SOUTH KOREA TO LAUNCH 3RD SPY SATELLITE FROM VANDENBERG BASE BY YEAR-END - The South Korean military is close to launching a third spy satellite, to be a key asset in monitoring North Korea. The third military reconnaissance satellite will be carried into orbit atop Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket, like the first two, around the third week of December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday.   More
(Source: SatNews - Nov 20)

NASA TO PROVIDE COVERAGE OF PROGRESS 90 LAUNCH, SPACE STATION DOCKING - NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft delivering nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: NASA - Nov 19)

SPACEX LAUNCHES HEAVY SATELLITE IN 1ST MISSION FOR INDIA'S SPACE AGENCY - SpaceX launched its first-ever mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today (Nov. 18). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying ISRO's GSAT-N2 communications satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 1:31 p.m. EST (1831 GMT). It was the third launch in less than 24 hours for Elon Musk's company. The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned, landing on the SpaceX droneship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 19th mission for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 19)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 20 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with another 20 Starlink satellites from California Sunday night. The Starlink 9-11 mission featured 13 satellites that include Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 9:53 p.m. PST (12:53 a.m. EST, 0553 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 19)

SPACEX LAUNCHING 20 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM CALIFORNIA EARLY NOV. 18 - SpaceX is set to launch 20 more of its Starlink internet satellites from California early Monday morning (Nov. 18). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base during a four-hour window that opens at 12:47 a.m. EST (0447 GMT; 9:47 p.m. local California time on Nov. 13).   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 18)

SPACEX LAUNCHES MYSTERY ‘OPTUS-X’ ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at sunset with a payload that has been shrouded in secrecy to the point of not disclosing any specifics of the mission, and not using its original name. All regulatory filings and U.S. government agencies, like the Space Force and the Federal Aviation Administration, call the payload ‘Optus-X,’ while SpaceX calls the mission ‘TD7.’ SpaceX’s commentator noted that it was a communications satellite during the company’s livestream.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 18)

THE ISS HAS BEEN LEAKING FOR 5 YEARS. NASA AND RUSSIA DISAGREE ON HOW TO FIX IT - NASA and the Russian space agency are not in agreement about the risk an ongoing leak poses to the space station, a U.S. advisory committee said. NASA and Roscosmos also disagree about the causes and remedies for the leak in the Russian PrK module, International Space Station advisory committee chair Bob Cabana (a former astronaut) said during a brief livestreamed meeting on Wednesday (Nov. 13).   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 17)

BLUE ORIGIN'S NEW GLENN ROCKET TO LAUNCH AST SPACEMOBILE'S HUGE BLUEBIRD SMARTPHONE SATELLITES - AST SpaceMobile, a startup with plans for a direct-to-cellphone satellite service constellation, has chosen Blue Origin to launch some of its next-gen satellites. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket — which is currently undergoing preparations in Florida for its first-ever liftoff — and "existing launch vehicles" will together loft up to around 60 Block 2 BlueBird satellites across 2025 and 2026, according to a Nov. 14 statement. New Glenn will be capable of launching eight BlueBirds at a time, the statement adds.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 17)

SPACE FORCE TARGETING MORE AFFORDABLE GPS SATELLITES - The Space Force wants its next fleet of GPS satellites to be smaller, cheaper and more resilient — and it’s looking to a mix of commercial and defense firms to help design those spacecraft. Four companies — Sierra Space, L3Harris, Astranis and Axient, which was recently acquired by Astrion — won study contracts in late September to draft early concepts for the Space Force’s Resilient GPS program, or R-GPS. In five to eight months, the service plans to choose at least two companies to finalize their designs and build prototypes. It will then pick one or more firms to build the first eight satellites, which it wants ready for launch by 2028.   More
(Source: Defense News - Nov 16)

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