CHINESE ASTRONAUTS 'STUCK' ON SPACE STATION TO GET A NEW SPACECRAFT AFTER DEBRIS STRIKE LEAVES THEM WITHOUT A RIDE HOME - China appears to have set a launch date for an uncrewed spacecraft that will replace one damaged by space debris while docked at the Tiangong Space Station. The three astronauts (or taikonauts) of the Shenzhou 21 mission are currently aboard China's Tiangong Space Station without a ride home after one of the nation's spacecraft was damaged by an apparent space debris strike. The impact left cracks in a window on the SZ-20 capsule, the spacecraft that launched the three crewmembers of the Shenzhou 20 crew to Tiangong in April 2025 and was set to bring them home.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 19)

POLAND IS READY TO LAUNCH ITS FIRST MILITARY SATELLITE, A SAR, FROM CALIFORNIA - The plans to launch Poland’s first military satellite, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite built by the Polish-Finnish consortium ICEYE, will be from Vandenberg AFB in California on November 22. The launch was originally planned for November 11, which coincidentally is Veterans day here in the states. This is all part of Poland’s plan to secure an Earth observation system for the country’s armed forces and will have its first three military satellites launched this month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-15 mission.   More
(Source: SatNews - Nov 18)

SPACEX LAUNCHES JOINT NASA-EUROPEAN SEA LEVEL MONITOR - SpaceX launched a joint NASA-European environmental research satellite early Monday, the second in an ongoing billion-dollar project to measure long-term changes in sea level, a key indicator of climate change. The first satellite, known as Sentinel-6 and named in honor of NASA climate researcher Michael Freilich, was launched in November 2020. The follow-on spacecraft, Sentinel-6B, was launched from California atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 12:21 a.m. EST.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 18)

SPACEX COMPLETES SECOND FASTEST TURNAROUND BETWEEN FALCON 9 LAUNCHES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX kicked off the weekend with a pair of Falcon 9 launches. With both flights depart Florida’s Space Coast at about three hours and 35 minutes of each other, this was the second shortest turnaround from Cape-based flights for SpaceX. The Starlink 6-85 mission was the second scheduled to fly, departing from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:44 a.m. EST (0644 UTC). The Starlink 6-89 mission launched from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 10:08 p.m. EST (0308 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 16)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 29 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX headed into the weekend with a pair of launches planned for Florida’s Space Coast with both supporting the company’s Starlink broadband satellite internet constellation. First up to bat was Starlink 6-89, which flew from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff happened at 10:08 p.m. EST (0308 UTC) with the rocket flying on a south-easterly trajectory.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 16)

NASA SETS LAUNCH COVERAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL OCEAN TRACKING MISSION - The agency is preparing to launch Sentinel-6B, an international satellite that will measure sea surface height for 90% of the planet’s ocean. NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Sentinel-6B, an international mission delivering critical sea level and ocean data to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial activities at sea.   More
(Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Nov 16)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 20 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH ON DIFFERENT SPACECRAFT AFTER FINDING WINDOW CRACKS IN THEIR OWN - The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou 20 mission safely touched down on the Dongfeng Landing Site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region shortly before 3.45 a.m. EST (0845 GMT) on Nov. 14, after spending over 6 months in low-Earth orbit aboard the Tiangong space station. Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie have since exited the return spacecraft and appear to be in good health, having made a final parachute-aided descent to Earth's surface.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 15)

POLAND SETS UP FIRST-EVER MILITARY SATELLITE LAUNCH - In a bid to secure an Earth observation system for the country’s armed forces, Poland is advancing a project to have its first three military satellites launched this month. Developed by a consortium of Finnish manufacturer ICEYE and Wojskowe Zakłady Łączności No 1, an offshoot of Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ, the national satellite reconnaissance system will be the first component of the military space capabilities Warsaw aims to field in the coming years, defense officials said.   More
(Source: Defense News - Nov 15)

6 THINGS TO KNOW FROM NASA ABOUT NEW US, EUROPEAN SEA SATELLITE - With launch set for no earlier than 12:21 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 17, Sentinel-6B is the latest satellite in a series of spacecraft NASA and its partners have used to measure sea levels since 1992. Their data has helped meteorologists improve hurricane forecasts, managers protect infrastructure, and coastal communities plan. After launch, Sentinel-6B will begin the process of data cross-calibration with its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, to provide essential information about Earth’s ocean.   More
(Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA - Nov 15)

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