SEVENTH BATCH OF ONEWEB SATELLITES READY TO LAUNCH FROM VOSTOCHNY - As early as May 27 at 17:43 UTC, the seventh batch of OneWeb satellites are set to fly on a Soyuz 2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. Launched in collaboration with Arianespace, Starsem, and Roscosmos, this mission will add 36 spacecraft to OneWeb’s growing satellite internet constellation. Since the company’s first operational mission in February 2020, this launch will bring the constellation’s total strength to 218 satellites, progressing towards the goal of 650 spacecraft on orbit for global coverage.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 27)

SPACEX CARGO MISSION TO CARRY WATER BEARS, BABY SQUIDS TO SPACE STATION - SpaceX's 22nd cargo resupply mission, slated to launch no earlier than June 3, will see several unique science experiments -- involving water bears, baby squids and kidney stones -- ferried to the International Space Station. Like so many experiments before them, the bulk of the experimental setups being carried aboard SpaceX CRS-22 are designed to illuminate the health risks facing astronauts.    More
(Source: UPI.com - May 27)

IF A SATELLITE FALLS ON YOUR HOUSE, SPACE LAW PROTECTS YOU - On May 8, 2021, a piece of space junk from a Chinese rocket fell uncontrolled back to Earth and landed in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. A year ago, in May 2020, another Chinese rocket met the same fate when it plummeted out of control into the waters off the West African coast. No one knew when or where either of these pieces of space junk were going to hit, so it was a relief when neither crashed on land or injured anyone.    More
(Source: Astronomy Magazine - May 27)

FIRST PHASE OF SPACEX’S STARLINK NETWORK NEARS COMPLETION WITH FALCON 9 LAUNCH - The launch of 60 more Starlink satellites Wednesday from Cape Canaveral could give SpaceX enough spacecraft to complete the first layer of its privately-funded global internet network, but the company shows no signs of slowing its launch cadence this summer. With Wednesday’s launch, SpaceX has delivered 1,737 Starlink internet satellites to orbit. But that number includes prototypes and failed spacecraft no longer part of the operational constellation.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 27)

NASA BRANDS FUTURE EARTH SCIENCE MISSIONS AS EARTH SYSTEM OBSERVATORY - A set of missions recommended by the Earth science decadal survey more than three years ago will be developed under a program called the Earth System Observatory, NASA and the White House announced May 24. The White House announced the Earth System Observatory program in a fact sheet that outlined a broader program to monitor and address the impacts of climate change, including $1 billion in “pre-disaster mitigation resources” for communities provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 26)

A RACE AGAINST TIME TO REPLACE AGING MILITARY WEATHER SATELLITES - The U.S. Defense Department may finally be on track to replace its aging polar-orbiting weather satellites more than a decade after pulling the plug on an ill-fated effort to cram civil and military requirements into a single system. Work is underway on two new military satellite systems designed to replace the most critical capabilities of the venerable Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).    More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 25)

SPACEX TEST-FIRES ROCKET FOR SIXTH FALCON 9 LAUNCH IN FIVE WEEKS - SpaceX fired up a Falcon 9 rocket Monday on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, running the launcher through a pre-flight checkout and clearing a hurdle before liftoff later this week with the next batch of Starlink internet satellites. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket ignited its nine Merlin 1D main engines at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT) Monday on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral. The engines appeared to run for several seconds, generating a cloud of exhaust that billowed out of the flame trench at the seaside launch complex.   More
(Source: S[aceFlight Now - May 25)

WHAT IS THAT?! SPACEX’S STARLINK SATELLITES EXPLAINED - Starlink is the name of a satellite network that SpaceX is developing to provide global broadband coverage for high-speed internet access, particularly for people across the world in rural and remote areas. SpaceX has launched more than 600 new Starlinks this year, typically launching 60 at a time. As of last week, that places the number of Starlink satellites currently in orbit at more than 1,500. Over the coming few years, SpaceX plans to send up at least 12,000 Starlink satellites.   More
(Source: EarthSky - May 24)

FALCON HEAVY’S FIRST NATIONAL SECURITY LAUNCH SLIPS TO OCTOBER - The next launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket has been delayed from July to October to await the readiness of its U.S. military payload, and the following Falcon Heavy flight has been rescheduled from late this year to some time in 2022, military officials said. Col. Robert Bongiovi, head of the launch enterprise at the Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center...   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 24)

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