'METEOR' MOST LIKELY AN OLD RUSSIAN MILITARY SATELLITE - A Russian military satellite was most likely the bright light in the sky that had lots of Kiwis stargazing on Saturday night, experts say. People from around the North Island reported a possible meteor or space junk sighting about 9pm. Cosmologist Professor Richard Easther from Auckland University said the evidence was strong that it was a satellite falling back to earth.   More
(Source: Stuff.co.nz - Jan 6)

NEW NANO-SATELLITE SYSTEM YIELDS HIGH-RES IMAGERY AT LOWER COST - Constellations of nano-satellites can produce high-resolution images for less money, according to new research. The imaging techniques developed by scientists at Ben-Gurion University in Israel could also be used to improve the observations of ground-telescope arrays. "This is an invention that completely changes the costs of space exploration, astronomy, aerial photography, and more," Angika Bulbul, a BGU Ph.D. candidate, said in a news release.    More
(Source: UPI - Jan 5)

U.S. WARNS IRAN AGAINST SATELLITE LAUNCHES IT SAYS COULD ADVANCE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran on Thursday to scuttle its plans for satellite launches that the United States says involve technology that could be used in intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Pompeo stopped short of saying how the United States might react if Iran goes ahead with its announced intention to test three Space Launch Vehicles (SLVs), but his warning suggested that the move could lead to new sanctions.   More
(Source: Washington Post - Jan 4)

HERE ARE THE MAJOR SATELLITE LAUNCHES FOR 2019 - As we embrace 2019 with open arms, we hope that the year would be better and more happening than the year gone by and herald path-breaking innovations in the realm of space. A large number of satellites and spacecraft will be lifted and sent into orbital this year, and this will enhance our understanding of space and other phenomena on earth that impact us, including climate change, natural disasters, and agricultural patterns and foster an enabling mechanism for new disruptions.   More
(Source: Geospatial World - Jan 4)

SPACEX CREW CAPSULE, FALCON 9 ROCKET ROLL OUT TO PAD 39A IN FLORIDA FOR TESTS - SpaceX rolled out the company’s first space-worthy Crew Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 launcher to pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time Thursday, beginning a series of fit checks before the commercial spaceship takes off on its first orbital test flight. Shrouded in off-and-on fog, the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule emerged from SpaceX’s hangar at the southern perimeter of launch pad 39A shortly after 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) Thursday for the quarter-mile trip up the ramp to the former Saturn 5 and space shuttle launch complex. The rocket was raised vertical just before 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR LOCKHEED’S FIRST GPS III SATELLITE - Lockheed Martin deployed its first GPS II satellite recently, and now confirms the unit is communicating effectively with ground-control operators. "This is the Air Force's first GPS III, so we are excited to begin on-orbit test and demonstrate its capabilities," according to Lockheed’s Johnathon Caldwell, v.p. for Navigation Systems. "By this time next year, we expect to also have a second GPS III on orbit and users should be receiving signals from this first satellite."   More
(Source: American Machinist - Jan 3)

PRIVATE SPACE COMPANY SWARM FINED MORE THAN $1 MILLION OVER UNAUTHORISED SATELLITE LAUNCH - There are warnings about "runaway cowboy-like behaviour" from private companies joining the space race after a US tech start-up was slapped with a historic fine last month for launching unauthorised satellites. Swarm Technologies was fined $US900,000 ($1.28 million) on December 21 for launching four mini satellites in January 2018 after explicitly being denied permission by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over concerns about the ability to track them.   More
(Source: ABC News - Jan 3)

MEMORABLE NEWS SATELLITE PHOTOS OF 2018 - From Russian war games to lava flows on Hawaii to raging fires in California, images gathered from high above Earth by satellites in 2018 delivered a unique perspective on humanity, geopolitics and the forces of nature that have upended lives and landscape. Here’s a look at eight of the most striking news images captured by satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe — and photos made by Associated Press photographers who were on the ground...   More
(Source: Associated Press - Jan 2)

2018 SHOWCASED THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM’S ELASTICITY - The 20th year of International Space Station operations continued to show hundreds of of science experiments can be performed while managing a dozen different visiting vehicles and multiple spacewalks throughout the year. Moreover, it showcased the international partner space agencies’ ability to handle and recover from large unexpected events. But perhaps the two most noteworthy events that happened in the space station program in 2018 were the discovery of a hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in August, causing a slow pressure leak, and the dramatic in-flight abort of Soyuz MS-10 in October, preventing NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin from reaching orbit, let alone the outpost.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Insider - Jan 1)

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