RUSSIAN DIRECT-ASCENT ANTI-SATELLITE MISSILE TEST CREATES SIGNIFICANT, LONG-LASTING SPACE DEBRIS - Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile on Nov. 15, 2021, Moscow Standard Time, that struck a Russian satellite [COSMOS 1408] and created a debris field in low-Earth orbit. The test so far has generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris. “Russia has demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the security, safety, stability, and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations,” said U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander. More (Source: USSPACECOM - Nov 16)
SPACE DEBRIS FORCES ASTRONAUTS ON SPACE STATION TO TAKE SHELTER IN RETURN SHIPS - Seven astronauts on the International Space Station were forced to take shelter in their transport spacecraft early Monday (Nov. 15) when the station passed uncomfortably closed to orbital debris, according to reports. The space junk passes began in the pre-dawn hours of Monday and the International Space Station has continued to make close passes to the debris every 90 minutes or so, according to experts monitoring the situation. Russia's space agency Roscosmos confirmed the space junk encounter with Space.com, though NASA has not yet commented on the situation either publicly or to Space.com. More (Source: Space.com - Nov 15)
SPACE COMPANIES FORGE ALLIANCE TO REDUCE IN-ORBIT DEBRIS BY 2030 - Ten companies and organizations from across the space industry have vowed to devise concrete measures for reducing the amount of in-orbit debris by 2030. French satellite fleet operator Eutelsat, launch service provider Arianespace and U.S.-based Earth imagery venture Planet are among signatories of the Net Zero Space charter, which was launched Nov. 12 during the Paris Peace Forum in France. More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 15)
THE MIRROR OF THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE: LOOKING INTO THE PAST - When the joint NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope launches atop an Ariane 5 rocket this December, it will carry with it one of the largest telescopic mirrors ever developed. Considerably larger than the Hubble Space Telescope’s 2.4 m mirror, James Webb’s mirror will be a massive 6.5 diameter mirror, made up of 18 hexagonal, gold-plated beryllium mirror segments. Furthermore, the mirror of James Webb will be one of the most complex spacecraft systems ever launched, and — to no surprise — it takes an expert team, lots of development, and a plethora of testing to prepare the mirror of James Webb for launch and operation at Lagrange Point 2 (L2). More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Nov 15)
ROCKET LAB DELAYS RETURN TO ACTION, DUAL SATELLITE LAUNCH, AND BOOSTER RECOVERY ATTEMPT - Following a hiatus of several months, Rocket Lab is preparing to return to launch operations with its 22nd overall mission on Thursday. An Electron rocket was to lift off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 04:25 UTC (17:25 local time) on November 11, but will now attempt a launch no earlier than November 16 in order to evaluate an out-of-family ground sensor. Named “Love at First Insight,” the mission aims to loft two satellites for geospatial intelligence company BlackSky, as well as complete the third ocean splashdown of an Electron first stage as Rocket Lab continues to work towards reusability. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Nov 14)
SPACEX LAUNCH STARTS DEPLOYMENT OF NEW STARLINK ORBITAL SHELL - SpaceX shot 53 Starlink internet satellites into orbit on top of a Falcon 9 rocket Saturday from foggy Cape Canaveral, commencing a new phase of deploying the global broadband network with the first launch into a new “shell” some 335 miles above Earth. The mission was the 31st Falcon 9 launch in two-and-a-half years dedicated to carrying satellites for the Starlink internet network, bringing the total number of Starlink spacecraft launched to 1,844. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 13)
SPACEX WILL LAUNCH 53 STARLINK SATELLITES EARLY FRIDAY. HERE'S HOW TO WATCH LIVE. - SpaceX will launch its first stack of Starlink broadband satellites since May from the East Coast Friday morning (Nov. 12) and you can watch the action live online. The private spaceflight company will launch a stack of 53 Starlink satellites on one of its previously flown rockets — a Falcon 9 dubbed B1062. The frequent flier is scheduled to blast off at 7:40 a.m. EST (1240 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for its fourth mission. More (Source: Space.com - Nov 12)
SPACEX CREW CAPSULE DOCKS AT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - The day after a sky-lighting Florida launch, four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule chased down the International Space Station Thursday and glided in for a problem-free docking, kicking off a half-year stay aboard the orbital outpost. Crew-3 commander Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and German astronaut Matthias Maurer began the close approach phase of a 22-hour rendezvous shortly after wakeup around 2 p.m. EST. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 12)
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FIRES ROCKETS TO DODGE CHUNK OF DESTROYED CHINESE SATELLITE - The International Space Station performed a short engine burn on Wednesday to avoid potentially hitting a chunk of space junk. At 2315 Moscow Time (2015 UTC), the thrusters on Russia's Progress MS-18 transport cargo vehicle, which is docked to the ISS, fired for 361 seconds to perform the small nudge, Roscosmos said. The agency confirmed on Twitter it had successfully performed the shift, and that the ISS is now safe from a fragment of China’s Fengyun-1C weather satellite that was whizzing by. More (Source: TheRegister - Nov 11)
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