A MONTH IN CHINA SPACE STATION: WHAT'S BEEN DONE SO FAR? - It's been a month since the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft carried the three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, to China's space station. As one of the most important missions for the manned space program, the Shenzhou-12 is a display of China's latest space technology. The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) on Saturday published a timeline of Shenzhou-12's progress so far. And here's a translation of it. More (Source: CGTN - Jul 18)
JEFF BEZOS IS FLYING TO SPACE. HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW - Jeff Bezos, the richest man on the planet, is preparing for a rocket-powered, 11-minute 2,300-mph excursion to the edge of space, capping off a month filled with rocket news and a bit of drama among the world’s richest people who are dedicating large portions of their wealth to rocket development. Bezos, who founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of using some of his Amazon fortune to develop rocket technology for a variety of business purposes, will take his extraterrestrial journey just nine days after fellow billionaire and rocket company founder Richard Branson took his own trip. More (Source: CNN - Jul 18)
NASA TV TO AIR CREW DRAGON PORT RELOCATION ON SPACE STATION - NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts on the International Space Station will relocate their Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft Wednesday, July 21, setting the stage for a historic first when two different U.S. commercial spacecraft built for crew will be docked to the microgravity laboratory at the same time. Live coverage will begin at 6:30 a.m. EDT on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. More (Source: NASA - Jul 17)
ASTRONOMERS PUSH FOR GLOBAL DEBATE ON GIANT SATELLITE SWARMS - Aerospace companies have launched about 2,000 Internet satellites into orbit around Earth over the past 2 years, nearly doubling the number of active satellites. This has sparked concerns among astronomers and other skygazers, who worry about interference with observations of the night sky. Now, in what would be the biggest international step yet towards addressing these concerns, diplomats at a United Nations forum next month might discuss whether humanity has a right to ‘dark and quiet skies’. More (Source: Nature - Jul 17)
SATELLITES OVER EUROPE TRACK MASSIVE FLOODS IN GERMANY AND BELGIUM - Sobering images from space show the impact of devastating floods in Germany and Belgium that have left more than 100 people dead. While the rain that caused the floods is expected to ease this weekend, search and rescue efforts remain hampered in the two countries. Officials say that the rising waters are in large part due to global warming, according to the New York Times. More (Source: Space.com - Jul 17)
AMAZON BOUGHT FACEBOOK’S SATELLITE TEAM TO HELP BUILD STARLINK COMPETITOR - Facebook has sold its small-satellite Internet division to Amazon and said it has no plans to become an Internet service provider. Amazon and Facebook both confirmed the sale to Ars today. The Information first reported that "Amazon has acquired a team of more than a dozen wireless Internet experts from Facebook in an effort to boost its multibillion-dollar effort to launch thousands of satellites... More (Source: Ars Technica - Jul 16)
PLYWOOD SATELLITE CLEARED FOR SPACE LAUNCH - A tiny Finnish cubesat could make history later this year as the world’s first plywood satellite—and it will even have a selfie stick to record the moment. The WISA Woodsat is being developed by Finland-based Arctic Astronautics, Ltd.; the European Space Agency, or ESA; and Finland-based forester UPM, maker of WISA plywood. On July 9, after technical testing of the Woodsat’s birch-plywood outer shell, the ESA certified it for flight. More (Source: Defense One - Jul 15)
NASA TV TO AIR LAUNCH OF SPACE STATION MODULE, DEPARTURE OF ANOTHER - NASA will provide live coverage of a new Russian science module’s launch and automated docking to the International Space Station, and the undocking of another module that has been part of the orbital outpost for the past 20 years. Live coverage of all events will be available on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. More (Source: NASA - Jul 14)
RUSSIA'S NEW NAUKA MODULE READIED FOR LAUNCH TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Russia's Nauka laboratory module is now slated to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 21. In a statement, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said the new module for the International Space Station will launch from Site 200 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, atop a Proton-M carrier rocket. Backup launch dates are available on July 22 and July 23. More (Source: Space.com - Jul 13)
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