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)

NASA TV IS LIVE MONDAY BROADCASTING CYGNUS ARRIVAL AT STATION - Tune in to NASA television beginning at 3 a.m. EST Monday, Feb. 21 to view the capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft which launched Saturday at 12:40 p.m. on an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. At about 4:35 a.m., NASA astronaut Raja Chari will capture Cygnus, with NASA astronaut Kayla Barron acting as backup. After Cygnus capture, mission control in Houston will send ground commands for the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the station’s Unity module Earth-facing port.   More
(Source: NASA - Feb 21)

NEXT SPACEX LAUNCH TO DEPLOY FEWER STARLINK SATELLITES INTO HIGHER ORBIT - A Falcon 9 rocket will launch SpaceX’s next batch of Starlink internet satellites Monday into a higher, more circular orbit than recent flights, reducing potential risks from a solar storm like the one that destroyed at least 38 Starlink craft earlier this month. SpaceX is set to launch its seventh mission in a little more than seven weeks Monday, with liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for 9:44 a.m. EST (1444 GMT) from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX has two more Falcon 9 rockets scheduled to blast off in the next 10 days from different launch pads in Florida and California.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 21)

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SENDS NASA SCIENCE, CARGO TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A fresh supply of 8,300 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 12:40 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 19, aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft, and is now traveling to the International Space Station. The Cygnus spacecraft, which was launched on an Antares rocket, is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 4:35 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 21. NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival beginning at 3 a.m.   More
(Source: NASA - Feb 20)

ASTRONAUTS SNAP STUNNING VIEWS OF FEBRUARY'S FULL SNOW MOON FROM SPACE (PHOTOS) - Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) captured stunning views of February's Full Snow Moon this week. Full moons occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, which happens roughly every 29.5 days. The Full Snow Moon arrived on Wednesday (Feb. 16) at 11:57 a.m. EST (0457 GMT), offering striking views from Earth and space. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei shared a photo of the full moon from his vantage point on the ISS. The moon peeks over Earth's horizon, shining bright against the dark backdrop of space.    More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 19)

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