SMALL SATELLITE CONSTELLATION COULD REVEAL BLACK HOLES LIKE NEVER BEFORE - Researchers in South Korea are developing a constellation of satellites that could reveal what goes on in the vicinity of supermassive black holes like never before. The constellation, dubbed Capella, is a brainchild of Seoul National University astronomy professor Sascha Trippe. An expert in black holes, Trippe has grown frustrated with the limitations of humanity's existing instruments for observing black holes and concerned that unless major technological advances are made, research may soon reach a "dead end." More (Source: Space.com - Jan 5)
ON A LONG-DORMANT PAD IN FLORIDA, A ROCKET THAT COULD CHALLENGE SPACEX’S DOMINANCE IS POISED TO LAUNCH - On a Florida launchpad that has been dormant for almost two decades, a new, roughly 320-foot (98-meter) rocket — developed by Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin — is poised for its maiden flight. The uncrewed launch vehicle, called New Glenn, will mark Blue Origin’s first attempt to send a rocket to orbit, a feat necessary if the company hopes to chip away at SpaceX’s long-held dominance in the industry. New Glenn is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as early as next week. More (Source: CNN - Jan 5)
NASA SEES STRONG SUPPORT FOR STRATEGY TO MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS HUMAN PRESENCE IN LEO - NASA’s deputy administrator says there is nearly unanimous support for its low Earth orbit microgravity strategy that endorses keeping humans in orbit continuously during the transition to commercial space stations. NASA released Dec. 16 a final version of LEO Microgravity Strategy that backed a concept called “continuous heartbeat” by the agency, which calls for maintaining humans in LEO continuously as NASA shifts from the International Space Station to commercial stations. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 4)
SPACEX NOTCHES FIRST ORBITAL LAUNCH OF 2025 WITH MISSION FOR UAE-BASED SPACE42 - SpaceX kicked off the year of orbital launches around the globe when it completed its first Falcon 9 flight of 2025. Onboard was a telecommunications satellite designed to serve regions in Africa, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Liftoff of the Thuraya 4-NGS (Next Generation System) mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened on Friday, Jan. 3 at 8:27 p.m. EST (0127 UTC), the opening of a four-hour launch window. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)
INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ON-ORBIT DOCKING DEMONSTRATION IN 5TH AND FINAL LAUNCH OF 2024 - India made another important leap forward in its space program with the launch of its first on-orbit docking demonstration mission on Friday, Dec. 30. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a PSLV C60 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 10 p.m. IST (11:30 a.m. EST, 1630 UTC). The late night launch carried the primary payloads, named SDX01 and SDX02, which will carry out the mission. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 3)
SPACE LAUNCH DELTA 45 BREAKS RECORDS, REMAINS WORLD'S BUSIEST SPACEPORT IN 2024 - Space Launch Delta 45 continued to “set the pace for space” as the world’s busiest spaceport in 2024. The SLD 45 team, composed of military and civilian Guardians and Airmen at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, enabled 93 launches from the Eastern Range in 2024. Collectively, this team, comprised of total force personnel, surged to send 93 rockets into space, delivering 1389 orbital assets into a critical warfighting domain. Their dedicated efforts on the Eastern Range enabled the U.S. to break the world record for annual space launches for the second year in a row, with a total of 93 successful launches. Previously, the U.S. set the world record for space launches in 2023 with 108 successful launches, breaking a record held by the Soviet Union since 1982. More (Source: Vandenberg Space Force Base - Space Force - Jan 3)
ISRO TO LAUNCH US SATELLITE TO ENABLE VOICE CALLS VIA SMARTPHONES FROM SPACE - The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) will most likely launch an American communications satellite, which will allow phone calls to be made directly from space. This will be the first time when a US company introduces a massive communications satellite in a rocket from India, according to a report by NDTV. As of now, India has launched only small satellites manufactured by American entities. More (Source: Mint - Jan 2)
EARTH'S SPACE DEBRIS PROBLEM IS GETTING SO BAD IT'S JEOPARDIZING THE INTERNET AND ASTRONAUT MISSIONS - On October 19, the US Space Command revealed a troubling incident: the Intelsat 33e satellite broke into approximately 20 pieces, littering an already crowded space with large chunks of space debris. The cause remains unknown, but the event has reignited serious concerns about the increasing accumulation of space junk in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Experts warn that this growing problem could lead to the dreaded Kessler Syndrome, potentially rendering space exploration and satellite use impossible. More (Source: Earth.com - Jan 1)
OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD SPACE MISSIONS TO WATCH IN 2025 - In 2024, space exploration dazzled the world. NASA’s Europa Clipper began its journey to study Jupiter’s moon Europa. SpaceX’s Starship achieved its first successful landing, a critical milestone for future deep space missions. China made headlines with the Chang’e 6 mission, which successfully returned samples from the far side of the Moon. Meanwhile, the International Space Station continued to host international crews, including private missions like Axiom Mission 3. More (Source: PBS - Jan 1)
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