heading into orbit on a mission expected to last more than 15 years to provide broadband connectivity to rural households, ships, and airplane passengers across Europe. The Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite was the sole payload aboard the Ariane 5 rocket as it vaulted off its launch pad at the European-run Guiana Space Center Wednesday. Liftoff of the 180-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket occurred at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT) from the ELA-3 launch zone at the jungle spaceport in French Guiana.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 8)

DREAM CHASER SPACEPLANE WILL CARRY 'SCIENCETAXI' LAB TO SPACE STATION - Sierra Space and its parent aerospace company are opening their wings to new contracts in defense and life sciences. The Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC)-led group garnered deals using the flagship Dream Chaser space plane and several defense vehicles in August. (Sierra Space is a separate company to SNC, but is also subsidiary to SNC.)   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 7)

CHINA LAUNCHES TWICE IN UNDER TWO HOURS AND CONDUCTS SPACEWALK - A few busy days are behind the Chinese space program. Not only did three orbital launches occur from China, but also, the Shenzhou-14 crew performed an EVA outside of the Tiangong space station. Additionally, a newly shared photo of the Chinese ZQ-2 rocket shows a close race against the American Terran 1 and Starship vehicles to be the first methane-fueled rocket in orbit.   More
(Source: MASASpaceFlight.com - Sep 7)

SWOT SATELLITE ALL SET TO DEPART FOR UNITED STATES - After more than a year in assembly, integration and testing at Thales Alenia Space’s facility in Cannes, France, for the French and U.S. space agencies CNES and NASA, the SWOT satellite (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) is making final preparations to depart for its forthcoming launch from the United States. SWOT is a joint mission of CNES and NASA, with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA).   More
(Source: Thales - Sep 7)

HIGH-POWER EUROPEAN BROADBAND SATELLITE SET FOR LAUNCH FROM FRENCH GUIANA - An Ariane 5 rocket is set to blast off Wednesday from French Guiana — a day later than planned due to a poor weather forecast Tuesday — with a Eutelsat-owned satellite designed to beam broadband internet signals across Europe from a position in geostationary orbit. Billed as the most powerful communications satellite ever built in Europe, the new spacecraft is riding as a solo passenger on the European Ariane 5 rocket set for liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the European-run spaceport in French Guiana. The launch window Wednesday opens at 5:45 p.m EDT (2145 GMT; 6:45 p.m. French Guiana time) and extends for an hour and 26 minutes...   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 7)

INCREDIBLE AURORA FILMED FROM ISS AFTER HUGE SOLAR STORM HITS EARTH - An incredible aurora has been filmed from the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbited hundreds of miles above the Earth. NASA posted the captivating footage to Twitter on Sunday after a geomagnetic storm hit our planet. The time-lapse video shows a view from the ISS as it traveled around 270 miles above the Indian Ocean toward the Coral Sea east of Australia, during which time the "magnificent" aurora could be seen.   More
(Source: Newsweek - Sep 6)

CHINA BEGINS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FOR FINAL SPACE STATION MODULE - Work to assemble a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket is underway at Wenchang spaceport as China prepares to complete the construction of its Tiangong space station. Components of the 849-metric-ton Long March 5B rocket were recently delivered to Wenchang, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced Sept. 3. The rocket is now being prepared for an early October launch of the 17.9-meter-long, 4.2-meter-diameter and 22-ton Mengtian (“dreaming of the heavens”) experiment module.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Sep 6)

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