NASA TO SUPPORT DARPA ROBOTIC SATELLITE SERVICING PROGRAM - NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have signed an interagency agreement to collaborate on a satellite servicing demonstration in geosynchronous Earth orbit, where hundreds of satellites provide communications, meteorological, national security, and other vital functions.   More
(Source: NASA - Sep 6)

USED SPACEX ROCKET LAUNCHES 7,001ST STARLINK SATELLITE (AND 20 OTHERS), LANDS AT SEA - A SpaceX rocket carrying a new batch of Starlink internet satellites launched into orbit from Florida today (Sept. 5), then returned to Earth in a flawless landing. The used Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites from a pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and landed on a SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Liftoff occurred at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 GMT), after a one-day delay due to bad weather.    More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 6)

ESA COMPLETES SWAN SONG OF ITS VEGA ROCKET WITH SENTINEL-2C LAUNCH - The European Space Agency (ESA) completed its transition to its Vega-C rocket with the final launch of its first-generation Vega rocket. The mission, dubbed VV24, carried an Earth-imaging satellite to a sun-synchronous orbit. Liftoff of the 22nd and final Vega rocket happened Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 10:50 p.m. GFT (9:50 p.m. EDT, 0150 UTC) from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. During the final hours before the mission was set to launch, Arianespace posted to social media that the mission was scrubbed for its first launch attempt on Tuesday.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 5)

SPACEX ROCKET TO LAUNCH NEW STARLINK SATELLITE FLEET ON SEPT. 5 AFTER DELAY - SpaceX will launch a new batch of its Starlink satellites into orbit on Thursday (Sept. 5) after a one-day delay due to weather and you'll be able to watch it live online. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 21 Starlink internet satellites to space from the company's Space Launch Complex 40 pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. EDT (1235GMT). You can watch it live on SpaceX's X account (formerly Twitter), starting about five minutes before liftoff.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 5)

ASTRONAUTS STUCK ON SPACE STATION WILL BE BROUGHT BACK HOME BY SPACE FORCE GUARDIAN - A Space Force officer will command a mission later this month to safely bring home two astronauts who have been unexpectedly stuck aboard the International Space Station, or ISS, marking the first time a Guardian will launch into space for such a high-profile operation. Col. Nick Hague, an active-duty Space Force Guardian, will be joined by Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for NASA's Crew-9 mission.    More
(Source: Military.com - Sep 5)

ESA SCRUBS SWAN SONG LAUNCH OF ITS VEGA ROCKET DUE TO “ELECTRICAL ISSUES” - The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to complete its transition to its Vega-C rocket with the final launch of its first-generation Vega rocket. The mission, dubbed VV24, will carry an Earth-imaging satellite to a sun-synchronous orbit.
Update 6:41 p.m. EDT: Arianespace announced that the mission is scrubbed for a Tuesday night launch attempt and is working towards an opportunity on Wednesday, Sept. 4.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 4)

LAUNCH ROUNDUP: VEGA SET TO BE RETIRED; POLARIS DAWN SET FOR NEW LAUNCH ATTEMPT - This week, rockets will launch from all over the globe. To start the week, China’s CASC is sending a Chang Zheng 4B on what could be its 50th successful mission. The final launch of Arianespace’s Vega rocket is set to take place on Tuesday, and Polaris Dawn is expected to launch four private astronauts to low-Earth orbit, during which the world’s first private EVA out of Crew Dragon will take place.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Sep 3)

FINAL JOURNEY FOR FINLAND’S FIRST SATELLITE: AALTO-1’S HISTORIC MISSION COMES TO AN END - Finland’s pioneering satellite, Aalto-1, is set to make its final pass over the country today, marking the end of a remarkable seven-year journey in space. The satellite, which was the first to be registered in Finland’s space registry, will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, closing a chapter that began a new era in Finnish space exploration. Launched on Midsummer’s Eve in 2017, Aalto-1 was a groundbreaking project led by students and researchers from Aalto University.    More
(Source: Helsinki Times - Sep 3)

SPACEX LAUNCHES BACK-TO-BACK FALCON 9 ROCKETS WITHIN 65 MINUTES AND ACES 2 LANDINGS DAYS AFTER A FAILED BOOSTER TOUCHDOWN - SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets in just over an hour early Saturday (Aug. 31) and nailed back-to-back booster landings three days after a recent failure. The two Falcon 9 launches — which lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, respectively — delivered a total of 42 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, with each rocket's first stage acing an offshore landing. The successful SpaceX landings followed a failed Falcon 9 rocket landing on Aug. 28 during a booster's 23rd flight, a record for SpaceX.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 2)

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