CHINA LAUNCHES THREE LEO COMMUNICATION SATELLITES AHEAD OF LAUNCH SURGE - China launched three payloads onboard a Chang Zheng 2C rocket today at 10:30 UTC and confirmed the success of the launch an hour later. For this flight, the additional Yuanzheng-1S third stage was used. The launch was conducted from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) and the rocket flew to a low Earth orbit (LEO). So far no details were released about the payloads, and only minimal information is out regarding the purpose of the three payloads. More (Source: NASASpaceFLight.com - May 22)
RUSSIA LAUNCHES BARS-M SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE - Just over three weeks after Russia launched the Kosmos 2555 spacecraft for the Russian military onboard an Angara 1.2 rocket, the country has now launched the Bars-M military surveillance satellite. The Soyuz 1.2a lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and placed the payload into a Sun-synchronous orbit. Liftoff occurred at 08:03 UTC on May 19. This was the 5th military launch by Russia in the past few months, an amount not seen by the country for quite some time. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 22)
STARLINER DOCKS WITH ISS FOR THE FIRST TIME - Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station May 20, a little more than 24 hours after its launch. The spacecraft docked with the forward docking port on the Harmony module of the station at 8:28 p.m. Eastern. Controllers reported a hard docking securing the spacecraft to the station about 20 minutes later, although hatches separating the spacecraft from the station won’t open until around 11:45 a.m. Eastern May 21. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 21)
BOEING STARLINER PROCEEDING TOWARD STATION TODAY - Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is proceeding toward the International Space Station on the NASA-Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). Boeing and NASA met as an International Space Station Mission Management Team (IMMT) this afternoon to review the status of the flight test and approved a plan to proceed toward the final phase of rendezvous and docking, which remains scheduled at for 7:10 p.m. EDT. Docking broadcast coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. More (Source: NASA - May 21)
ATLAS 5 LAUNCHES STARLINER ON SECOND UNCREWED TEST FLIGHT - Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station on a critical, long-delayed uncrewed test flight of the commercial crew vehicle. An Atlas 5 N22 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:54 p.m. Eastern May 19. The Starliner spacecraft, formally designated Spacecraft 2 by Boeing, separated from the dual-engine Centaur upper stage 15 minutes after liftoff, performing a 40-second orbital insertion burn 16 minutes later to place the spacecraft into a stable orbit. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 20)
EARTH-WATCHING SATELLITE BARELY ESCAPES COLLISION WITH RUSSIAN SPACE DEBRIS - An important Earth-observing satellite just experienced a heart-pounding near-miss as it moved to avoid space debris. The European Space Agency detailed the Sentinel-1A satellite's dramatic dodge in a series of tweets on Wednesday, pointing to a 2021 Russian missile test that scattered chunks of a defunct Cosmos satellite around in orbit. On Monday, Sentinel-1A performed a set of emergency maneuvers to avoid what ESA called a "high-risk collision." More (Source: CNET - May 19)
BOEING'S STARLINER CAPSULE READY FOR THIRD ATTEMPT TO REACH SPACE STATION - An Atlas 5 rocket carrying Boeing's Starliner crew capsule was mounted on its seaside launch stand Wednesday, setting the stage for blastoff Thursday on the company's third attempt to complete an unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station. Software glitches spoiled the Starliner's debut test flight in December 2019, preventing an autonomous rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station, and corroded valves derailed a planned reflight last August. More (Source: CBS News - May 19)
WATCH SPACEX LAUNCH 53 NEW STARLINK SATELLITES EARLY WEDNESDAY - SpaceX plans to launch 53 more Starlink internet satellites and land the returning rocket on a ship at sea early Wednesday morning (May 18), and you can watch all the action live. A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday at 6:20 a.m. EDT (1020 GMT). The rocket's first stage will land on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean about nine minutes after liftoff, if all goes according to plan. More (Source: Space.com - May 18)
STARLINER NEARS LAUNCH, CREW WORKS SPACE BOTANY AND HUMAN RESEARCH - The International Space Station is gearing up for the targeted arrival of Boeing’s Starliner crew ship on the company’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission. Meanwhile, the Expedition 67 crew is continuing its ongoing life science activities while maintaining orbital lab systems. Weather forecasters are predicting a 70% chance for favorable weather when Boeing’s OFT-2 mission is scheduled to launch at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday. More (Source: NASA - May 18)
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