CREW UNPACKING NEW U.S., RUSSIAN CARGO SHIPS ON STATION’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY - ion’s 20th Anniversary Zarya Module The International Space Station’s first element, the Zarya module, is pictured in December 1998 as space shuttle Endeavour approached. The International Space Station turned 20 years old today with the launch of the first element, the Zarya module, occurring on Nov. 20, 1998. The three-person Expedition 57 crew commemorated the beginning of the orbital lab’s construction during a Facebook Live event today and answered questions submitted via social media. The crew also continues to unpack the newest U.S. and Russian cargo ships to visit the International Space Station today.   More
(Source: NASA - Nov 22)

ARIANESPACE VEGA LAUNCHES SECOND MOROCCAN EARTH-OBSERVATION SATELLITE - An Arianespace Vega rocket launched the Mohammed 6-B satellite for Morocco the evening of Nov. 20, placing the satellite in the same orbit as its twin satellite Mohammed 6-A that launched a year ago, also on a Vega rocket. Liftoff occurred at 8:42 p.m. Eastern from the European spaceport in French Guiana on the northern coast of South America. The 1,100-kilogram satellite separated from the rocket in low Earth orbit about 55 minutes later. The launch completes Morocco’s two-satellite constellation for Earth observation. The country plans to use the satellites for purposes including land mapping, natural-disaster prevention and management, environmental monitoring and border surveillance.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 21)

SPACE STATION GETS 2 CARGO DELIVERIES IN RECORD 15 HOURS - The International Space Station has received two cargo deliveries in a record 15 hours. A U.S. commercial shipment arrived Monday, two days after blasting off from Virginia. NASA Astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor used the space station's robot arm to grab Northrop Grumman's capsule. It's named after Apollo 16 moonwalker and the first space shuttle commander John Young, who died in January. The station's German commander, Alexander Gerst, tweeted, "Welcome aboard, S.S. John Young!"   More
(Source: ABC News - Nov 21)

'AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY OF THINKING': THE ISS CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN SPACE - For two minutes, NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao could see nothing but blue-marbled Earth swirling above his head. "Surreal" is how he described the moment. Chiao was in the middle of a lengthy spacewalk to assemble part of the International Space Station, an orbiting laboratory the likes of which had never been seen before. Today (Nov. 20) marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the station's first component, made possible by the contribution of hundreds of engineers, space shuttle astronauts like Chiao, international support and the crews who continue launching up to this day. It has been continuously occupied since Nov. 2, 2000.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 21)

CHINA’S LATEST BEIDOU SATELLITE LAUNCH CLEARS WAY FOR CHANG’E-4 LUNAR FAR SIDE MISSION - An enhanced Long March 3B with a Yuanzheng-1 upper stage lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China at 2:07 p.m. Eastern Nov. 18 sending two Beidou satellites directly into medium Earth orbits at around 21,500 kilometers altitude. The launch was consistent with airspace closure notices issued Nov. 15, with amateur images and footage (link in Chinese) providing the first evidence of the activity. Mission success was confirmed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor for the space program, just over four hours after launch.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 20)

GOVERNMENT INERTIA A PROBLEM FOR SMALL SATELLITE INDUSTRY - The U.S. government has not embraced the small satellite movement as quickly as previously hoped. That is the takeaway message from analysts and industry advocates who spoke last week at a Space Foundation event on Capitol Hill titled “The SmallSat Revolution.” Small satellites have been hailed as a game changer in the space industry, but the government’s slower than anticipated adoption of smallsat technology has been a disappointment for many companies.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 20)

ROBOTIC RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DELIVERS TONS OF SUPPLIES TO SPACE STATION - An uncrewed Russian cargo ship linked up with the International Space Station Sunday (Nov. 18) to deliver nearly 3 tons of supplies for the orbiting lab. The resupply ship, called Progress 71, docked at the space station at 2:28 p.m. EST (1928 GMT) as both spacecraft sailed 252 miles (405 kilometers) over Algeria. Progress 71 launched into orbit Friday (Nov. 16) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 20)

SPACEX POSTPONES RIDESHARE LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX has ordered additional inspections on a Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California set to launch 64 small satellites, a decision that is expected to keep the launcher grounded for several days until after the Thanksgiving holiday, officials said Saturday. The Falcon 9 was supposed to take off Monday from Vandenberg — a military base around 140 miles northwest of Los Angeles — but SpaceX announced the postponement in a tweet Saturday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 19)

ELON MUSK’S SPACEX TO PUT 12,000 SATELLITES IN ORBIT - SpaceX got the green light this week from US authorities to put a constellation of nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit in order to boost cheap, wireless internet access by the 2020s. The SpaceX network would vastly multiply the number of satellites around Earth. Since the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was launched in 1957, humanity has sent just over 8,000 objects into space, according to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.   More
(Source: Livemint - Nov 18)

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