NASA’S ICON SATELLITE TO LAUNCH ON WEDNESDAY - NASA will launch its Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite on Wednesday, October 9, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The new satellite will orbit Earth, studying what happens when space weather and Earth weather interact in Earth’s ionosphere, the atmosphere level populated by ions and free electrons.    More
(Source: Astronomy Magazine - Oct 9)

SATELLITE INDUSTRY’S FIRST ROBOTIC SERVICING MISSION READY FOR LAUNCH - A pioneering Northrop Grumman-built satellite designed to dock with an aging spacecraft more than 22,000 miles above Earth, then extend its life with the aid of solar-electric thrusters, is set for launch Wednesday from Kazakhstan aboard a Proton rocket. The first Mission Extension Vehicle, or MEV 1, will link up with an 18-year-old Intelsat communications satellite early next year. Once docked, the MEV 1 spacecraft will take over propulsion for the Intelsat 901 satellite, which is running low on fuel.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 9)

ASTRONAUTS WILL SPEND MUCH OF OCTOBER OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION - October is spacewalk month for astronauts aboard the space station. By the end of the month, crew members will have completed a total of five spacewalks. Most of their time outside will be spent making upgrades to the space station's power system. The first of the five trips occurred over the weekend. Expedition 61 flight engineers Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan spent more than seven hours outside the International Space Station on Sunday.   More
(Source: Space Daily - Oct 9)

KEPLER BOOKS SOYUZ FOR FIRST TWO OPERATIONAL SATELLITES - As it explores changes to its constellation orbit and spacecraft design, Kepler Communications on Oct. 7 said it nonetheless secured launch slots for its first two fully commercial satellites. Kepler will launch the two six-unit cubesats on a Russian Soyuz rocket operated by GK Launch Services in mid-2020. Kepler arranged the launch through Innovative Space Logistics, the Dutch launch broker that arranged for Keplers first two prototypes to launch in 2018 on a Chinese Long March 11 and Indian PSLV.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 8)

THE PENTAGON WANTS TO LAUNCH SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS TO TRACK MISSILES - The Pentagon wants to develop and deploy constellations of satellites that would bolster missile defense systems and other military applications in low Earth orbit. The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency (SDA), created in March to oversee space-related projects pursued across the US military, is proposing the establishment of a “National Defense Space Architecture,” according to Bloomberg News. The system, which would consist of as many as 1,200 satellites, would create several layers of satellite constellations.    More
(Source: MIT Technology Review - Oct 8)

NASA MAY ASK SPACEX TO EXTEND DURATION OF CREW DRAGON TEST FLIGHT - NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley may spend more time on the International Space Station than originally planned when they ride SpaceX’s new human-rated Dragon spacecraft into orbit on its first crewed test flight, a space agency official said Friday. A decision to extend the duration of the Crew Dragon test flight with Behnken and Hurley, designated Demo-2, is one of several options under consideration to ensure the space station remains staffed with U.S. astronauts after NASA’s agreement to procure seats on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft expires next year.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 8)

SPACE STATION CREW STAGES FIRST OF 5 BATTERY SWAP SPACEWALKS - Astronauts Christina Koch and Drew Morgan floated outside the International Space Station on Sunday, removed three aging batteries from the lab's solar power truss and installed two more powerful replacements. It was the first of five planned spacewalks to upgrade the complex electrical system and extend the station's life through the 2020s.   More
(Source: CBS News - Oct 7)

VIRGIN ORBIT PLANS FIRST SATELLITE LAUNCH IN 2 MONTHS - Good news, space fans! Virgin Orbit, the rocket-launching sibling to Sir Richard Branson's space tourism company Virgin Galactic, is now just two months and two flights away from putting its first satellite in orbit. Announcing the advent of its newest "LauncherOne" test rocket late last month, Virgin laid out its plans to officially entering the space race.   More
(Source: Motley Fool - Oct 7)

NORTHROP'S SATELLITE REFUELING SPACECRAFT LAUNCHES ON OCTOBER 9TH - Space junk is hard to completely avoid when satellites can only carry so much fuel, but that might not be a problem for much longer. Northrop Grumman and NASA are launching a "first-of-its-kind" refueling vessel, the Mission Extension Vehicle, aboard a Russian rocket on October 9th. The inaugural MEV-1 will dock with an Intelsat satellite in three months' time and provide life-extending services over five years. After that, it should be free to help other satellites -- it'll still have 10 years' worth of fuel.   More
(Source: Engadget - Oct 7)

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