MEGA-SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS COULD LEAD TO CHAIN-REACTION SPACECRAFT PILE-UPS IN ORBIT - A new report by two Canadian researchers is highlighting the growing hazard of space debris. It warns that the new mega-constellations of tens of thousands of communication satellites could pose a new kind of danger that could ultimately threaten other satellites, astronauts, our ability to use space and could even have an impact on the climate.    More
(Source: CBC.ca - May 23)

CHINESE SPACE STATION’S DELAYED CARGO SHIP HAS A DATE WITH A GIANT ROBOTIC ARM - The cargo spacecraft whose launch was postponed by China this week will have an important role in testing robotic technology helping to build the country’s space station. Tianzhou 2, an uncrewed cargo ship and the second of 11 missions being sent up to complete Tiangong Space Station, had been expected to lift off from the southern island of Hainan early on Thursday, only for Chinese space authorities to delay it for “technical reasons”, without giving a new launch date.   More
(Source: South China Morning Post - May 22)

TEMPO AIR POLLUTION SENSOR TREKS TOWARD SATELLITE INTEGRATION - A NASA satellite instrument that will measure air pollution over North America has reached another key project milestone. On Tuesday, May 18, The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), instrument, which will take hourly daytime measurements at an unprecedented spatial resolution shipped from Ball Aerospace in Broomfield, Colorado, to Maxar Technologies' satellite manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California, for integration onto the Intelsat 40e.   More
(Source: NASA - May 22)

CHINA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES NEW OCEAN OBSERVATION SATELLITE - China on Wednesday successfully sent a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit as part of its effort to build an all-weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system which would provide early warning on marine disasters. The satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket carrying the Haiyang-2D (HY-2D) satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, the state media reported.   More
(Source: The Hindu - May 20)

CHINA SCRUBS FIRST CARGO LAUNCH TO NEW STATION WITH TIANZHOU 2 - China has scrubbed the launch of its Tianzhou 2 cargo mission to its new space station. Liftoff was expected at 17:35:30 UTC on Wednesday, 19 May aboard a Chang Zheng 7 rocket, but post-fueling operations revealed an issue that forced a stop to launch preparations. Tianzhou 2 marks the second flight of the uncrewed Tianzhou spacecraft, which China will use to resupply its space station, and the first such mission in support of a crew. The craft will have to wait until at least Thursday, 20 May (UTC) for launch at a time approximately 22-25 minutes earlier than Wednesday’s attempt.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 20)

ATLAS 5 ROCKET LAUNCHES INFRARED MISSILE DETECTION SATELLITE FOR U.S. SPACE FORCE - An upgraded, cyber-hardened $1 billion satellite to support the U.S. military’s missile defense systems rode into orbit from Cape Canaveral Tuesday at the tip of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. Hosting a suite of sophisticated heat-seeking sensors, the Space Force’s fifth Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, satellite took off from pad 41 on Florida’s Space Coast on an Atlas 5 rocket at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 GMT) Tuesday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 19)

CHINA ROLLS OUT ROCKET FOR TIANZHOU-2 SPACE STATION SUPPLY MISSION - China is set to launch the Tianzhou-2 space station cargo mission this week after rollout of a Long March 7 rocket at Wenchang spaceport. Rollout took place late May 15 Eastern (May 16 local time) at the coastal Wenchang satellite launch center. Final checks, rehearsals and pre-launch preparations will take place ahead of an instantaneous launch window expected around May 20 local time.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 18)

ATLAS V ROCKET LAUNCH CARRYING SPACE FORCE MISSILE-WARNING SATELLITE DELAYED TO TUESDAY - United Launch Alliance (ULA) scrubbed the launch of an Atlas V rocket today (May 17), due to an issue with the rocket's liquid oxygen system. ULA is targeting its planned backup attempt of Tuesday afternoon (May 18), with liftoff now scheduled for 1:31 p.m. EDT (1731 GMT). The two-stage rocket was scheduled to blast off from Space Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:42 p.m. EDT (1742 GMT), on Monday (May 17).    More
(Source: Space.com - May 18)

NASA WALLOPS SOUNDING ROCKET LAUNCH IS SUCCESS AFTER MORE THAN A WEEK OF WAITING - After more than a week of waiting, NASA Wallops Flight Facility had a successful launch of a sounding rocket Sunday, May 16. The Black Brant XII launch carrying the KiNET-X payload lifted off at 8:36 p.m. Black Brant XII, carrying the KiNET-X payload, is a four-stage sounding rocket that can reach altitudes over 200 miles above Earth's surface, according to NASA Wallops Flight Facility.    More
(Source: DelmarvaNow.com - May 17)

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