ABANDONED IN 1967 THEN 46 YEARS LATER A US SATELLITE STARTED TRANSMITTING AGAIN - “Surprise” might be an understatement to describe amateur astronomer Phil Williams’ reaction upon being told that the ghostly radio signal he had detected was in fact coming from a satellite that had failed and disappeared decades ago. Williams told Southgate Amateur Radio News that the signal he detected from his base in Cornwall seemed to cycle every four seconds, diminishing and returning to create an eerie repetitive sound. More (Source: The Vintage News - May 10)
SPACEX PLANS TO LAUNCH DOZENS OF STARLINK BROADBAND SATELLITES NEXT WEEK - SpaceX confirmed that it will launch dozens of Starlink satellites in one go, as early as May 15, setting the stage for what’s expected to become a constellation of thousands of satellites providing global broadband data access from low Earth orbit. The company’s president and chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell, laid out those details today at the Satellite 2019 conference in Washington, D.C. In an email exchange with GeekWire, SpaceX confirmed what Shotwell said but could add no further information. More (Source: GeekWire - May 8)
A NEW GRADING SYSTEM COULD DETER SATELLITE OPERATORS FROM JUNKING UP SPACE - As aerospace companies vow to fill Earth’s orbit with thousands of new satellites over the next decade, industry experts say it’s time to grade these operators on their efforts to keep space a safe and sustainable place. A rating system could keep companies honest, and ensure that Earth orbit remains open for business and doesn’t become bogged down with excess satellites and debris. Right now, there are nearly 2,000 operational satellites in orbit, according to the European Space Agency, and agencies are tracking more than 22,000 pieces of debris. More (Source: The Verge - May 8)
CONSTELLATION OF WEATHER SATELLITES TO COVER THE GLOBE - Want more accurate weather forecasts? You're in luck: Last month, researchers at CU Boulder saw the fruits of their labors launch aboard a new satellite. That satellite is the first in a planned fleet of Earth-orbiters that the team says will one day record weather data at every point on the globe every 15 minutes. The project, led by CU Boulder electrical engineering professor Al Gasiewski, is a partnership between the university and Colorado-based Orbital Micro Systems (OMS). More (Source: Phys.org - May 7)
SPACEX CARGO SHIP REACHES SPACE STATION - A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship caught up with the International Space Station early Monday and then stood by while Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, operating the lab’s robot arm, locked onto the spacecraft to wrap up a two-day rendezvous. “Well done, well captured,” a flight controller radioed from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Way to make it look easy.” “To all the teams around the world, we welcome to the ISS the Dragon spacecraft,” Saint-Jacques replied. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 7)
NASA INSTRUMENT HEADS TO SPACE STATION TO MAP CO2 - Nasa has sent up an instrument to the International Space Station (ISS) to help track carbon dioxide on Earth. OCO-3, as the observer is called, was launched on a Falcon rocket from Florida in the early hours of Saturday. The instrument is made from the spare components left over after the assembly of a satellite, OCO-2, which was put in orbit to do the same job in 2014. The data from two missions should give scientists a clearer idea of how CO2 moves through the atmosphere. One way this will be achieved is through the different perspectives OCO-2 and OCO-3 will get. More (Source: The Nation - May 6)
CHINA IS BRANDING ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPONS AS ‘SCAVENGER SATELLITES’ - Rumors have been circulating for years that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has developed small satellites with robotic arms that could be used as anti-satellite weapons. A recently declassified Chinese report details these systems but brands them as research tools. Since 2008, the CCP has been developing the weapons, which have dual uses for both military and scientific purposes. The weapons also include artificial intelligence, according to South China Morning Post. More (Source: The Epoch Times - May 6)
ROCKET LAB’S ELECTRON ROCKET LAUNCHES 3 U.S. MILITARY SATELLITES FROM NEW ZEALAND - Rocket Lab sent a trio of research satellites for the U.S. military into orbit tonight from a launch pad that’s thousands of miles from America’s shores, in New Zealand. The Los Angeles-based company’s low-cost Electron rocket lifted off from its seaside launch facility on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 6 p.m. May 5 local time (11 p.m. PT May 4). It was Rocket Lab’s second launch of 2019, and its sixth mission overall. After liftoff, the Electron’s second stage separated from the first-stage booster, and then released its “kick stage” to deploy the satellites in orbit. More (Source: GeekWire - May 5)
ROCKET LAB DELAY LAUNCH OF STP-27RD TEST SATELLITE TRIO FOR THE DOD - Rocket Lab has stood down today’s launch attempt to conduct additional payload checks. The company is preparing their Electron rocket for its second launch of 2019. In its sixth overall mission, Electron will place the SPARC-1, Falcon ODE, and Harbinger satellites into orbit, as part of the Space Test Program (STP). Launch is now scheduled for No Earlier Than May 5 at 6:00 UTC, from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) in New Zealand. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - May 4)
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