STARSEM, ROSCOSMOS, & ARIANESPACE SCRUBS 9TH ONEWEB MISSION - In collaboration with Starsem and Roscosmos, Arianespace is aiming to launch 34 internet communication satellites aboard a Soyuz 2.1b for the OneWeb 9 mission. The flight marks the 8th operational launch of OneWeb satellites and will bring 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. The launch was scheduled for Thursday, August 19 at 22:23 UTC (18:23 EDT) from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. However, a scrub was called after a late hold in the countdown. Another attempt will be made on Friday.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Aug 20)

SPACEX STARLINK SATELLITES RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER HALF OF CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN ORBIT, SCIENTIST SAYS - Operators of satellite constellations are constantly forced to move their satellites because of encounters with other spacecraft and pieces of space junk. And, thanks to SpaceX's Starlink satellites, the number of such dangerous approaches will continue to grow, according to estimates based on available data. SpaceX's Starlink satellites alone are involved in about 1,600 close encounters between two spacecraft every week, according to Hugh Lewis, the head of the Astronautics Research Group at the University of Southampton, U.K.    More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 19)

RSCC MOVES EXPRESS-AM33 SATELLITE TO TARGET MARITIME CUSTOMERS - The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), an entity operated by the Russian state, has moved its Express-AM33 satellite from the 96.5 degrees East orbital position to the 11 degrees West slot. The company announced the transition on Aug. 17 and said the move was made as RSCC looks to target a stronger position in the global maritime market. To move the satellite to the new position, the Express-AM33 satellite made 120 orbits around the Earth at an altitude of 35,880 km, covering 31.7 million km in the process.   More
(Source: Via Satellite - Aug 18)

SPACE COLLISION: CHINESE SATELLITE GOT WHACKED BY HUNK OF RUSSIAN ROCKET IN MARCH - Yunhai 1-02's wounds are not self-inflicted. In March, the U.S. Space Force's 18th Space Control Squadron (18SPCS) reported the breakup of Yunhai 1-02, a Chinese military satellite that launched in September 2019. It was unclear at the time whether the spacecraft had suffered some sort of failure — an explosion in its propulsion system, perhaps — or if it had collided with something in orbit.    More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 18)

ARIANESPACE VEGA ROCKET LAUNCHES EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE AND 4 CUBESATS INTO ORBIT - Arianespace launched a new Earth observation satellite for Airbus Monday night (Aug. 16), along with four other tiny satellites. An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV19, launched the Pléiades Neo 4 satellite and a quartet of cubesats from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in South America at 9:47 p.m. EDT (0147 Aug. 17 GMT).    More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 17)

ROCKET ARRIVES FOR SECOND CHINESE SPACE STATION CARGO MISSION - China is preparing to launch its second space station cargo supply mission in mid to late September following delivery of a Long March 7 rocket to Wenchang spaceport. The fourth new-generation Long March 7 arrived at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, Hainan island, Monday, Aug. 16 after being transported by ship from Tianjin in north China, China’s human spaceflight agency announced.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 17)

YOU CAN WATCH AN ARIANESPACE VEGA ROCKET LAUNCH 5 SATELLITES INTO SPACE MONDAY. HERE'S HOW. - Arianespace will launch a new Earth observation satellite for Airbus Monday night (Aug. 16), along with four other tiny satellites and you can watch the liftoff live online. An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV19, will launch the Pléiades Neo 4 satellites and a quartet of cubesats from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in South America at 9:47 p.m. EDT (0147 Aug. 17 GMT). You can watch the launch live on this page on Space.com, courtesy of Arianespace, or directly via the company's YouTube. The webcast should begin about 20 minutes before liftoff.   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 16)

A MALAYSIAN SATELLITE HAS DIED IN SPACE AND WILL MEET A FIERY DOOM - A Malaysian satellite will soon fall from space to burn up in Earth's atmosphere following a mysterious "anomaly" that struck it down in orbit. The nearly 15-year-old Measat-3 communications satellite suffered an unexplained issue on June 21, knocking out service for its customers. It was brought under ground control June 24 but hasn't been operational since, according to updates from the company.   More
(Source: Space.com - Aug 15)

BOEING OPTS TO HAUL STARLINER BACK TO HANGAR, DELAYS FLIGHT INDEFINITELY - Around-the-clock work to fix valve problems that derailed an Aug. 3 attempt to launch Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule on an unpiloted test flight was called off Friday, delaying another try until after NASA launches a higher-priority asteroid probe in mid-October. Despite the team’s eagerness to fly, “we have to have the maturity to stop, investigate and sit before flying again,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA’s chief of space operations. “And that is what we are doing. We fly when we are ready.”   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 15)

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