LONG MARCH 4C LAUNCHES LATEST BATCH OF YAOGAN- 31 SATELLITES - Three new satellites were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday. The new satellites form part of the Group-3 of the Yaogan Weixing-31 mission. The launch took place at 02:22 UTC from Launch Pad 94 of the LC43 launch complex using the Long March-4C (Y32) rocket. Yaogan Weixing-31 Group-03 is composed of three satellites, with Chinese media referring to the new satellites to be used “for electromagnetic environment surveys and other related technology tests.”   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Feb 25)

GALILEO ELLIPTICAL AUXILIARY SATELLITES REMOVED FROM SERVICE - Two Galileo satellites launched in 2014 by a Soyuz rocket into erroneous orbits, which had been briefly set healthy late last year, have now been removed from service. The change stems from the discovery that, while the vast majority of users obtained an improved positioning, some commercial receivers had difficulty with the satellites’ highly elliptical orbits, created by the malfunction in the Russian launch vehicle. The European GNSS Agency (GSA) issued a Service Notice to Galileo Users (SNGU) on February 16...   More
(Source: Inside GNSS - Feb 24)

SPACE STARTUP PIXXEL’S SATELLITE LAUNCH DELAYED AGAIN - Space technology startup Pixxel said on Tuesday that it will not launch its first satellite ‘Anand’ on the upcoming PSLV C51 mission, scheduled for February 28, owing to technical issues. The Bengaluru-based firm said that the decision to pull out of the launch five days before lift-off was due to software glitches detected during the final stages of the satellite’s testing. Had the launch proceeded as scheduled, Pixxel would have been the first private Indian company to have launched a ..    More
(Source: Economic Times - Feb 24)

REDWIRE ACQUIRES DEPLOYABLE SPACE SYSTEMS - Redwire has acquired Deployable Space Systems (DSS) Inc., the rapidly growing Goleta, California, company that manufactures various structures and mechanisms including the Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The DSS acquisition announced Feb. 23 was the seventh acquisition by Jacksonville, Florida-based Redwire, which private equity firm AE Industrial Partners established in 2020 to create a pure-play space company.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 24)

THESE 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS WILL FLY ON SPACEX'S CREW-4 MISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IN 2022 - Two NASA astronauts will fly to the International Space Station on the fourth-ever commercial crew mission on SpaceX in 2022 — and you can follow their adventures on social media in the next year. Kjell Lindgren — a potential moonbound astronaut for the Artemis program who spoke with "The Martian" stars from orbit in 2015 — will return to space for his second mission. Joining him will be Bob Hines, a research test pilot (much like the famed moonwalker Neil Armstrong) who just graduated to full astronaut status last year after his selection in 2017.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 24)

ELON MUSK: SPACEX WILL DOUBLE STARLINK'S SATELLITE INTERNET SPEEDS IN 2021 - SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter Monday that his company's satellite internet service, Starlink, will offer speeds close to 300 Mbps later in 2021. That's roughly twice as fast as currently advertised, and would represent a significant step forward for the service as it seeks to deliver high-speed internet to underserved regions across the globe. The tweet came in reply to a customer posting their at-home speed test results with a newly installed Starlink connection.   More
(Source: CNET - Feb 23)

35 YEARS AGO: LAUNCH OF MIR SPACE STATION’S FIRST MODULE - On Feb. 19, 1986, the Soviet Union launched the first module of the Mir space station. Called the Mir base block or core module, this first element provided living accommodations, life support, command and control, and communications systems. During its 15-year lifetime, the Soviets added five research modules, including two partially outfitted with science equipment provided by the United States, to expand its capabilities and habitable volume.   More
(Source: NASA - Feb 23)

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)

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