FIVE MIT PAYLOADS DEPLOYED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Five research payloads from the MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative were recently deployed on the International Space Station for a 30-day research mission. Scientists, designers, and artists will be able to study the effects of prolonged microgravity, on-station radiation, and launch loads on experiments ranging from self-assembling architecture to biological pigments. The payloads launched on the SpaceX CRS-20 via the Dragon cargo ship atop a Falcon 9 rocket on March 6.   More
(Source: MIT News - Mar 29)

VENEZUELA'S ONLY TELECOMS SATELLITE IS LOST IN SPACE - Venezuela’s only telecommunications satellite has veered off its orbit and stopped working, creating a logistical headache for the cash-strapped nation. The Chinese-built satellite was launched among much fanfare in 2008 under the watch of former President Hugo Chavez, who said the 6-ton machine would help to “construct 21st-century socialism” and contribute to Venezuela’s “independence and sovereignty.”   More
(Source: The Japan Times - Mar 29)

THE US ECONOMY HAS COME TO A STANDSTILL, SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS - The coronavirus crisis is bringing the United States economy to a screeching halt, with every sector feeling the effects of most of the country’s workforce staying home. Satellite imagery combined with other photographic evidence and alternative data sources give a stark look at the U.S. situation: Airplanes are parked on unused runways, the busiest highways are empty during rush hour times, resorts have become ghost towns, ports are seeing sharp drops in shipping activity and more.   More
(Source: CNBC - Mar 29)

ONEWEB COLLAPSES AFTER SOFTBANK FUNDING TALKS FALL THROUGH - OneWeb, the satellite internet start-up, filed for bankruptcy and axed most of its staff on Friday, after failing to secure new funding from investors including its biggest backer SoftBank. The company said it would seek a sale after filing for Chapter 11 relief in New York, noting that financial market turbulence related to coronavirus had sunk negotiations over an investment that would have funded its commercial launch.    More
(Source: Financial Times - Mar 28)

ULA’S ATLAS 5 LAUNCHES AEHF-6 COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE IN ITS FIRST MISSION FOR U.S. SPACE FORCE - A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off on March 26 at 4:18 PM EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a $1.4 billion Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) communications satellite for the U.S. Space Force. This was the sixth and final satellite of the AEHF constellation that provides secure, jam-proof voice and data communications for U.S. national leadership, military forces and international partners Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia. All six were manufactured by Lockheed Martin.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 27)

AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, SPACEX LAUNCH OF ARGENTINIAN SATELLITE POSTPONED - A SpaceX satellite launch that had been scheduled for later this month has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The SAOCOM1B satellite is being launched for Argentina’s Space Agency, the Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). The launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket had originally been scheduled for March 30 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.   More
(Source: Fox News - Mar 26)

CHINA TO LAUNCH EXPERIMENTAL SPACECRAFT NEXT MONTH - China aims to launch an experimental spacecraft without a crew in April, as part of a broader spaceflight programme to shuttle astronauts to its future space station, state media reported on Tuesday. The new-generation spacecraft is scheduled to launch on the maiden flight of the Long March-5B carrier rocket, China's largest carrier rocket, from the southern island province of Hainan, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The launch is set for mid- to late April.   More
(Source: India Today - Mar 26)

SPACEX PUSHES FOR FIRST CREW LAUNCH AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC - Even in the midst of the pandemic, SpaceX and NASA are moving ahead with their plans to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time in mid-to-late May. Why it matters: The launch marks the culmination of years of work for SpaceX and NASA to get Americans flying to orbit from U.S. soil for the first time since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.   More
(Source: Axios - Mar 26)

CHINA LAUNCHES THREE MILITARY SATELLITES - Three Chinese military satellites with undisclosed missions rocketed into a 370-mile-high (600-kilometer) orbit Tuesday on a Long March 2C launcher. The classified payloads lifted off at 0343 GMT Tuesday (11:43 p.m. EDT Monday) from the Xichang space center in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Xinhua said the three “remote sensing satellites” will be used for “electromagnetic environment detection and related technological tests.” Liftoff occurred at 11:43 a.m. Beijing time Tuesday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 25)

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