CHINA SPACE STATION ON TRACK FOR 2022 WITH CORE MODULE TO LAUNCH IN SPRING - China is set to launch the core module of its first permanent space station next spring, to be constructed over 11 missions in the next two years and completed by 2022. Astronauts are already in training for the China-built and operated Tiangong Space Station project, and will also carry out retrieval missions and test in-orbit technologies, according to state broadcaster CCTV. More (Source: South China Morning Post - Dec 26)
ASTRONAUTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION BEAM CHRISTMAS CHEER TO EARTH - Astronauts on the International Space Station are sending Christmas tidings to the people of Earth with a message of hope in a year challenged by a global pandemic. All seven members of the station's Expedition 64 crew are taking the day off in orbit to relax and likely make calls to friends and family, but five of them beamed home some special videos for everyone on Earth. Their message: Resilience, based on the name of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that launched four of the astronauts to the station last month. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 26)
NORAD TRACKS SANTA CLAUS IN COSMIC TRIP TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Astronauts on the International Space Station are getting a special visit from a strange spacecraft powered by reindeer and carrying a jolly old elf. Yes, Santa has reached the final frontier. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) have unveiled a new video of Santa's flyby of the International Space Station, which comes just in time for Christmas during the station's 20th anniversary year of crewed missions. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 25)
HOW TO FOLLOW SANTA'S CHRISTMAS SLEIGH RIDE WITH NORAD — AND HOW THE TRADITION ACCIDENTALLY BEGAN - North America’s premier Kris Kringle tracker is following Santa Claus this Christmas Eve, so here’s how to see where St. Nick will be next. From Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is proudly tracking Santa for the 65th year. Believers can follow Santa’s path on Dec. 24 in several different ways, including noradsanta.org, on Twitter, via smartphone apps or with a good old -fashioned phone call to the toll-free 1-877-Hi-NORAD. More (Source: Fox news - Dec 25)
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS NOW HOME TO THE WORLD'S 1ST COMMERCIAL AIRLOCK - The International Space Station is now sporting a shiny new piece of hardware. On Monday (Dec. 21), the first commercial airlock ever sent to the International Space Station (ISS) was attached to its exterior. The new structure is a bell-shaped airlock that is designed to transfer payloads and other materials from inside the station out into the vacuum of space. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 24)
WORLD'S FIRST WOODEN SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED BY JAPAN IN 2023 - Japanese logging company Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are planting the seeds for a 2023 launch of the world's first satellite made out of wood. The partners announced their intentions on Wednesday, saying the aim was basic research and proof of concept. They have agreed to conduct research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space. They hope to promote technology for using wood in extreme environments on Earth. More (Source: Nikkei Asia - Dec 24)
EUROPE WANTS TO BUILD ITS OWN SATELLITE MEGA CONSTELLATION TO RIVAL SPACEX’S STARLINK - The European Union (EU) has revealed plans to develop a mega constellation of satellites in Earth orbit – despite major concerns about such constellations still being unresolved. Today, Wednesday, December 23, the European Commission (EC) said it would work with a number of companies to begin a year-long €7.1 million ($8.7 million) feasibility study to investigate the need for a “space-based communication system.” More (Source: Forbes - Dec 24)
ASTROSCALE SHIPS ITS SPACE JUNK REMOVAL DEMONSTRATION SATELLITE FOR MARCH 2021 MISSION - Japanese startup Astroscale has shipped its ELSA-d spacecraft to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan, where it will be integrated with a Soyuz rocket for a launch scheduled for March of next year. This is a crucial mission for Astroscale, since it’ll be the first in-space demonstration of the company’s technology for de-orbiting space debris, a cornerstone of its proposed space sustainability service business. The ELSA-d mission by Astroscale is a small satellite mission that will demonstrate two key technologies that enable the company’s vision for orbital debris removal. More (Source: TechCrunch - Dec 23)
RECENTLY LAUNCHED COMMUNICATION SATELLITE CMS-01 PLACED IN FINAL ORBIT - The communication satellite CMS-01 launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) last Thursday has been placed in its final circular orbit of about 36,000 kilometres after a few orbit raising manoeuvres. CMS-01 is India’s 42nd communication satellite that will replace the functions of GSAT-12 launched in 2011. More (Source: Hindustan Times - Dec 22)
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