BREAKUP OF CHINA’S YUNHAI-1 (02) SATELLITE LINKED TO SPACE DEBRIS COLLISION - U.S. space tracking has linked the breakup of Chinese satellite Yunhai-1 (02) to a collision with a small piece of debris from a Russian satellite launch, according to NASA. The Yunhai-1 (02) satellite was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and launched in September 2019 into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of around 783 kilometers. It suffered a breakup event on March 18, 2021, creating a number of pieces of debris. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 12)
VIRGIN ORBIT TO DEMONSTRATE AIR-LAUNCH FLEXIBILITY ON UPCOMING MISSION - Virgin Orbit is preparing to launch a set of smallsats as both a demonstration of the flexibility of its air-launch system and its ability to increase its cadence of launches. Virgin Orbit’s next LauncherOne mission, called “Above the Clouds” by the company, is now scheduled for Jan. 13 after a one-day delay “to thoroughly validate the system and to check our sensor readings,” the company tweeted Jan. 11. The Boeing 747 aircraft used as the launch platform is scheduled to take off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California between 4 and 6:30 p.m. Eastern, with release of the rocket over the Pacific about one hour later. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 12)
POWERFUL EUROPEAN EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE SUFFERS ANOMALY IN ORBIT - One of humanity's most powerful Earth-observing satellites is having some problems in orbit. The Sentinel-1B radar satellite, part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation program, hasn't beamed home any data since suffering an anomaly on Dec. 23. And the problem appears to be relatively serious. "Following the previous news on the Sentinel-1B anomaly that occurred on 23 December 2021, the resuming of the operations was carefully prepared, including the onboard configuration changes preventing the anomaly to occur again,"... More (Source: Space.com - Jan 12)
NASA COMPLETES MAJOR JWST DEPLOYMENTS - The primary mirror of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope unfolded into place Jan. 8, completing the major steps in the post-launch deployment of the giant observatory. Controllers issued commands to deploy an assembly called the starboard primary mirror wing, containing 3 of the 18 segments of the primary mirror. The wing was folded against the side of the spacecraft for launch, and over the course of about three hours a motor moved it into position and it was then locked into place. A similar wing on the other side of the primary mirror moved into place Jan. 7. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 12)
ARISS HIGHLIGHTED AMONG NASA’S BEST SPACE STATION SCIENCE PICTURES OF 2021 - NASA has recognized Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) as a science education and research program. Two images of ARISS activity are among those singled out by the space agency as some of the Best Space Station Science Pictures of 2021. ARRL Representative to ARISS-International Rosalie White, K1STO, said recognition is significant because it shows that NASA considers what ARISS does to be within the realm of science education and research. “Actually, it’s an honor for amateur radio, too, that this program is categorized as science education and research,” White added. “This is a really big deal for ARISS, and we are really proud of the team.” More (Source: ARRL - Jan 11)
ON CHINA'S NEW SPACE STATION, A ROBOTIC ARM TEST PAVES WAY FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION - A large robotic arm on China's space station has successfully grasped and maneuvered a cargo spacecraft in a crucial test ahead of upcoming module launches. The 33-foot-long (10 meters) robotic arm on the Tianhe module of China's new Tiangong space station took hold of the Tianzhou 2 supply ship and moved it around 20 degrees, before returning it to the forward port on Tianhe's docking hub. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 10)
KAZAKHSTAN UNREST NOT AFFECTING BAIKONUR COSMODROME SPACEPORT, RUSSIA SAYS - The current chaos in Kazakhstan isn't seriously impacting the famous spaceport in the nation, Russian officials say. Spiking fuel prices spurred a wave of protests recently across Kazakhstan, an autocratic Central Asian nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Some of those protests have turned violent, resulting in the deaths of dozens of anti-government demonstrators, according to The New York Times. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 9)
EXPEDITION 66 CONCLUDES 2021 WITH BUSY DECEMBER ABOARD ISS - While many cultures celebrated their respective holiday traditions on Earth, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) carried on with their busy schedules high above. December 2021 saw three major visiting vehicle movements, one spacewalk, and many of the research and maintenance tasks that allow the ISS to function as one of the world’s most important scientific laboratories. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jan 8)
CHINA SAYS ITS SPACE STATION WILL BE READY THIS YEAR - China has said that its space station, stated to be a major strategic asset in space, will be ready for operations this year, providing a bird's-eye view of the world. Once ready, China will be the only country to own a space station of its own as the International Space Station (ISS) of Russia is a collaborative project of several countries. In an announcement on Wednesday, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC) said that the country will complete the building of the space station in 2022. More (Source: Times of India - Jan 7)
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