SPACEX COMPLETES SIXTH SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF 2018 - SpaceX succeeded in its sixth launch of 2018, putting the fifth batch of Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit using a previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket. Launched Friday from the central coast of California, Elon Musk's rocket company has now put up 50 Iridium satellites for the next-generation constellation. The space company failed, however, to catch the nose cone on top of the rocket, called the fairing, using a high speed boat known as "Mr. Steven."    More
(Source: CNBC - Mar 30)

MEGA-CONSTELLATIONS OF SATELLITES INCREASE SPACE JUNK RISK - When Russian military satellite Cosmos-2251 and US commercial satellite Iridium 33 crashed into each other in February 2009, both spacecraft were destroyed, spreading a cloud of debris into orbit around the earth. It is estimated that more than 1400 pieces of debris larger than 10cm were produced, some of which will stay in orbit until the end of the century.    More
(Source: Financial Times - Mar 30)

INDIA TESTS UPGRADED ENGINE TECH IN SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LAUNCH - An Indian satellite built as a technological testbed for mobile communications successfully launched Thursday on top of a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, one of 10 space missions planned by India by the end of the year. The GSAT 6A spacecraft, carrying a deployable S-band antenna and multiple communications beams, lifted off on top of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle at 1126 GMT (7:26 a.m. EDT; 4:56 p.m. Indian time).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 30)

COUNTDOWN FOR ISRO'S GSAT-6A COMMUNICATION SATELLITE BEGINS - The 27-hour countdown began on Wednesday for the launch of ISRO's GSLV-F08 mission carrying the GSAT-6A communication satellite from the space port of Sriharikota, about 110 km from here. The countdown for the mission to be launched on Thursday started at 13.56 hours following clearance from the Mission Readiness Review committee and Launch Authorisation Board, ISRO said.    More
(Source: Times of India - Mar 29)

CHINA'S INTERNET IS DIVIDED OVER DOOMED SATELLITE TIANGONG-1 - After the country lost control of it, China's Tiangong-1 space station is expected by experts to crash out in a blaze of glory on April 1. China's internet is going wild over the satellite -- but for a different reason. While foreign publications have reported a likely loss of control as reason for Tiangong-1's impending self-destruction, local media is saying the space station is "retiring" after having accomplished its mission. Internet users have engaged in a debate on Weibo, China's Twitter-equivalent. Some are doubtful of the reason given by China, lambasting local publications for not reporting the "truth" -- that China has lost control of Tiangong-1.   More
(Source: CNET - Mar 29)

MEET TESS, THE SATELLITE THAT WILL FIND THOUSANDS OF PLANETS - TESS the planet hunter is getting ready to launch next month. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is NASA's next mission in the search for exoplanets, or planets that are outside our solar system. And TESS will be on the lookout for planets that could support life, officials said Wednesday. Expected to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 16, TESS will pick up the search as the Kepler Space Telescope runs out of fuel.    More
(Source: CNN - Mar 29)

WEBB TELESCOPE’S LAUNCH DELAYED UNTIL 2020 - Blaming a slew of technical snags and “avoidable errors,” NASA officials said Tuesday that the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, already years behind schedule, will be delayed to 2020, potentially pushing the mission’s development cost above an $8 billion cap mandated by Congress. Problems encountered in recent months with the observatory’s spacecraft bus, the section that will host the mission’s expandable telescope after liftoff, prompted a review of the schedule engineers need to prepare it for liftoff.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 28)

ISS SSTV ACTIVE ON 145.800 MHZ FM IN APRIL - The International Space Station (ISS) amateur radio Slow Scan Television (SSTV) transmissions on 145.800 MHz FM are expected to be activate over several days in April. SSTV is also expected be active from April 11-14 world wide as part of Cosmonautics Day which takes place on April 12. Detailed times are still being worked into the schedule and will be published later. Images will be related to the Interkosmos project.   More
(Source: AMSAT-UK - Mar 27)

CHINESE SPACE LAB TO FALL TO EARTH WITHIN DAYS IN 'FIERY DEMISE' - An out-of-control Chinese space lab is expected to fall to Earth within days, according to the latest estimate from the European Space Agency (ESA), which is monitoring its descent. The ESA's Space Debris Office said that the re-entry window for the Tiangong-1 space station was between March 30 and April 2 although it warned the estimate was "highly variable." The China Manned Space Engineering Office said it expects the lab to reenter the atmosphere between March 31 and April 4, burning up in the process.    More
(Source: CNN - Mar 27)

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