ATLAS V SCRUBS OPENING NROL-101 LAUNCH ATTEMPT - United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket was to carry a National Reconnaissance Office satellite to orbit Wednesday in a launch which also marks a major milestone for the next-generation Vulcan rocket as Atlas V debuts the new GEM-63 solid rocket boosters from Northrop Grumman — the start of a switch away from the Aerojet Rocketdyne boosters. Liftoff was set from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and SLC-41 at 17:54 Eastern Standard Time (22:54 UTC) on Wednesday, 4 November; however, a liquid oxygen tank farm valve at the pad caused an unplanned hold and subsequent scrub to the mission. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Nov 5)
NEUTRON-1 CUBESAT SCHEDULED FOR DEPLOYMENT ON NOVEMBER 5; OTHER SATS PENDING - The 3-U Neutron-1 CubeSat is scheduled for deployment from the International Space Station (ISS) on November 5 at 10:40 UTC. For the satellite’s first month and during its commissioning phase, the Neutron-1 beacon will transmit 1,200 bps BPSK telemetry every 60 seconds on 435.300 MHz. Developed by the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), the satellite’s payload includes a VU FM amateur radio repeater during available times and according to the spacecraft’s power budget. More (Source: ARRL - Nov 5)
NASA MAKES A SURPRISE STATEMENT, CALLING OUT PRIVATE SPACE START-UP FOR BIG RISKS - Inspired by the ambitions of SpaceX and its rivals to move our internet infrastructure from ground cell towers and underground optic fibers to satellites orbiting from above, a Texas-based space startup called AST & Science has an even bolder idea: it wants to deploy cell towers-sized satellites in low Earth orbit to provide 4G and 5G connection to smartphones on Earth. More (Source: Observer - Nov 4)
NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE SATELLITE SERVICING AND IN-SPACE ASSEMBLY TECHNOLOGIES - A new “national initiative” wants to promote the development of satellite servicing and in-space assembly technologies among U.S. government agencies that have differing views on the value of such capabilities. The On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) National Initiative is intended to exchange information and establish partnerships among government agencies, and with industry and academia, on the use of such technologies to repair existing satellites and create new capabilities in space. More (Source: SpaceNews - Nov 4)
LACUNA SPACE SECOND IOT GATEWAY SATELLITE IS NOW IN ORBIT - Lacuna Space completed in-orbit checks on Tuesday for an Internet of Things (IoT) small satellite launched on Sept. 28 by Roscosmos. The satellite payload and mission is a modified IoT gateway in space, and is built to connect Low-Power Wide Area Network protocol (LPWAN) sensors with the internet in remote, unconnected areas. This is Lacuna Space’s second satellite — the first was launched in 2019. More (Source: Via Satellite - Nov 4)
WHAT'S NEXT AFTER THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? PLANS AFOOT FOR MORE OFF-EARTH OUTPOSTS. - The International Space Station (ISS) won't be the only off-Earth outpost for much longer, if all goes according to plan. Yesterday (Nov. 2), the huge orbiting laboratory celebrated 20 years of continuous human occupation, a big milestone in humanity's push to extend its footprint into the final frontier. The ISS — a collaboration among the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and the participating nations of the European Space Agency (ESA) — still has considerable life left... More (Source: Space.com - Nov 4)
ATLAS 5 ROCKET, NRO PAYLOAD RETURN TO LAUNCH PAD AFTER REPAIRS - Ready for blastoff just after sunset Wednesday with a classified payload for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket rolled out to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral late Tuesday afternoon after an unplanned trip back inside its integration building for repairs. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 4)
SPACEX'S STARSHIP MAY HELP CLEAN UP SPACE JUNK - SpaceX's next-generation Starship system may help clean up Earth orbit when it's not taking people to the moon and Mars. Starship is at the heart of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's longtime Mars-colonization goal, and he has said that he envisions the rocket-spaceship duo eventually shouldering the company's entire spaceflight load. More (Source: Space.com - Nov 3)
ROCKET LAB’S NEXT LAUNCH WILL DELIVER 30 SATELLITES TO ORBIT — AND A 3D-PRINTED GNOME FROM GABE NEWELL - Rocket Lab’s next mission will put dozens of satellites into orbit using the launch company’s Kick Stage “space tug,” as well as a 3D-printed garden gnome from Valve Software’s Gabe Newell. The latter is a test of a new manufacturing technique, but also a philanthropic endeavor from the gaming industry legend. Scheduled for no earlier than November 15 (or 16 at the New Zealand launch site), the as-yet-unnamed launch — Rocket Lab gives all of their missions cheeky names — will be the company’s “most diverse ever,” it said in a press release. More (Source: TechCrunch - Nov 3)
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