SPACEX SCRUBS FALCON 9 LAUNCH TO REPLACE SECOND STAGE SENSOR - SpaceX’s launch director halted a countdown Tuesday to replace a sensor on the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket set to blast off with the GovSat 1 communications craft, the product of a joint venture between the commercial satellite operator SES and the government of Luxembourg. The launch company plans another launch attempt Wednesday during a window opening at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) and extending until 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 31)

TIANHE: A LOOK AT THE CORE MODULE OF THE CHINESE SPACE STATION - Documentary footage released by China Central Television (CCTV) has provided a glimpse of the core module for the Chinese Space Station, which could be launched around late 2019. The Tianhe module is the first of three 20 metric tonne modules that will make up the Chinese Space Station (CSS), along with two experiment modules to be used for a range of science objectives.   More
(Source: GBTIMES - Jan 31)

LUXEMBOURG-BACKED TELECOM CRAFT SET FOR LAUNCH ON REUSED FALCON 9 ROCKET - A communications satellite developed in a public-private partnership between Luxembourg government and SES is set for launch Tuesday aboard a previously-flown SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Cape Canaveral, ready for a 15-year mission beaming encrypted, jam-resistant signals for security and military forces across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The GovSat 1 communications craft, manufactured by Orbital ATK, is heading for a high-altitude “supersynchronous” transfer orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles above Earth. The satellite will use its on-board engine to shift its orbit over the equator and slide into a perch in geostationary orbit at 21.5 degrees east longitude.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 30)

CHINA LAUNCHES FOURTH TRIO OF YAOGAN MILITARY SATELLITES SINCE SEPTEMBER - A fourth trio of Chinese Yaogan military satellites with secret missions launched Thursday aboard a Long March 2C rocket from the Xichang space base in China’s Sichuan province. The spacecraft join nine others launched into similar 370-mile-high (600-kilometer) orbits on three previous Long March 2C flights from the Xichang spaceport Sept. 29, Nov. 24 and Dec. 25. The latest triplet of Yaogan 30 satellites lifted off at 0539 GMT (12:39 a.m. EST; 1:39 p.m. Beijing time) Thursday, Jan. 25, from the mountainous Xichang launch site in southwestern China.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 29)

ARIANE 5 LAUNCH "ANOMALY" STUDIED; SATELLITES OK - A European Ariane 5 rocket launched two communications satellites into the wrong orbit Thursday night, but both relay stations are healthy and should be able to use on-board thrusters to reach their intended operational orbits, officials said Friday. The Ariane 5 blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:20 p.m. ET Thursday evening carrying an SES communications satellite and another owned by Yahsat. The initial climb away to the east appeared normal and the first stage shut down and was discarded about nine minutes after liftoff.   More
(Source: CBS News - Jan 28)

THE MAKING OF THE LARGEST SATELLITE CONSTELLATION IN HISTORY - Matt Desch didn’t set out to change the world, but he just might do it anyway. As the CEO of Iridium, the only company that provides satellite communications to every inch of the globe, he is at the helm of Next, a fleet of telecommunications satellites that is arguably one of the most ambitious space projects ever undertaken. By this time next year, Iridium will have sent 75 Next satellites into orbit. Each one will be replacing a first-generation Iridium satellite that has been in orbit for almost two decades.   More
(Source: Motherboard - Jan 28)

A SUITCASE-SIZE SATELLITE’S BIG IMAGE OF FROZEN EARTH BELOW - About two weeks ago, a satellite called Iceye-X1 hitched a ride into orbit aboard an Indian rocket. It’s about the size of a suitcase, and has already sent its first picture, constructed out of microwave radar reflections, back to Earth. “I personally love this image,” said Rafal Modrzewski, the chief executive of Iceye, a Finnish start-up that built and operates the satellite, referring to a scene from the Noatak National Preserve in Alaska. “It’s full of snow, but it’s so much more complex than you think at first.”   More
(Source: New York Times - Jan 28)

SPACEX SETS FIRST FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH FOR FEB. 6 - SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said Jan. 27 that the company will attempt a first launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket on Feb. 6. The announcement came three days after the rocket completed a static-fire test at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, a final test milestone before the launch itself. Musk said the test was “good” shortly after the test, but neither he nor the company provided additional details. “Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on Feb 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy,” Musk tweeted. “Easy viewing from the public causeway.”   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 28)

FOX-1D (AO-92) NOW COMMISSIONED, OPEN FOR AMATEUR USE - AMSAT Vice President-Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, has declared that Fox-1D (AO-92) is now open for general Amateur Radio use. That word followed an announcement from AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, that AO-92 had been commissioned and formally turned over to AMSAT Operations. Initially, the U/v FM transponder will be open continuously for 1 week. After that, operation will be shared among the U/v FM transponder, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa’s High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI).   More
(Source: ARRL - Jan 27)

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