ROCKET LAB PLANS NEXT LAUNCH SATURDAY, CLOSES IN ON FIRST MISSION FROM VIRGINIA - Rocket Lab is readying for a launch from its New Zealand spaceport Saturday (U.S. time) with seven commercial satellites from Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, while teams at Wallops Island, Virginia, move closer to Rocket Lab’s first launch there as soon as August. The mission Sunday will take off from Rocket Lab’s primary privately-run spaceport on Mahia Peninsula, located on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 4)
SPACE STARTUP MOMENTUS PROVIDES ‘LAST MILE DELIVERY’ FOR SATELLITES LAUNCHED ON ANY ROCKET - A space startup offering a “last mile delivery” service for spacecraft is continuing its deal spree this year, becoming an increasingly important player in the growing small satellite market. Momentus, a Santa Clara, California-based company, has so far struck $40 million worth of customer contracts this year and announced on Thursday its latest deal with Dutch small satellite specialist ISILaunch. Its the eighth such deal Momentus has unveiled in 2020, with the company providing its orbit transfer services for ISILaunch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in December. More (Source: CNBC - Jul 3)
AFTER WEATHER DELAYS, ARIANESPACE DELAYS VEGA LAUNCH TO RECHARGE BATTERIES - After an unusual stretch of excessive high-altitude winds prevented launch from French Guiana of 53 small satellites on a Vega rocket in June — and no sign of a letup in winds in the coming days — Arianespace said Wednesday that the mission will be delayed to Aug. 17 to allow time for teams to recharge launcher and payload batteries. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 3)
SPACEWALKERS COMPLETE PENULTIMATE SET OF BATTERY UPGRADES FOR SPACE STATION - Two NASA astronauts have completed the second-to-last set of battery replacements outside of the International Space Station, advancing a multi-year project to upgrade the power system for the orbiting laboratory. Expedition 63 commander Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken, who launched on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft in late May, conducted their second spacewalk together on Wednesday (July 1), five days after beginning the battery swap work for one of two power channels on the station's far starboard (S6) truss still needing to be upgraded. More (Source: Space.com - Jul 2)
FINAL BEIDOU-3 SATELLITE REACHES OPERATIONAL ORBIT, CHINA’S LAUNCH SITES GEAR UP FOR JULY MISSIONS - China’s final Beidou-3 satellite has reached its intended geostationary orbit and passed systems checks, a week after launch from Xichang. The satellite’s frequency synthesizers, atomic clock, navigation processors and inter-satellite payloads and other systems are working normally, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation stated in a June 30 release. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jul 1)
NASA TV GOES LIVE WEDNESDAY TO BROADCAST SPACEWALK - NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken are scheduled to depart the International Space Station’s Quest airlock Wednesday for a spacewalk to complete battery replacement activities to upgrade one of two power channels on the station’s far starboard truss (S6 Truss). The upgrade includes removing six aging nickel-hydrogen batteries and replacing them with three new lithium-ion batteries and the adapter plates that complete the power circuit to the new batteries. More (Source: NASA - Jul 1)
SPACEX LAUNCHES ADVANCED GPS SATELLITE FOR US SPACE FORCE, STICKS ROCKET LANDING - SpaceX successfully launched its 11th mission of the year, lofting a next-generation global positioning satellite into space for the U.S. Space Force. A shiny, white Falcon 9 rocket took to the skies today (June 30) at 4:10 p.m. EDT (2010 GMT), taking off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. More (Source: Space.com - Jun 30)
WATCH: SPACEX SET FOR GPS SATELLITE LAUNCH FROM CAPE TODAY - On board the rocket will be the U.S. Air Force’s third-generation satellite called the GPS III Space Vehicle 03. The GPS III constellation of satellites, made by Lockheed Martin, supports U.S. and allied operations. The launch window opens at 3:55 p.m. ET and ends at 4:10 p.m. ET at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40. More (Source: Bay News 9 - Jun 30)
VEGA’S RETURN TO FLIGHT MISSION SCRUBBED AGAIN - After a lengthy grounding following a failed launch in July 2019, the closure of the Guiana Space Centre due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and a further postponement because of high-altitude winds, Arianespace’s small-lift Vega rocket was set to launch on its Return To Flight (RTF) mission on Sunday night/Monday morning. Yet another weather delay has now pushed the mission’s launch to “indefinite” as Arianespace works to determine a new launch date. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jun 29)
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