SPACEX TO LAUNCH EMIRATI IMAGING SATELLITE - SpaceX has won a contract to launch an Emirati high-resolution imaging satellite on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission in 2023. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced at an Oct. 27 press conference here, held during the 72nd International Astronautical Congress, that it selected SpaceX to launch its MBZ SAT satellite in the second half 2023. The center did not disclose the value of the contract. More (Source: SpaceNews - Oct 29)
CHINA LAUNCHES MILITARY SATELLITE THAT WILL TAKE AIM AT SPACE JUNK - China successfully launched a military satellite to test "space debris mitigation technology," according to state media reports. The satellite, riding on board a Long March 3B rocket, lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China at 9:27 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 23 (0127 GMT or 9:27 a.m. local time Sunday, Oct. 24.) More (Source: Space.com - Oct 29)
JEFF BEZOS WANTS A LOW-ORBIT OFFICE PARK TO REPLACE THE ISS - After more than two decades in orbit, NASA is preparing to retire the International Space Station. The habitable satellite only has permission to operate until 2024, and while it’s likely that the space station’s funding could be extended until 2028, NASA plans to decommission the ISS and find a replacement by the end of the decade. Cue Jeff Bezos. The billionaire’s spaceflight company, Blue Origin, has released its proposal for a new, commercial space station called Orbital Reef. More (Source: Vox - Oct 28)
CHINA LAUNCHES JILIN-1 GAOFEN-02F REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE VIA KUAIZHOU 1A - China’s small Kuaizhou 1A rocket has launched the latest satellite in the Jilin-1 Earth-imaging constellation Wednesday, in a low-key mission out of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Kuaizhou lifted off at 06:19 UTC (14:19 Beijing time), deploying its payload into a sun-synchronous orbit. Wednesday’s launch carried the Jilin-1 Gaofen-02F satellite, continuing deployment of the commercial remote sensing satellite network under development by the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Corporation. Gaofen... More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 28)
NASA'S SPACEX CREW-3 ASTRONAUTS LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION ALONGSIDE MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH - NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on Sunday, Oct. 31. The mission includes three NASA astronauts—mission Commander Raja Chari, Pilot Tom Marshburn, and Mission Specialist Kayla Barron—as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who will also serve as a mission specialist. More (Source: Phys.org - Oct 28)
'PERFECT LAUNCH' OF SOYUZ ROCKET SENDS RUSSIAN PROGRESS 79 CARGO SHIP TO SPACE STATION - A Russian Soyuz rocket launched a new robotic cargo ship to the International Space Station late Wednesday (Oct. 27) to deliver tons of fresh supplies for astronauts in orbit. The Soyuz 2.1a rocket launched the Progress 79 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan 8 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 27 (0000 GMT or 5 a.m. local time on Friday) to kick off a two-day chase of the space station. The uncrewed supply ship should arrive at the station late Friday (Oct. 29). More (Source: Space.com - Oct 28)
JAPAN SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES REPLACEMENT FOR DECADE-OLD NAVIGATION SATELLITE - A replacement for an aging satellite in Japan’s regional navigation network successfully launched Monday from Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H-2A rocket, heading to an orbit more than 20,000 miles above Earth. The launch keeps Japan on track to establish an independent seven-satellite navigation network to provide continuous coverage over the country’s territory. More (Source: SpaceFlight Niow - Oct 27)
BLUE ORIGIN AND SIERRA SPACE ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE STATION - An industry group led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, and including several other companies and organizations, announced plans Oct. 25 to cooperate on the development of a commercial space station. In a presentation associated with the 72nd International Astronautical Congress here, the industry consortium announced its intent to develop Orbital Reef, a modular space station that would be ready to host crews and payloads in the latter half of the 2020s, allowing for a transition from the International Space Station before its projected retirement at the end of the decade. More (Source: SpaceNews - Oct 25)
ARIANESPACE BREAKS PAYLOAD MASS RECORD ON FINAL ARIANE 5 LAUNCH BEFORE WEBB - A European Ariane 5 rocket fired into space Saturday night from French Guiana with a commercial broadband satellite for SES and a French military telecom craft, setting a new payload mass record for geostationary transfer orbit on the final Ariane 5 flight before launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in December. Running a day late after a ground system issue forced a 24-hour delay from Friday, teams pumped cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Ariane 5 launcher’s main stage and upper stage Saturday afternoon on the ELA-3 launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in South America. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 25)
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