MOMENTUS DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL SATELLITES FROM VIGORIDE TUG - Momentus has deployed additional satellites from its first space tug that encountered technical problems shortly after its launch in May and is moving forward with a second launch later this year. The company said Aug. 2 that it deployed four satellites from the Vigoride-3 tug in July, in addition to two that were deployed three days after its launch May 25 on the SpaceX Transporter-5 rideshare mission. A seventh satellite, Bronco-Sat 1, was deployed from a second port on the Transporter-5 launch.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 4)

MISSION ENDS FOR COPERNICUS SENTINEL-1B SATELLITE - On 23 December 2021, Copernicus Sentinel-1B experienced an anomaly related to the instrument electronics power supply provided by the satellite platform, leaving it unable to deliver radar data. Since then spacecraft operators and engineers have been working tirelessly to rectify the issue. Unfortunately, despite all concerted efforts, ESA and the European Commission announce that it is the end of the mission for Sentinel-1B. Copernicus Sentinel-1A remains fully operational and plans are in force to launch Sentinel-1C as soon as possible.   More
(Source: European Space Agency - Aug 4)

RUSSIA'S SPACE AGENCY TO LAUNCH IRANIAN SATELLITE INTO ORBIT - Russia will launch an Iranian satellite into space on Tuesday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced on Wednesday. The satellite, named Khayyam, was developed and manufactured at enterprises that are part of Roscosmos, according to the agency. The remote-sensing satellite will provide "accurate spatial data" to Iran to improve agricultural productivity, monitoring of water resources, management of natural disasters and monitoring of mines and Iran's borders, among other uses, according to Iranian media.    More
(Source: The Jerusalem Post - Aug 4)

DID RUSSIA JUST LAUNCH A SPACECRAFT TO STALK A US SPY SATELLITE? - A newly launched Russian spy satellite may be tasked with stalking one of its American counterparts. The Russian satellite, known as Kosmos 2558 (opens in new tab), was rumored to be an "inspector" craft even before it lifted off on Monday (Aug. 1), Netherlands-based satellite tracker Marco Langbroek noted in a blog post on Tuesday (opens in new tab) (Aug. 2). And those rumors are unlikely to die down anytime soon.   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 4)

REPORT: U.S. SHOULD PUSH FOR GLOBAL RULES ON SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT - Commercial and government activities in outer space are increasingly endangered by rapidly growing congestion in the space environment. And it’s unclear how much longer industries and governments can continue to operate safely in space without globally coordinated space traffic management, says a new report from the Atlantic Council. The report by the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security urges the U.S. government and allies to push for an international framework for space traffic management. Maxar Technologies provided funding for the report.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 3)

ULA’S ATLAS 5 ROCKET MOVED TO LAUNCH PAD WITH U.S. MILITARY MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE - United Launch Alliance’s next Atlas 5 rocket rolled out to its launch pad Tuesday at Cape Canaveral for a fiery blastoff at dawn Thursday with a U.S. military missile warning satellite. The 194-foot-tall (59-meter) Atlas 5 rocket completed the 1,800-foot (550-meter) rollout in a little more than an hour. The rollout began at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) Tuesday with first motion out of the Vertical Integration Facility, a 30-story-tall assembly hangar where the Atlas 5 rocket was stacked over the last month.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 3)

NEW RUSSIAN SPACE CHIEF CLARIFIES COMMENTS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DEPARTURE - Yuri Borisov, the new head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, expanded on comments he made last week indicating the country's intent to disassociate from the International Space Station "after 2024." It appears some of that message may have been lost in translation. In an interview with Russia 24, a state-run Russian news channel, Borisov clarified, "We announced that we intend to do this not in 2024, but after 2024. In Russian, these are two big differences."   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 3)

ROCKET LAB’S ELECTRON SCRUBS NROL-199 MISSION - Rocket Lab scrubbed the launch the 29th Electron mission on August 2 due to unacceptable ground winds. NROL-199 will launch later this week from Launch Complex-1B (LC-1B) at Rocket Lab’s launch facility on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. In addition to the NROL-199 designation, the mission has been nicknamed “Antipodean Adventure” by Rocket Lab. It has been a tradition for the company to give each of its missions a unique nickname.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 2)

NASA INVITES MEDIA TO NEXT SPACEX COMMERCIAL CREW SPACE STATION LAUNCH - Media accreditation is now open for the launch of the fifth SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The earliest targeted launch date for the mission is Thursday, Sept. 29, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.    More
(Source: NASA - Aug 2)

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