JAPAN’S EPSILON LAUNCHES RAISE-2 AND EIGHT SECONDARY SATELLITES - Japan has finally launched its small satellite launcher Epsilon to deliver nine satellites to orbit. Notably, this includes the RAISE-2 technology demonstrator. Previously delayed due to weather and a scrub, the launch from Uchinoura Space Center occurred at 00:48 UTC on November 9. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) RAISE-2 was the primary payload aboard the Epsilon rocket for this launch. It was joined by eight small satellites – four microsatellites and four CubeSats – on its ride to space. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Nov 10)
CHINESE ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE SPACE WALK OUTSIDE FUTURE SPACE STATION - Two Chinese astronauts completed a space walk on Monday outside the core module of a future space station, with 41-year-old Wang Yaping becoming the first Chinese woman to perform the manoeuvre, state media reported. Zhai Zhigang, 55, mission commander of Shenzhou-13, opened the hatch of the core cabin Tianhe at 18:51 p.m. (1051 GMT) on Sunday, and was joined by Wang for a space walk that lasted 6-1/2 hours. More (Source: Reuters - Nov 9)
SPACEX DRAGON CAPSULE WITH CREW-2 ASTRONAUTS SPLASHES DOWN IN GULF OF MEXICO - After six months in space, SpaceX's Crew-2 astronauts returned to Earth late Monday (Nov. 8), splashing down off the Florida coast to end the private company's second long-duration mission. SpaceX's Crew-2 mission for NASA splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico just south of Pensacola, Florida, at 10:33 p.m. EST (0333 GMT on Nov. 9), with a recovery ship swiftly retrieving the spaceflyers' Crew Dragon capsule from the sea. Their return wrapped up a six-month trip to the International Space Station (ISS). More (Source: Space.com - Nov 9)
ARIANE 5 FAIRING CLEARED FOR WEBB LAUNCH AFTER “PERFECT” PERFORMANCE ON LAST FLIGHT - The payload fairing on the most recent Ariane 5 launch last month worked perfectly, according to the European Space Agency, helping clear concerns about the shroud before liftoff of the James Webb Space Telescope on the next Ariane 5 flight in December. The nose cone structure, built by the Swiss company RUAG Space, is designed to protect sensitive satellites during their time on the launch pad before liftoff, and during the first few minutes of ascent through the atmosphere. Once in space, the rocket jettisons the no-longer-needed fairing in two pieces, like the halves of a clamshell. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 8)
HOW TO WATCH SPACEX'S CREW-2 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH TODAY - The astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-2 mission are scheduled to leave the International Space Station on Monday afternoon (Nov. 8), and you can watch the action live online. After spending just shy of 200 days in space, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with Akihiko Hoshide of Japan and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Thomas Pesquet, will say goodbye to their crewmates on the orbital outpost Sunday and board their Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, for the trip back to Earth. Splashdown set for Monday night at 10:33 p.m. EST (0333 GMT). More (Source: Space.com - Nov 8)
THESE ARE THE FIRST IMAGES FROM LANDSAT 9 - The latest photos from space provide unparalleled views of how world’s surface is changing. Landsat 9, an Earth observation satellite that NASA launched Sept. 7, released the first photos of planet Earth captured on Oct. 31, NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS) announced Friday (Nov. 5). More (Source: Quartz - Nov 8)
SPACEX'S CREW-2 ASTRONAUTS WILL LEAVE SPACE STATION SUNDAY AS CREW-3 LAUNCH IS DELAYED - SpaceX's current mission to the International Space Station will head home to Earth before its successor lifts off, if all goes according to plan. The four-person Crew-2 flight is scheduled to leave the orbiting lab on Sunday (Nov. 7) at 1:05 p.m. EST (1805 GMT), NASA and SpaceX officials announced on Friday evening (Nov. 5). The spaceflyers' Crew Dragon capsule, which is named Endeavour, will splash down off the coast of Florida no earlier than 7:14 a.m. EST (1214 GMT) on Monday (Nov. 8). More (Source: Space.com - Nov 7)
CHINA LAUNCHES THREE NEW REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITES - China successfully launched three new remote-sensing satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the country's southwestern Sichuan Province at 11:00 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Saturday. More (Source: CGTN - Nov 7)
CHINA LAUNCHES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SATELLITE SDGSAT-1 TO STUDY EARTH FROM SPACE - China continued its rapid pace of space launches late Thursday by sending a satellite into orbit as part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A Long March 6 rocket, one of China's new-generation launch vehicles, lifted off from among the hills surrounding Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China at 10:19 p.m. Eastern time Nov. 4 (0219 GMT, 10:19 a.m. local time, Nov. 5). More (Source: Space.com - Nov 6)
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