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)

SPACEX RAMPS UP LAUNCH RATE FIFTH FALCON 9 MISSION IN THREE WEEKS - SpaceX’s fifth Falcon 9 launch in a little more than three weeks delivered 52 more Starlink internet satellites and two small hitchhiker payloads to orbit after a booming blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday evening. The kerosene-fueled launcher ignited its nine Merlin main engines and hold-down clamps released the rocket to climb away from pad 39A at 6:56 p.m. EDT (2256 GMT) Saturday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 16)

ROCKET LAB’S SATELLITE LAUNCH FROM NEW ZEALAND SITE FAILS - California-based Rocket Lab says a launch of satellites from its facility in New Zealand has failed. A company statement says the problem occurred during ignition of the Electron rocket’s second stage Saturday. The rocket was carrying two Earth-observation satellites for the global monitoring company BlackSky.    More
(Source: KTIV - May 16)

WOODEN SATELLITE TO LAUNCH BY YEAR’S END - The WISA Woodsat project, being sponsored by plywood supplier WISA in an unconventional PR initiative, is poised to place a wooden satellite into orbit by the end of the year. The idea is to test the suitability of treated wood as a low-cost and widely available material for space applications. The IARU posting for Woodsat indicates that several amateur radio experiments will be on board as well as photo downlinking, including selfies. The wooden satellite is based on a basic, versatile CubeSat format, Kitsat, which is designed with educational use in mind. It retails for just $1,500.    More
(Source: ARRL - May 15)

RUSSIAN FILM CREW PASSES MEDICAL CHECKS FOR OCTOBER LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION - A Russian film director and actor, plus their backups, have passed preflight medical tests for an October launch to the International Space Station to shoot scenes for a movie dubbed "Challenge." The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had previously announced that it was working with Channel One and the film studio Yellow, Black and White on a movie to be shot partially in space. The project opened a competition last year for women interested in a starring role in the film, which would be directed by Klim Shipenko, who would also launch for the filming.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 15)

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