NASA SPACE STATION ON-ORBIT STATUS 1 DECEMBER 2020 - CARGO RESUPPLY PREPARATIONS - Cargo operations are underway at the International Space Station as a U.S. resupply ship prepares for launch and another prepares for departure. Meanwhile, a host of microgravity research is keeping the Expedition 64 crew busy. SpaceX is preparing its upgraded SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for a launch from Florida on Dec. 5 and a rendezvous with the orbiting lab about 24 hours later. This will be the first automated docking of the Cargo Dragon.   More
(Source: Space Ref - Dec 4)

SOYUZ ROCKET LIFTS OFF FROM PLESETSK WITH RUSSIAN RELAY SATELLITES - Three Russian Gonets communications satellites launched late Wednesday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, riding a Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage into orbit on the second successful Soyuz mission in less than 24 hours. The Gonets-M satellites lifted off at 8:14 p.m. EST Wednesday (0114 GMT; 4:14 a.m. Moscow time Thursday) from Plesetsk, a military spaceport in the Arkhangelsk region of northern Russia.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 4)

FIFTH SBIRS MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE READY FOR 2021 LAUNCH - Lockheed Martin has announced the US Space Force has determined the fifth Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite (SBIRS GEO-5) is complete and ready for launch in 2021. Built in a record time and at no additional cost to the government for the upgrade, SBIRS GEO-5 is the first military space satellite built on the company’s modernised, modular LM 2100 combat bus. SBIRS GEO-6, launching in 2022, is also being built on the new bus designed for speed and resilience.    More
(Source: SatelliteProME.com - Dec 4)

THE SPACE FORCE’S NEXT MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE IS READY FOR A 2021 LAUNCH - The next satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s missile warning constellation is finished and ready for its 2021 launch date, according to primary manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The company announced Dec. 2 that work on the fifth geosynchronous Space Based Infrared System satellite (SBIRS GEO-5) was officially completed back in October. “Completing the production of a complex missile-warning satellite during the challenging COVID environment is a huge accomplishment and is a testament to Lockheed Martin’s professionalism and dedication to the security of our Nation,” said Capt. Alec Cook...   More
(Source: DefenseNews.com - Dec 3)

ONEWEB'S SATELLITE PLANT RETURNS TO FULL-SCALE PRODUCTION - Florida-based OneWeb Satellites has returned to full-scale production of spacecraft after its big client and part owner, OneWeb, emerged from bankruptcy. The high-tech factory near Kennedy Space Center churns out eight satellites a week, which is the average pace it was on before the bankruptcy, CEO Tony Gingiss said in an interview Friday.    More
(Source: UPI.com - Dec 2)

SOLAR SUPERSTORMS OF THE PAST HELP NASA SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND RISKS FOR SATELLITES - At the edge of space, the ever-growing fleet of satellites in low-Earth orbit are locked in a constant, precarious battle with friction. These satellites orbit in a normally quiet region hundreds of miles above the surface, at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Usually, the satellites only feel a gentle push due to the headwinds of the rarified air there, but extreme storms from the Sun can change Earth’s atmosphere enough to pull a satellite farther off orbit in one day than they’d normally experience in a year.    More
(Source: NASA - Dec 2)

SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES EMIRATI MILITARY SATELLITE AFTER LENGTHY DELAY - After months of delays caused by launch vehicle issues and the coronavirus pandemic, a Russian Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage took off from South America and delivered the French-built Falcon Eye 2 military observation satellite to an on-target orbit Tuesday night for the United Arab Emirates. The kerosene-fueled Soyuz ST-A launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America at 8:33:28 p.m. EST Tuesday (0133:28 GMT Wednesday) with the UAE military’s Falcon Eye 2 reconnaissance satellite...   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 2)

RUSSIA MAY COMMENCE DEPLOYMENT OF ITS ORBITAL STATION AFTER 2024 - Russia may deploy its own service orbital station, manned by two to four cosmonauts, after 2024, said Vladimir Solovyov, the first deputy CEO of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, according to the Scientific Russia website. "[Vladimir Solovyov] also presented the project of a Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), currently in development by RSC Energia," the website reads. "According to Solovyov, its deployment is planned after 2024."   More
(Source: TASS - Dec 2)

EUROPE AND RUSSIA SCRUB EMIRATI MILITARY/CIVILIAN EARTH IMAGING SATELLITE FOR SECOND TIME - Arianespace was to use — with Russia’s support — a Soyuz ST-A rocket to launch a joint military and civilian Earth imaging satellite for the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces from the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff of the Falcon Eye 2 satellite was to occur at 20:33:28 EST on Monday, 30 November (01:33:28 UTC on Tuesday, 1 December) to ensure the satellite reaches the proper sun-synchronous orbit. This was scrubbed with less than 2 minutes to go when a telemetry transmission issue happened.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Dec 1)

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