U.S. SPACE FORCE GETS UPGRADED SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS JAMMERS FOR ‘OFFENSIVE’ OPERATIONS - The U.S. military will deploy a new version of a ground-based communications jammer used to block adversaries’ satellite transmissions. The Counter Communications System was first introduced in 2004. An updated version, called CCS Block 10.2, has completed tests and will be ready for initial operations sometime in 2020, the Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed Feb. 3 in a statement to SpaceNews.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 5)

ONEWEB JOINS THE SATELLITE INTERNET GOLD RUSH THIS WEEK - For the better part of a year, SpaceX has gotten the lion's share of attention when it comes to mega-constellations and satellite Internet. Between May and January, the company launched 240 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, with more launches coming, and has talked of offering preliminary commercial service later this year.   More
(Source: Ars Technica - Feb 4)

INDIA PLANS TO SEND 50 SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLES INTO ORBIT WITHIN NEXT 5 YEARS - India's government space expenditure still lags behind that of the major players in the sector, such as the US, which spent about 13 times more than India in 2018, according to a report presented to parliament. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch at least 50 medium and heavy satellites into orbit in the next five years.    More
(Source: Space Daily - Feb 3)

IRAN PREPARING TO LAUNCH SATELLITE IN 'COMING DAYS' - Iran is preparing to launch a new scientific observation satellite in the "coming days," according to AFP. Development of the "Zafar" (Victory) satellite began three years ago, said Morteza Barari, head of the country's national space agency, on Saturday. The 113-kilogram satellite will be launched by a Simorgh rocket.   More
(Source: The Jerusalem Post - Feb 3)

PENTAGON REPORT: DOD NEEDS TO TEST HOW SATELLITES WOULD PERFORM UNDER ATTACK - The Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation warns in a new report that the military today is not able to assess the durability of its satellites if they came under attack. DoD plans to invest at least $100 billion in space systems over the next decade, “and we are not alone,” writes DOT&E director Robert Behler in his just released annual report for fiscal year 2019.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 3)

A RUSSIAN SATELLITE SEEMS TO BE TAILING A US SPY SATELLITE IN EARTH ORBIT - A Russian satellite has positioned itself uncomfortably close to an American spy satellite in orbit around Earth, leading space trackers to speculate that the foreign vehicle is doing some spying of its own. The Russian spacecraft is meant to inspect other satellites, and experts in the space community believe it may now be keeping a watchful eye on the secretive US vehicle. But the motivation behind this in-space stalking is still unknown.   More
(Source: The Verge - Feb 1)

CYGNUS CARGO SHIP LEAVES INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, BEGINS NEW MISSION IN ORBIT - Northrop Grumman's Cygnus NG-12 cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station today (Jan. 31), nearly three months after it arrived at the orbiting laboratory with about 4 tons of supplies and science experiments for the Expedition 61 crew. The cargo vessel, named the S.S. Alan Bean after the Apollo 12 astronaut, began its journey back to Earth after ground controllers in Houston used the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to release it in orbit. Before the spacecraft meets its fiery demise in Earth's atmosphere, it will spend about a month in orbit deploying various scientific payloads.    More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 1)

ROCKET NEARS SPACEPORT FOR CHINESE SPACE STATION TEST LAUNCH - The first flight model of a rocket designed to launch modules for a Chinese space station is set to arrive at Wenchang spaceport for a crucial test mission. The Long March 5B launch vehicle — including a five-meter-diameter core stage and four side boosters — is due to reach Qinglan port, Hainan island, Feb.1, ship tracking reveals. Specially designed cargo vessels Yuanwang-21 and 22 collected the components at the port city of Tianjin before departing Jan. 26.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 1)

A DEAD NASA SPACE TELESCOPE AND AN OLD AIR FORCE SATELLITE AVOIDED A CRASH ON WEDNESDAY, BEATING 'ALARMING' ODDS - Two dead satellites avoided a high-speed collision in space on Wednesday evening when their orbits crossed paths 560 miles above Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The larger object is an old space telescope called the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, or IRAS: a joint mission between NASA, the Netherlands, and the UK that ran out of fuel and died in November 1983. The other is a gravitational experiment called GGSE-4 that the US Air Force launched in May 1967.   More
(Source: Business Insider - Jan 31)

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