SPACEX LAUNCHES 1,000TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF THE YEAR DURING FRIDAY MORNING MISSION - SpaceX launched another batch of 26 Starlink satellites from California after sunrise Friday morning. With this mission, the company has now launched more than 1,000 of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff of the Starlink 15-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 6:43 a.m. PDT (9:43 a.m. EDT, 1343 UTC). This was the 20th orbital launch from California this year. A wildfire on the base, north of the pad, which was contained after spreading across 27 acres, did not affect the launch.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 17)

SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT LAUNCH TO ISS, AX-4, DELAYED TO JUNE 8 - We'll have a wait a bit longer to see the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) lift off. NASA announced on Wednesday (May 14) that the target launch date for Ax-4, the fourth crewed flight to the ISS by Houston-based company Axiom Space, has been pushed from May 29 to June 8.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 17)

NASA SATELLITE IMAGES COULD PROVIDE EARLY VOLCANO WARNINGS - Scientists know that changing tree leaves can indicate when a nearby volcano is becoming more active and might erupt. In a new collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Institution, scientists now believe they can detect these changes from space. As volcanic magma ascends through the Earth’s crust, it releases carbon dioxide and other gases which rise to the surface. Trees that take up the carbon dioxide become greener and more lush. These changes are visible in images from NASA satellites such as Landsat 8, along with airborne instruments flown as part of the Airborne Validation Unified Experiment: Land to Ocean (AVUELO).   More
(Source: NASA - May 16)

NASA, FRENCH SWOT SATELLITE OFFERS BIG VIEW OF SMALL OCEAN FEATURES - The international mission collects two-dimensional views of smaller waves and currents that are bringing into focus the ocean’s role in supporting life on Earth. Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies. A recent NASA-led analysis using data from the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite found that ocean features as small as a mile across potentially have a larger impact on the movement of nutrients and heat in marine ecosystems than previously thought.   More
(Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - May 16)

AXIOM MISSION 4 DELAYED DUE TO DRAGON CAPSULE READINESS - The debut of the fifth and planned final Dragon spacecraft is going to take a bit longer. The vehicle, tail number C213, will won’t be ready to support the flight of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station until next month. The fourth private astronaut mission was most recently scheduled to launch no earlier than May 29 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, in an update from the space agency, those plans shifted to a launch targeting June 8 at the earliest.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 16)

CHINA LAUNCHES TRIO OF YAOGAN REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITES TO ORBIT - China launched a a trio of satellites into orbit over the weekend. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China on Sunday (May 11) at 9:27 a.m. EDT (1327 GMT; 9:27 p.m. in Beijing). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the successful launch, confirming the payload as Yaogan 40 Group 02, a trio of Earth surveillance satellites.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 15)

CHINA LAUNCHES FIRST OF 2,800 SATELLITES FOR AI SPACE COMPUTING CONSTELLATION - China launched 12 satellites early Wednesday for an on-orbit computing project led by startup ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 14 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Insulation tiles fell away from the payload fairing as the rocket climbed into a clear blue sky above the spaceport.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 15)

LIVE 4K VIDEO FROM SPACE! SEE 24/7 VIEWS OF EARTH FROM THE ISS VIA SEN CAMERAS - Click play, go full-screen, lean back and enjoy. That's how easy it is now to get lost in the absolutely stunning scape that is our planet Earth from space as it streams live before your eyes. Sen, a company based in London, provides views of Earth from orbit, with the hopes of making an experience usually reserved for astronauts a little more accessible to the rest of humanity. It's live video of Earth from space, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 15)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 475TH FALCON 9 ROCKET TO DATE ON AFTERNOON STARLINK FLIGHT - SpaceX returned to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday afternoon with its Falcon 9 rocket. The company launched of its latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites on the 475th Falcon 9 rocket to date. The Starlink 6-67 mission added 28 more spacecraft to the more than 7,400 currently in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex happened at 12:38 p.m. (1638 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 15)

Previous Next