SATELLITE DATA REVEALS THE PANDEMIC'S EFFECTS FROM ABOVE - The Cusco region of Peru has about 1.2 million residents—and, like many locations on Earth, not nearly enough ventilators for the people who might require them during the ongoing pandemic. In an effort to stem the rate of Covid-19 infections, and therefore the need for medical equipment that doesn’t exist locally, the Peruvian government put the country on lockdown in mid-March. As in many places across the globe, that meant lots of people couldn’t do their work, which meant they couldn’t get paid.    More
(Source: WIRED - Apr 10)

LONG MARCH 3B CARRYING COMMERCIAL INDONESIAN SATELLITE FAILS - A Chinese Long March 3B rocket failed April 9 while attempting to launch a commercial communications satellite meant to provide broadcast and broadband services to Indonesia and beyond, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency. After lifting off from China’s inland Xichang launch center, the Long March 3B suffered a malfunction with its third stage, destroying Nusantara-2, a satellite China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) built for an Indonesian joint venture between Pasifik Satelit Nusantara and Indosat Ooredoo.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Apr 10)

UPGRADED SOYUZ ROCKET WITH CREW OF THREE LAUNCHED TO SPACE STATION - With an absence of fanfare amid coronavirus safety protocols, an upgraded Russian Soyuz rocket making its first piloted flight blasted off from Kazakshstan Thursday carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut on a speedy four-orbit trip to the International Space Station. The Soyuz 2.1a booster's first and core stage engines ignited on time at 4:05 a.m. EDT (1:05 p.m. local time), throttled up to full power and lifted the rocket smoothly away from its firing stand at the sprawling Baikonur Cosmodrome.   More
(Source: CBS News - Apr 9)

SOME GOOD NEWS FOR THE SATELLITE & SPACE SECTORS REVEALED BY NSR - As the Satellite & Space sectors face the same challenges as the rest of the economy, one market seems particularly robust in the face of COVID-19 – Government & Military Satellite Communications services. With ongoing procurement for next-gen MILSATCOM technologies from U.S. Space Force, the commercial opportunities continue. While the future remains uncertain, compared to other mobility-centric satellite end-user markets, Gov & Mil appears to remain insulated from larger world events.   More
(Source: SatNews Publishers - Apr 9)

YOU CAN WATCH 3 ASTRONAUTS LAUNCH TO THE SPACE STATION EARLY THURSDAY. HERE'S HOW. - Three people will launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) in the predawn hours Thursday (April 9), and you can watch their departure from Earth live. A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday at 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT; 1:05 p.m. local time in Baikonur).    More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 9)

PANDEMIC PUSHES SPACEX GPS 3 LAUNCH TO LATE JUNE - The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has decided to reschedule the launch of the third GPS 3 satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to minimize the potential of COVID-19 exposure to the launch crew and operators, a spokesperson said April 7. The launch was scheduled for late April and is now projected for June 30 at the earliest.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Apr 8)

SWARM FINALLY GETS FULL REGULATORY APPROVAL TO LAUNCH ITS SATELLITES - Today, the space tech startup Swarm Technologies announced that it is fully licensed to launch its commercial offering. This has been a years-long process, during which time Swarm violated FCC rules and was forced to pay a $900,000 penalty. The company appears ready to move on. It says it will begin serving customers later this year. “Having received all regulatory approvals to operate commercially in the US, in several other countries, and over international waters, we are one step closer to providing affordable satellite connectivity to the world,” Swarm wrote in a blog post.    More
(Source: Engadget - Apr 8)

WITH SUCCESSFUL SPLASHDOWN, SPACEX RETIRES FIRST VERSION OF DRAGON SPACECRAFT - For the final time, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm Tuesday and splashed down hours later in Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles. Beginning later this year, SpaceX will fly upgraded Dragon freighters that will dock automatically with the space station and parachute into the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 8)

BOEING INTENDS TO REATTEMPT STARLINER TEST FLIGHT TO SPACE STATION - Boeing plans to launch a second unpiloted test flight of its CST-100 Starliner crew ferry ship after software glitches last December prevented a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station and briefly threatened the spacecraft's survival, company officials said Monday. A review of the December flight pinpointed the causes of the problems and the steps required to correct them.   More
(Source: CBS News - Apr 7)

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