NORTHROP GRUMMAN SUPPLY CARRIER DELIVERS TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday with more than 8,000 pounds of cargo, including new astronaut sleeping quarters, parts for the station’s toilet, and numerous biomedical and technology experiments. The space station’s Canadian-built robotic arm, under the control of Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, captured the Cygnus spacecraft at 4:38 a.m. EST (0938 GMT) Monday as the supply ship held position less than 40 feet, or about 10 meters, below the orbiting research outpost.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 23)

SPACE ENTHUSIASTS IN JAPAN READY TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN SATELLITE - Interest in commercial aerospace is growing among amateurs in Japan, with enthusiasts assembling rockets and satellites by trial and error. As the space business grows around the world, amateur builders and launchers, including office workers and students, are challenging the idea that outer space is the sole domain of professionals. "Let's disassemble it and replace the component," says a voice at a small workshop in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward.    More
(Source: Nikkei Asia - Feb 22)

ANTARES ROCKET LAUNCHES HEAVY CARGO LOAD TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - An Antares launcher rocketed into orbit Saturday from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, deploying a Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship carrying nearly 8,400 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station, the the most massive collection of payloads ever flown to the research outpost on a U.S. commercial freighter. The Antares rocket lit its two Russian-made RD-181 engines and took off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, at 12:36:50 p.m. EST (1736:50 GMT) Saturday.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 21)

NASA RESUPPLY MISSION PREPARES FOR SATURDAY LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION - NASA and Northrop Grumman are set to launch a Cygnus cargo capsule chock-full of research and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, Feb. 20. The flight will blast off from Pad 09A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a planned five-minute window that opens at 12:36 p.m. EST (1736 GMT). A two-stage Antares rocket, standing 139 feet (42.5 meters) tall, will haul the Cygnus spacecraft into orbit, kicking off a two-day voyage to the ISS.https://www.space.com/ng-15-cygnus-supply-mission-ready-launch   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 19)

CHINA ASSEMBLING ROCKET TO LAUNCH FIRST SPACE STATION MODULE - The Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket to launch China’s first space station module is soon to be assembled at Wenchang for launch in April. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) stated Thursday that the Long March 5B was headed for Wenchang, citing a Feb. 16 press release from the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). The 849-metric-ton Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket will launch the roughly 22-metric-ton Tianhe core module from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center following delivery, assembly, integration and testing.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 19)

EOS DATA ANALYTICS TO LAUNCH THE FIRST AGRICULTURE-FOCUSED SATELLITE CONSTELLATION BY 2024 - EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA), a satellite imagery analytics provider, announced plans to launch seven optical EOS SAT satellites into a LEO (Low Earth orbit) by the year 2024. By launching its own satellite imaging constellation, the company aims to establish a full satellite data production vertical – from direct imagery collection to processing, analysis and delivery. One of the key objectives of the new satellite constellation will be monitoring of farmlands, making this project the first of its kind oriented towards agriculture.   More
(Source: PRNewswire - Feb 19)

BEFORE AND AFTER: SATELLITE CAPTURES TEXAS POWER OUTAGE FROM SPACE - Stunning images from above the Earth show the effect of power outages across Texas this week, which at one point left more than 4 million people without power. In the wake of multiple rounds of winter storms, demand for energy increased in Texas. The company that manages the power grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, was forced to shed some of the load, which caused blackouts after ERCOT had ordered utility companies to cut power usage.   More
(Source: KXAN.com - Feb 19)

SPACEFLIGHT SETS LAUNCH DATE FOR ITS LARGEST SATELLITE PASSENGER - Spaceflight Inc. will launch its largest satellite to date at the end of the month, the company confirmed Wednesday. The rideshare company, which is famous for booking entire rockets for large payloads of small satellites, selected NewSpace India to send Brazil’s 700-kilogram Amazonia-1 spacecraft into orbit on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket. NewSpace India, the commercial arm of India’s ISRO space agency, scheduled the Amazonia-1 mission to take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, in Sriharikota, India, on Feb. 28th.   More
(Source: Via Satellite - Feb 18)

RUSSIA'S PROGRESS 77 CARGO SHIP DOCKS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A Russian space vessel carrying an algae experiment, long-duration medical examinations and thousands of pounds of other cargo and supplies docked safely at the International Space Station Wednesday (Feb. 17) after a cosmonaut took manual control of the craft during its approach. The uncrewed cargo ship Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship (also known as Progress 77) met up with the orbiting complex at 1:27 a.m. EST (0627 GMT), when it latched onto the station's Pirs docking component, according to an update from NASA.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 18)

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