US SPACE FORCE AWARDS SPACEX $2.29 BILLION CONTRACT FOR MILITARY SPACE DATA NETWORK - The U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX ​a $2.29 billion contract to build a secure, high-speed satellite ‌communications network to connect military sensors and weapons platforms across the globe, the service announced on Tuesday. The fixed-price nontraditional contracting agreement covers ​the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, a resilient network architecture ​providing high-capacity and low-latency data transport for the military.   More
(Source: Reuters - May 28)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 24 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SFB - SpaceX followed up a picturesque Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Monday morning with another from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday morning. The Starlink 17-37 mission, which was originally scheduled to launch on May 9, faced several launch delays throughout the month of May. The flight went through two previous booster assignments (B1097 and B1103) before SpaceX ultimately designated B1100 to fly the mission.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 27)

SHENZHOU-23 CREW ARRIVES AT TIANGONG AS CHINA MAPS PATH TO 2030 LUNAR LANDING - Three Chinese astronauts arrived at Tiangong space station Sunday, with one crewmember expected to become China’s first to stay in orbit for an entire year. The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 11:08 a.m. Eastern (1508 UTC; 11:08 p.m. Beijing time) May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 27)

SHENZHOU 23 LAUNCHES NEW CREW TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION - The Chinese space station Tiangong, permanently occupied since June 5, 2022, is about to receive a new set of crew members. Shenzhou 23 launched atop a Chang Zheng 2F (CZ-2F) from Site 91 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia province of northwest China.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 26)

A NASA SATELLITE LAUNCHED IN 1976 CARRYING A CARL SAGAN–DESIGNED PLAQUE SEALED INSIDE ITS CORE IS EXPECTED TO FALL BACK TO EARTH AND FINALLY BE OPENED - On 4 May 1976, NASA launched a satellite called LAGEOS-1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It is one of the simplest objects ever put into orbit. It is a sphere about 60 centimetres across, weighing roughly 400 kilograms, with no electronics, no sensors, no power source, and no moving parts. It is a solid mass of brass and aluminium studded with 426 reflectors. The name stands for Laser Geodynamic Satellite.    More
(Source: Space Daily - May 26)

NASA SETS COVERAGE FOR ROSCOSMOS SPACEWALK OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - NASA will provide live coverage on Wednesday, May 27, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:15 a.m. EDT and last roughly five hours. Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 9:45 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.   More
(Source: NASA - May 26)

MUSK PRAISES “EPIC” SUPER HEAVY-STARSHIP LAUNCH - SpaceX launched a revamped Super Heavy-Starship rocket Friday on an “epic” flight to test more powerful engines, enhanced control systems and a host of other upgrades needed to streamline operations and improve safety and reliability. One of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor 3 engines shut down early during the climb out of the lower atmosphere and additional engines failed to run properly during an attempt to fly the stage back to its planned splashdown point off the Texas Gulf Coast.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 24)

THE SATELLITE THAT HAS BEEN TRACKING EARTH'S WILDFIRES FOR 24 YEARS IS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL TO DODGE DEBRIS - NASA’s aging Aqua satellite, which has monitored Earth’s wildfires and climate patterns since 2002, is nearing the end of its operational life because it is running low on fuel needed to avoid space debris and maintain its orbit. Aqua has played a critical role in detecting fires early—sometimes faster than emergency calls reach authorities—and has helped scientists build one of the longest continuous climate and wildfire datasets ever assembled. However, increasing congestion in low Earth orbit has forced more debris-avoidance maneuvers, consuming the satellite’s limited fuel reserves faster. Scientists warn that when Aqua is eventually retired, the world risks losing an irreplaceable long-term climate record that has been essential for tracking how climate change is influencing wildfire activity and other environmental trends.   More
(Source: Space Daily - May 23)

UH-OH, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS LEAKING AGAIN - NASA confirmed Thursday that the Russian segment of the International Space Station has begun leaking atmosphere into space again. It’s an old problem that NASA recently hoped was resolved. For more than half a decade, engineers from Roscosmos and NASA have been tracking the leak rate from a small Russian module attached to the space station that leads to a docking port. The source of these leaks, microscopic structural cracks, have been difficult to find and address.   More
(Source: Ars Technica - May 22)

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