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)

SPACEX LOFTS 49 STARLINK INTERNET SATELLITES TO ORBIT IN 1ST LAUNCH OF 2022 - SpaceX successfully launched its first Falcon 9 rocket of the year Thursday (Jan. 6), sending a new stack of Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida, before nailing a landing at sea. The previously flown Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station here in Florida, carrying a stack of 49 Starlink satellites.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 7)

WEBB’S SECONDARY MIRROR SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED - In another major milestone for the James Webb Space Telescope, a motor-driven tripod unfolded as planned Wednesday, moving a 2.4-foot-wide secondary mirror into position to reflect collected starlight back down to the instruments that will study it. While the deployment of a tennis court-size sunshield Monday and Tuesday marked the most technically challenging hurdle for Webb’s initial activation, getting the secondary mirror in position was equally critical to the success of the $10 billion mission.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 6)

CHINA LIVESTREAMS NEW YEAR'S VIEW FROM NEW SPACE STATION - China welcomed the New Year with a live stream from cameras outside the new Tianhe space station module. In a new video from the China National Space Administration, livestreamed on New Year's Day (Jan. 1), you can now see the beauty of the Earth below from the Tianhe module on China's Tiangong space station. China Central Television began the stream (you can also watch it on Youtube) on the Sina Weibo social media platform, delivering three hours of live footage from the module.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 6)

OP-ED | IS THERE ENOUGH ROOM IN SPACE FOR TENS OF BILLIONS OF SATELLITES, AS ELON MUSK SUGGESTS? WE DON’T THINK SO. - As researchers interested in orbital capacity, it’s surreal to wake up and find Elon Musk commenting on the question that has been central to your work: how many satellites can we fit in low Earth orbit (LEO)? According to a recent interview with the Financial Times, Mr. Musk’s stance is that tens of billions of satellites can coexist in LEO. While we agree this is an important question to ask, especially for someone planning on launching thousands of his own satellites in the near future, his estimation is overly optimistic. In the immortal words of Douglas Adams (and Mr. Musk himself), space is big. But LEO is not big enough to safely accommodate this kind of orbital demand.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 5)

THE RULES OF SPACE HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED IN 50 YEARS, AND THE UN SAYS IT'S TIME - On November 15, 2021, Russia destroyed one of its own old satellites using a missile launched from the surface of Earth, creating a massive debris cloud that threatens many space assets, including astronauts onboard the International Space Station. This happened only two weeks after the United Nations General Assembly First Committee formally recognized the vital role that space and space assets play in international efforts to better the human experience -- and the risks military activities in space pose to those goals.   More
(Source: CNN - Jan 4)

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