ROCKET LAB DELAYS LAUNCH DUE TO SPACE COLLISION CONCERN - Rocket Lab has delayed the launch of the IOT 4 You and Me mission in order to ensure the mission does not interfere with "space traffic from other satellites and the ISS," according to a company statement on X. A new launch date has not yet been set. Rocket Lab is set to launch five "Internet of Things" satellites this week after a delay, and you can watch the action live. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 4)
NEWLY-LAUNCHED INDIAN SATELLITE LEFT STRANDED BY PROPULSION PROBLEM - India just launched its first mission of 2025. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on schedule today at 7:53 p.m. EST (0053 GMT and 6:23 a.m. local time on Jan. 29). It was the 100th launch overall from the storied spaceport, which lies on the barrier island Sriharikota, off India's southeastern coast. The first orbital liftoff from the site occurred in August 1979, according to The Hindu. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 4)
INDIAN NAVIGATION SATELLITE STUCK IN TRANSFER ORBIT AFTER PROPULSION FAILURE - A recently launched Indian navigation satellite is stranded in a transfer orbit after the failure of its onboard propulsion system and could soon renter. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated Feb. 2 that the NVS-02 satellite, launched Jan. 28 (Eastern time), suffered a thruster failure that is keeping the spacecraft from raising its orbit as planned. According to a statement posted on ISRO’s website but not otherwise publicized by the agency, “the orbit raising operations towards positioning the satellite to the designated orbital slot could not be carried out as the valves for admitting the oxidizer to fire the thrusters for orbit raising did not open.” More (Source: SpaceNews - Feb 3)
SPACEX LAUNCHING 21 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA ON FEB. 3 - SpaceX is set to launch another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast early Monday morning (Feb. 3) A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday during a four-hour window that opens at 3:54 a.m. EST (0854 GMT). SpaceX will livestream the action via its X account, beginning about five minutes before launch. More (Source: Space.com - Feb 3)
WATCH JAPAN LAUNCH NAVIGATION SATELLITE ON ITS 1ST MISSION OF 2025 ON FEB. 2 - Japan will launch its first mission of the year early Sunday morning (Feb. 2), and you can watch the action live. An H3 rocket is scheduled to launch the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite from Tanegashima Space Center on Sunday during a two-hour window that opens at 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 GMT; 5:30 p.m. local Japan time). More (Source: Space.com - Feb 2)
GIANT CATAPULT SENDS SATELLITES INTO SPACE WITHOUT ROCKET FUEL - A California-based company, SpinLaunch, is making waves with its innovative satellite launch system, drawing particular interest from the Punkin Chunkin community. Instead of relying on traditional rocket fuel, SpinLaunch uses a massive rotating arm to propel satellites into low Earth orbit, powered solely by electricity. This approach could significantly reduce the cost and environmental impact of satellite launches. More (Source: The Brighter Side of News - Feb 2)
SATURDAY STARLINK LAUNCH MARKS 200TH ORBITAL FLIGHT FROM VANDENBERG’S PAD 4E - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Saturday afternoon. The mission was the 111th orbital launch for SpaceX from its pad at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) and the 200th orbital launch in total from that site. Liftoff happened at 3:02 p.m. PST (6:02 p.m. EST, 2302 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 2)
EUROPEAN 'SWARM' SATELLITES DETECT ELECTRIC CURRENTS FROM THE OCEAN'S TIDES - Satellites have managed to detect faint electromagnetic signals generated by ocean tides, suggesting that space-born sensors could be used to obtain insights into the motion of other liquid masses on Earth, including magma below the planet's surface. The observations were made by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm constellation, which consists of three satellites circling the planet in low Earth orbit at altitudes between 287 and 318 miles (462 to 511 kilometers). More (Source: Space.com - Feb 1)
NASA ASTRONAUTS BEGIN SPACEWALK FOR MAINTENANCE AND SCIENCE - NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore began a spacewalk at approximately 7:43 a.m. EST to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss, collect samples of surface material for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to see whether microorganisms may exist on the exterior of the orbital complex, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm. More (Source: NASA - Feb 1)
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