NASA ASTRONAUTS WILL STILL RIDE RUSSIAN ROCKETS AFTER US CRAFT ARRIVE - While nothing has been signed officially yet, NASA does plan to continue flying its astronauts on the Russian Soyuz vehicle even after U.S. commercial crew vehicles come online, according to an agency spokesperson. "Bill Gerstenmaier and senior NASA leadership have stated their intention to have U.S. crewmembers on Soyuz vehicles after 2019 and [to have] Russians on U.S. crew vehicles," Stephanie Schierholz, who works in public affairs at NASA Headquarters in Washington, told Space.com.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 26)

CHINA GOT ON THE BANDWAGON TO PROVIDE GLOBAL SATELLITE INTERNET - Over the weekend, China launched a satellite into low-earth orbit, the first step of a plan to provide global satellite internet to people who still don’t have reliable access. Nearly 3.8 billion people are unconnected to the internet, and women and rural poor are particularly affected. The satellite, called Hongyun-1, took off at China’s national launching site Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Saturday (Dec. 22). Hongyun-1, or “rainbow cloud,” is the first of 156 satellites of the same name developed by state-owned spacecraft maker China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). A Long March 11 rocket, made by another state-owned firm, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, carried the Hongyun-1.   More
(Source: Quartz - Dec 25)

RUSSIAN-U.S. SPACE COOPERATION FALLS BACK TO EARTH - When a SpaceX rocket blasted off on December 5, sending a load of cargo to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), it was a soaring example of how private companies are helping fuel the next generation of U.S. space exploration. Six days later, two Russian cosmonauts floated outside the ISS and, wielding a knife and pliers, sent shreds of insulation drifting into space as they dug for evidence of why a tiny hole had appeared in one of the Russian-built Soyuz modules docked at the orbiting station.   More
(Source: RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - Dec 25)

SPACEX CLOSES OUT YEAR WITH SUCCESSFUL GPS SATELLITE LAUNCH - A new era in GPS navigation launched Sunday, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbed into orbit with a Lockheed Martin-built satellite designed to beam higher-power positioning, navigation and timing signals around the world, providing military and civilian users with more accurate data that is more resistant to growing jamming threats. The satellite successfully launched Sunday — known as GPS 3 SV01 and nicknamed “Vespucci” after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci — is the first in a new generation of GPS navigation stations designed with improved services and longer lifetimes to ensure the U.S. military-run network remains available to troops, pilots, sailors and the public for decades to come.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 24)

RUSSIA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES MILITARY SATELLITE FROM BAIKONUR - A military satellite was successfully launched atop the Proton-M carrier rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.“On December 21, at 03:20AM Moscow time (0020 GMT), the successful launch of the heavy class Proton-M rocket with a satellite for the Russian Defense Ministry from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan took place,” the ministry said in a statement. All pre-launch procedures and the blastoff proceeded normally, it said.   More
(Source: The Nation - Dec 23)

CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST SATELLITE FOR SPACE-BASED BROADBAND TO RIVAL GOOGLE - China on Saturday launched its first communication satellite to provide broadband internet services worldwide in an apparent bid to rival Google and other international firms. The satellite was launched from a Long March 11 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-western China and is the first in the Hongyun project planned by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC).   More
(Source: News18 - Dec 23)

HIGH WINDS DELAY SPACEX LAUNCH OF ADVANCED GPS NAVIGATION SATELLITE - The launch of a SpaceX rocket carrying advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Air Force on Saturday (Dec. 22) has been delayed for 24 hours by high winds over the mission's Florida launch site, company officials said. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was minutes from launching the new GPS III SV01 satellite, the first of a new breed of U.S. navigation satellites, from a pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (liftoff was set for 9:21 a.m. EST, or 1421 GMT) when the company officially stood down for the day. Flight controllers had been tracking unacceptably high upper winds throughout the otherwise smooth countdown.    More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 23)

CHINESE LONG MARCH 11 LAUNCHES WITH THE FIRST HONGYUN SATELLITE - China conducted another orbital launch using a Long March-11 solid fuel rocket on Friday. The launch took place from a mobile launch platform from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 23:51 UTC. Onboard the LM-11 rocket was the first Hongyun satellite. Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), this is the fist satellite of a vast space-based communications network capable of covering every corner on the Earth, including the Arctic and Antarctica. The satellite mission is to verify low-orbit broadband communication technologies to be used on the Hongyun satellite constellation.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Dec 22)

SPACEX LAUNCH CARRYING GPS III SATELLITE BUILT IN COLORADO RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY - One more delay for the SpaceX launch carrying a satellite built at Lockheed Martin in Colorado. Thunderstorms and strong winds are to blame for Thursday’s scrubbed launch. A problem with the computer and strong winds caused a delay on Tuesday and continued concerns about sensors on the rocket caused the delay on Wednesday. The launch is scheduled for Saturday. The new GPS satellite is on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that would put it in orbit. Liftoff has been rescheduled for Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, Florida.   More
(Source: CBS Denver - Dec 22)

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