WATCH ROCKET LAB LAUNCH A US SPY SATELLITE EARLY TUESDAY - Rocket Lab will launch a U.S. spy satellite in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (Aug. 2), and you can watch the action live. An Electron booster is scheduled to launch a payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Tuesday during a two-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT; 5 p.m. local time in New Zealand).   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 2)

RUSSIA HAS NOT YET FORMALLY NOTIFIED U.S. OF DECISION TO QUIT ISS, WHITE HOUSE SAYS - The United States said on July 26 that Russia has not formally notified NASA of its intention to quit the International Space Station (ISS) but that it is already "exploring options" for dealing with a withdrawal. The newly appointed head of Roskosmos, Yuri Borisov, said Russia will quit the ISS after 2024 to focus on building its own project in outer space.   More
(Source: Radio Free Europe - Aug 1)

STARLINK: WHY IS ELON MUSK LAUNCHING THOUSANDS OF SATELLITES? - Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been launching thousands of satellites into orbit. Many people say they've seen them in the skies. They're part of the Starlink project, which aims to provide high speed internet services from space, to remote areas on Earth. Starlink provides internet services via a huge network of satellites. It is aimed at people who live in remote areas who cannot get high-speed internet.   More
(Source: BBC News - Aug 1)

25-TON CHINESE ROCKET DEBRIS CRASHES TO EARTH OVER INDIAN OCEAN - A big piece of Chinese space junk has crashed back to Earth. The 25-ton (22.5 metric tons) core stage of a Long March 5B rocket reentered Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean this afternoon (July 30), ending its brief but controversial orbital stay. "#USSPACECOM can confirm the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Long March 5B (CZ-5B) reentered over the Indian Ocean at approx 10:45 am MDT [12:45 p.m. EDT; 1645 GMT] on 7/30," the U.S. Space Command announced via Twitter today (opens in new tab). "We refer you to the #PRC for further details on the reentry’s technical aspects such as potential debris dispersal + impact location."   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 31)

LONG MARCH 5B: DEBRIS FROM CHINESE ROCKET FALLS BACK TO EARTH - Chinese rocket debris has crashed to Earth over the Indian and Pacific oceans, US and Chinese officials say. China's space agency said most remains of the Long March 5 burnt in the atmosphere, identifying the Sulu Sea in the Pacific as the re-entry location. Earlier, space experts had said the probability of the rocket landing in a populated area was extremely low.   More
(Source: BBC News - Jul 31)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HAS 'PECULIAR ODOR,' ASTRONAUT SAYS - Call it the scent of space. There's a persistent "peculiar odor" on board the International Space Station (ISS) that takes a few days to get used to, according to European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. "When I got here a couple of months ago for my second flight, I could immediately smell a very peculiar odor that brought me back instantly to the memories and sensations of my first flight's odors," Cristoforetti shared on TikTok (opens in new tab) Monday (July 25).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 30)

CHANG ZHENG 2D LAUNCHES FROM XICHANG WITH YAOGAN-35 SATELLITES - The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) launched a trio of Yaogan 35 military reconnaissance satellites to orbit on the morning of Friday, July 29, as a Chang Zheng 2D rocket flew out of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Liftoff took place at 13:28 UTC. Yaogan Weixing – translating to “remote sensing satellite” and often shortened to Yaogan – is the name that the Chinese space administration gives to many of its military spacecraft, much like the “Kosmos” and “USA” designations that have been used by Russia and the United States.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jul 30)

ZIMBABWE TO LAUNCH FIRST SATELLITE IN JULY 2022 - In addition to enhancing mineral exploration, monitoring environmental hazards and droughts, and mapping human settlements and disease outbreaks, Zimbabwe will launch its first satellite next month. ZimSat-1, a nanosatellite, will be launched from the Japanese KIBO Module – Japan’s science module for the International Space Station (ISS).   More
(Source: Satellite Pro ME - Jul 30)

CONGRESS APPROVES INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXTENSION TO 2030 - Congress wants the International Space Station to keep going through the end of the decade. The newly passed Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022 includes a NASA authorization bill that, among other things, officially extends the agency's participation in the International Space Station (ISS) program by six years, to 2030.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 29)

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