U.S. SPACE COMMAND NEEDS HELP IDENTIFYING HOSTILE INTENT IN SPACE - If Russia or any other actor were to intentionally interfere with U.S. satellites, it would be difficult to identify the aggressor, said the top commander of U.S. military space operations. “The challenge in the space domain is determining intent,” Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, said Feb. 23. Dickinson spoke at the National Security Space Association’s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference via video conference from Colorado Springs.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 26)

RUSSIA HALTS SOYUZ LAUNCHES FROM FRENCH GUIANA - Roscosmos announced Feb. 26 that it is halting cooperation with Europe on Soyuz launches from French Guiana and withdrawing its personnel from the launch site in response to European sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In response to EU sanctions against our enterprises, Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners in organizing space launches” from French Guiana, Roscosmos said in a pair of tweets, citing a statement by its head, Dmitry Rogozin. The agency said it will withdraw the 87 employees of several Russian companies that support Soyuz launches there, although the details of that withdrawal are “being worked out.”   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 26)

STARLINK LOSS HIGHLIGHTS CURRENT SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CAPABILITIES, COMING ADVANCEMENTS - On February 8, 2022, SpaceX announced the loss of around 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites launched on the Starlink Group 4-7 mission from LC-39A on February 3. For spacecraft initially orbiting at low altitudes, as the Starlinks did at the time upon deployment, many factors can lead to a craft not reaching its final intended orbit. However, the loss of the Group 4-7 satellites ultimately traces back to the Sun.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Feb 26)

NEW RUSSIA SANCTIONS WON'T IMPERIL INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OPERATIONS, NASA SAYS - The International Space Station program will continue business as usual, NASA assures us as the U.S. government levies new sanctions against Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine today (Feb. 24) in a series of military attacks. This action, which sparked international criticism, also prompted new and severe sanctions, U.S. President Joe Biden announced in a public address today. However, despite the new sanctions and continued warfare, NASA has asserted that civil cooperation between the U.S. and Russia in space, particularly with regard to the International Space Station, will continue.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 26)

LANDSAT 9 DECLARED OPERATIONAL, IXPE RETURNS FIRST SCIENCE IMAGERY - Two NASA satellites launched late last year are operational and returning imagery — one looking back at planet Earth and another peering into the cosmos in search of new insights into the remnants of dead stars. NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE, mission has returned data from the first of at least several dozen celestial targets mapped out for two years of primary science observations.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 24)

NORTHROP GRUMMAN TO LAUNCH NEW SATELLITE-SERVICING MISSION IN 2024 - SpaceLogistics, a satellite-servicing firm owned by Northrop Grumman, announced Feb. 21 it plans to send to orbit a new servicing vehicle in 2024 on a SpaceX rocket. This will be the debut of the company’s Mission Robotic Vehicle, a servicing spacecraft equipped with a robotic arm that will install propulsion jet packs on dying satellites. The first customer for the MRV is Optus, Australia’s largest satellite operator.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 22)

AVOIDING SATELLITE COLLISIONS: NOAA UNVEILS PROTOTYPE WARNING SYSTEM - A new collision-warning system could help satellite operators sleep a little easier. The prototype system, developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is designed to alert operators when their spacecraft may be on a collision course with another object. That's a real and growing concern, given how crowded Earth orbit is becoming.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 22)

CYGNUS CARGO SHIP ARRIVES AT SPACE STATION - Northrop Grumman’s 17th Cygnus resupply mission arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering 8,300 pounds (3,765 kilograms) of scientific experiments, food and other supplies. NASA astronaut Raja Chari captured the vehicle at 4:44 a.m. EST (0944 GMT) with the space station's robotic arm, while the two spacecraft flew over the Indian Ocean. A little over two hours later, at 7:02 a.m. EST (1202 GMT), the robotic arm attached Cygnus NG-17 to the space station's Unity module.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 22)

SPACEX ADDS 46 MORE SATELLITES TO STARLINK FLEET - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Monday from Cape Canaveral with 46 more satellites for the company’s Starlink broadband network, deploying the payloads in a higher orbit than recent flights after atmospheric drag brought down nearly 40 Starlink spacecraft from the previous mission. The launch Monday was the first of three SpaceX launches scheduled over the next 10 days for the Starlink internet network, continuing the company’s pace of averaging around one launch per week since the start of the year.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 22)

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