BRITAIN CHARTS A NEW COURSE FOR SATELLITE NAVIGATION - When it comes to satellite navigation, the British government has struggled to find its way over the last five years. Those problems began with a June 2016 referendum, when a narrow majority voted in favor of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. That triggered the long, complex process of Britain disentangling itself from the EU across a vast spectrum of activities, with the governments not completing the final Brexit deal until December 2020.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 25)

ASTRONAUT MEDICAL ISSUE FORCES NASA TO CALL OFF SPACEWALK AT SPACE STATION - NASA has called off plans for a spacewalk outside the International Space Station this week due a medical issue with one of the astronauts due to join the excursion, agency officials said Monday (Aug. 23). A "minor medical issue" involving NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is the reason for the spacewalk's postponement, the U.S. space agency wrote in an update. Vande Hei and crewmate Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were scheduled to venture outside the station on Tuesday (Aug. 24) to prepare the orbiting lab for a new solar array.   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 25)

CHINA LAUNCHES DEMO SATELLITES FOR INTERNET CONSTELLATION - China launched two test payloads Tuesday for a planned constellation of internet satellites, a step that could lead to launches of thousands more Chinese spacecraft to match similar commercial networks already being deployed by SpaceX and OneWeb. The two pathfinder spacecraft launched aboard a Long March 2C rocket, which flew for the first time with a wider payload fairing to provide more volume for launches of larger numbers of satellites on a single mission.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 25)

CHINESE ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE SECOND SPACEWALK OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming accomplished a nearly six-hour spacewalk Friday outside the core module of the country’s new space station, installing a coolant pump and lifting a panoramic camera on the exterior of the complex. Nie and Liu exited the airlock of the Tianhe core module at 8:38 p.m. EDT Thursday (0038 GMT Friday), according to the China Manned Space Agency.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 24)

ASTRONAUTS AND SATELLITES WATCH HURRICANE HENRI FROM SPACE AS US NORTHEAST BRACES FOR STORM - As parts of the U.S. northeast brace for Hurricane Henri to make landfall in New York today (Aug. 22), astronauts and satellites are tracking the historic storm from space. Henri, which reached category 1 hurricane status on Saturday, is forecast to make landfall on Long Island, New York by midday today, dropping torrents of rain on Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to the National Hurricane Center's morning update. Astronauts on the International Space Station spotted Henri from orbit on Saturday.    More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 23)

EUROPE, RUSSIA LAUNCH 9TH ONEWEB MISSION - In collaboration with Starsem and Roscosmos, Arianespace launched 34 new internet communication satellites aboard a Soyuz 2.1b for the OneWeb 9 mission. The flight marks the 8th operational launch of OneWeb satellites and brings the total number in orbit to 288: 48% of the 600 satellites required for global coverage with an additional 48 on-orbit spares for a total phase one constellation size of up to 648 satellites.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 22)

PENTAGON POISED TO UNVEIL, DEMONSTRATE CLASSIFIED SPACE WEAPON - For months, top officials at the Defense Department have been working toward declassifying the existence of a secret space weapon program and providing a real-world demonstration of its capabilities, Breaking Defense has learned. The effort — which sources say is being championed by Gen. John Hyten, the vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff — is close enough to completion that there was a belief the anti-satellite technology might have been revealed at this year’s National Space Symposium, which kicks off next week.   More
(Source: BreakingDefense.com - Aug 20)

CHINA LAUNCHES TWO RADAR MAPPING SATELLITES - China launched a Long March 4B rocket Wednesday carrying two Tianhui radar mapping satellites into orbit more than 300 miles in altitude. The two satellites will join a similar pair of spacecraft launched in April 2019, working in tandem to bounce radar beams off Earth’s surface to generate detailed three-dimensional global maps.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 20)

NASA SPACEWALK BRIEFING TO HIGHLIGHT NEW SOLAR ARRAY INSTALLATION - Two astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station Tuesday, Aug. 24, for a spacewalk to install a support bracket in preparation for future installation of the orbiting laboratory’s third new solar array. NASA will discuss the upcoming spacewalk during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 23. Live coverage of the news conference and spacewalk will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.   More
(Source: NASA - Aug 20)

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