CHINA LAUNCHES NEW GROUP OF CLASSIFIED YAOGAN-30 SATELLITES - China launched a group of classified Yaogan-30 satellites and one commercial satellite on a Long March 2C rocket early Friday. The Long March 2C rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, at 2:30 a.m. Eastern. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) confirmed the success of the launch within an hour.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jun 19)

CREW STARTS MAKING CHINA'S NEW SPACE STATION THEIR HOME - Three Chinese astronauts have begun making China's new space station their home for the next three months, after their launch and arrival at the station Thursday marked further advances in the country's ambitious space program. Their Shenzhou-12 craft connected with the station about six hours after taking off from the Jiuquan launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.   More
(Source: Phys.org - Jun 18)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST NATIONAL SECURITY MISSION ON REUSED COMMERCIAL ROCKET - A fresh GPS navigation beacon destined to replace a nearly 17-year-old satellite rode into orbit from Cape Canaveral on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday, marking the first time risk-averse U.S. military space officials have agreed to launch a national security mission on a reused commercial booster. After a smooth countdown, the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket lit its nine Merlin main engines and rumbled off pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:09:35 p.m. EDT (1609:35 GMT) Thursday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 18)

SLOW-SCAN TV EVENT FROM INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SET - A slow-scan television (SSTV) event from June 21 – 26 will focus on amateur radio on the Space Shuttle, the Mir space station, and the International Space Station, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced. Transmissions will be on 145.800 MHz FM using PD120 SSTV mode. “The ARISS team will be transmitting SSTV images continuously from June 21 until June 26,” ARISS said in announcing the upcoming event   More
(Source: ARRL - Jun 17)

WORLD'S FIRST WOODEN SATELLITE AIMS TO PROVE PLYWOOD CAN SURVIVE SPACE - Toothpicks. Tables. Crates. Spoons. Satellites? An ambitious project will send a tiny wooden satellite into orbit later this year to see if it can stand up to the brutal conditions of space. It's already survived a test run into the stratosphere. The WISA Woodsat is a 4-inch (10-centimeter) square satellite that's scheduled for a fall launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket in New Zealand. Getting to orbit is only part of the adventure. Once it's there, the team will monitor the little cube to see how its plywood build stands up to cold, heat, radiation and the vacuum of space.   More
(Source: CNET - Jun 17)

SHENZHOU-12 AND THREE CREW MEMBERS SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCH TO NEW CHINESE SPACE STATION - The first crewed mission to the new Chinese Space Station has successfully launched. Shenzhou-12, carrying three taikonauts, lifted off on Thursday June 17 at 01:22 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Shenzhou-12 launched on top of the human-rated Long March 2F vehicle, which is based on the retired Long March 2E rocket formerly used to launch geostationary satellites.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jun 17)

MINOTAUR 1 ROCKET LAUNCHES 3 CLASSIFIED SPY SATELLITES FOR NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE - A Minotaur 1 rocket blasted off from the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tuesday morning (June 15), heading to orbit with three secret spacecraft for the U.S. government's spy satellite agency. Powered by a repurposed missile stage that dates back to the 1960s, the solid-fueled launcher blasted off from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia at 9:35 a.m. EDT (1335 GMT) after just more than two hours of delays due to weather.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jun 16)

MINOTAUR ROCKET SET TO LAUNCH TOP SECRET SATELLITES FROM VIRGINIA - A Minotaur 1 rocket powered by a surplus Cold War-era missile stage more than 54 years old is poised to blast off from the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tuesday morning, heading to orbit with three top secret spacecraft for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency. The solid-fueled launcher, sized to haul small satellites into orbit, is awaiting liftoff from pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Liftoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 15)

CHINA TO SEND THREE MEN INTO SPACE FOR ITS FIRST CREWED MISSION IN ALMOST FIVE YEARS - A Chinese spacecraft will blast off from the Gobi Desert on a rocket in the coming days, ferrying three men to an orbiting space module for a three-month stay. It is the first time in nearly five years that China is sending humans into space. Shenzhou-12, meaning "Divine Vessel", will be the third of 11 missions needed to complete China's space station by 2022.   More
(Source: ABC News - Jun 14)

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