SPACEX TO LAUNCH FIRST STARLINK SATELLITES TESTING 'VISORSAT' TO BLOCK SUN - It's been nearly a year since SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink broadband satellites, igniting a controversy over the surprising brightness of the orbiting routers that threatens to interfere with the observations of astronomers and other scientists. More (Source: CNET - May 18)
NASA AND 'KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM' CHALLENGE GAMERS TO RECREATE HISTORIC SPACEX LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION - It's safe to say NASA is pumped up for SpaceX's historic Crew Dragon launch. After all, the planned May 27 liftoff will mark the first time American astronauts will launch to the International Space Station from U.S. soil on an American spacecraft since 2011. To mark that event, NASA and Private Division — folks behind the upcoming space game "Kerbal Space Program 2" — are looking for gamers with the right stuff. More (Source: Space.com - May 18)
SPACE FORCE LAUNCHES ROBOTIC X-37B SPACE PLANE ON NEW MYSTERY MISSION - The U.S. Space Force's mysterious X-37B space plane successfully launched on its sixth mystery mission from Florida today (May 17). Riding atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, the clandestine craft blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 9:14 a.m. EDT (1314 GMT). The on-time liftoff occurred just 24-hours after poor weather conditions at the Florida launch site forced ULA to scrub its original launch attempt, Saturday morning. More (Source: Space.com - May 17)
SPACE FORCE LAUNCH OF X-37B SPACE PLANE DELAYED BY BAD WEATHER - The U.S. Space Force's next secret mission of a robotic X-37B space plane has been delayed at least 24 hours after bad weather thwarted a launch attempt today (May 16). An Atlas V rocket was scheduled to launch the X-37B from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during a two-hour window this morning. But high winds, thick clouds and rain made liftoff impossible, according to launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA). More (Source: Space.com - May 17)
THESE EIGHT SATELLITES WILL TRACK HYPERSONIC WEAPONS - The Space Development Agency wants to put an initial batch of satellites capable of tracking hypersonic weapons on orbit in fiscal 2022, according to a draft request for proposals the agency released May 11. The draft comes as SDA prepares to launch its first tranche of about 20 satellites in FY22, the first step toward its goal of hundreds of interconnected satellites operating in low Earth orbit. The agency is taking a spiral development approach, launching additional satellites with increasingly advanced capabilities in two-year tranches. More (Source: C4ISRNet - May 16)
6 PLANET SATELLITES WILL HITCH RIDES TO ORBIT WITH SPACEX STARLINK LAUNCHES - Earth-observing satellites will tag along on two upcoming launches for SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation. Six SkySat spacecraft operated by San Francisco-based company Planet will ride to low Earth orbit (LEO) atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in the near future, representatives of both companies announced Wednesday (May 13). More (Source: Space.com - May 16)
WANT TO HACK A SATELLITE? NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO IMPRESS THE AIR FORCE - Hundreds of hackers signed up to try to break into an orbiting satellite. And yes, it’s perfectly legit. "Hack-A-Sat", which is partly backed by the United States Air Force, will offer $250,000 in prizes in a unique contest to get into a small satellite in orbit. The qualification round is coming up online soon as part of the popular hacking conference Defcon, on May 22. The final round, also online, will see the satellite hacking attempt take place in August. More (Source: Forbes - May 16)
JAPANESE SATELLITE FILLED WITH 'SHOOTING STAR' PELLETS WON'T SPAWN ARTIFICIAL METEOR SHOWER AFTER ALL - We'll have to wait another few years to see a Japanese company's first big artificial-meteor sky show. Tokyo-based ALE (Astro Live Experiences) had planned to generate "shooting stars" this year with its ALE-2 satellite, which launched to Earth orbit in December 2019 atop a Rocket Lab Electron booster. More (Source: Space.com - May 16)
HUSKYSAT-1 (HO-107) TRANSPONDER IS OPEN - The transponder on HuskySat-1, now designated as HuskySat-OSCAR 107 (HO-107), has been activated and is open for use and testing, AMSAT Vice President – Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, reports. “It’s fairly sensitive, and 5 – 10 W is plenty most of the time. There are some fades due to satellite orientation, and some passes are definitely better than others. Strong signals may impact the beacon strength.” More (Source: ARRL - May 16)
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