FIRST SATELLITE-AS-ART PROJECT ‘ORBITAL REFLECTOR’ SET FOR 2018 LAUNCH - Modern art—with its abstract, conceptual, avant-garde approach—can be rather otherworldly. But Trevor Paglen is the first to take the characterization literally. In partnership with the Nevada Museum of Art, Paglen plans to launch a sculptural satellite into space. Orbital Reflector has no commercial, military, or scientific purpose. It’s simply a bit of cosmic decor; a public sculpture, visible from the ground (with a telescope).   More
(Source: Geek - Nov 21)

SPACEFLIGHT'S NEXT BIG LEAP? SPACEX CARGO MISSION OFFERS A GLIMPSE - If you want to make the case that spaceflight is about to take a giant leap, SpaceX's next cargo run to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA could be Exhibit A. That mission, which is currently scheduled to launch on Dec. 4, will likely represent a reusability landmark. The cargo run will employ a pre-flown Dragon capsule, and the chances are good that the Falcon 9 rocket lofting the freighter will feature a used first stage as well, NASA officials have said.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 21)

RADFXSAT (FOX-1B) LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY, DESIGNATED AO-91 - The latest CubeSat in the Fox series — RadFxSat (Fox-1B) — launched today (November 18) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Delta II vehicle lifted off at 0948 UTC. “Following a picture-perfect launch, RadFxSat was deployed at 1109 UTC,” AMSAT reported. “Then the wait began. At 1212 UTC, the AMSAT Engineering team, watching ZR6AIC’s WebSDR waterfall, saw the characteristic ‘Fox Tail’ of the Fox-1 series FM transmitter, confirming that the satellite was alive and transmitting over South Africa. Shortly after 1234 UTC, the first telemetry was received and uploaded to AMSAT servers by Maurizio Balducci, IV3RYQ, in Italy. Initial telemetry confirmed that the satellite was healthy.”   More
(Source: ARRL - Nov 20)

SATELLITE DESIGNED BY NNU STUDENTS IS LAUNCHED INTO SPACE - NAMPA - Idaho's first satellite, Makersat-0, launched into space and is now orbiting the Earth. Engineering students from Northwest Nazarene University designed the satellite. "It's been a really long road and a lot of hard work” Mitchell Kamstra said. “But it's definitely been a really rewarding project. Makersat-0 will collect data testing how different 3-D printed plastics degrade in space. This project stems from another idea: 3-D printing a satellite known as Makersat-1.   More
(Source: KTVB - Nov 20)

PENULTIMATE DELTA 2 ROCKET LAUNCH LOFTS ADVANCED POLAR-ORBITING WEATHER SATELLITE - A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket climbed into space Saturday from California with a $1.6 billion polar-orbiting weather satellite for NOAA, the first of four upgraded observatories designed to keep vital meteorological data flowing to forecasters for the next two decades. The government-owned weather sentinel was deployed into orbit more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth by the Delta 2 rocket to begin a seven-year mission. The successful launch was the second-to-last flight of a Delta 2 rocket, but it also signaled a beginning for NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System, a multi-spacecraft program established in 2010 under civilian leadership after the cancellation of an over-budget joint weather satellite initiative with the U.S. Air Force.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 19)

HIGH-TECH WEATHER SATELLITE TO LAUNCH EARLY SATURDAY AFTER DELAYS: WATCH LIVE - MORE Partner Series High-Tech Weather Satellite to Launch Early Saturday After Delays: Watch Live The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the Joint Polar Satellite System 1 weather satellite stands atop its launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite will launch Nov. 18, 2017. Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson A next-generation satellite built to make global weather forecasts more accurate than ever will now launch into space no earlier than Saturday (Nov. 18) after two delays earlier this week, NASA officials said. The satellite, called the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Saturday at 4:47 a.m. EST (0947 GMT) atop a Delta II rocket, NASA officials said in an update.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 18)

SPACEX DELAYS LAUNCH TO STUDY DATA FROM RECENT PAYLOAD FAIRING TEST - SpaceX has delayed its next launch from the Kennedy Space Center until at least Friday night, and possibly later, to examine data from a recent payload fairing test for another customer. The company said in a statement Thursday that the launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday night, will not take place until engineers complete their analysis. “We have decided to stand down and take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing for another customer,” said John Taylor, a SpaceX spokesperson, in a written statement. “Though we have preserved the range opportunity for tomorrow, we will take the time we need to complete the data review and will then confirm a new launch date.”   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 17)

RADFXSAT (FOX-1B) LAUNCH SCRUBBED AGAIN, BUT MORE FOXES ARE ON THE WAY! - The launch of the already-delayed United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket that will transport the RadFxSat (Fox-1B) CubeSat carrying an AMSAT Amateur Radio payload and other payloads into orbit was scrubbed on November 14, with just over 15 minutes to liftoff. “The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the JPSS-1 mission for NASA and NOAA was scrubbed today, due to a range safety hold and high upper-level winds,” ULA said in a tweet. “The team is working to establish a new launch opportunity.” ULA said weather balloons found that upper-level wind conditions “are red for the launch window, causing today's attempt to be scrubbed.”   More
(Source: ARRL - Nov 16)

ASGARDIA, THE WORLD'S FIRST 'SPACE NATION', TAKES FLIGHT - The world's first "space nation" has taken flight. On November 12, Asgardia cemented its presence in outer space by launching the Asgardia-1 satellite. The "nanosat" -- it is roughly the size of a loaf of bread -- undertook a two-day journey from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, the United States, to the International Space Station (ISS). It contains 0.5 TB of data belonging to 18,000 of Asgardia's citizens, such as family photographs, as well as digital representations of the space nation's flag, coat of arms and constitution.    More
(Source: CNN - Nov 16)

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