US SPOOK-SAT BUZZED THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - For a little while earlier this month, astronauts on the International Space Station had a spooky companion: a spy satellite that circled just outside its “danger zone”. Dutch satellite-watcher Marco Langbroek (whose day job is at Leiden University) analysed the orbit of USA 276, a spy satellite owned by the US National Reconnaissance Office and hoisted aboard the May 1 SpaceX mission. It's something of a vindication for the (now) amateur astronomer, since in late May he speculated that a close approach was feasible.   More
(Source: The Register - Jun 9)

SPACEX WANTS TO LAUNCH THOUSANDS OF SATELLITES. WHAT ON EARTH FOR? - SpaceX has always had piecolony-in-the-sky dreams, founded as it was with the “ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets." But the company also intends to better life on Earth by launching 11,943 satellites that will give fast internet access to the globe. According to details in November 2016 and March 2017 filings with the FCC, SpaceX’s idea is to use those satellites to make a truly World Wide Web, by beaming internet access to everyone, including the 57 percent of the global population that doesn't access the online world.   More
(Source: WIRED - Jun 9)

PROTON ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY RETURNS TO FLIGHT AFTER YEAR-LONG GROUNDING - An EchoStar communications satellite designed to link Europeans with voice and broadband data services rode into orbit on top of a Russian Proton rocket Thursday, deploying into an on-target orbit after nine hours of maneuvers by the launcher’s Breeze M upper stage. The 191-foot-tall (58-meter) Proton/Breeze M rocket took off at 0345:47 GMT Thursday (11:45:47 p.m. EDT Wednesday) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, heading to the east from the historic Central Asia launch base into partly sunny skies.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 9)

IRIDIUM NEXT SATELLITES PREP FOR SECOND LAUNCH - ridium Communications announced that all 10 Iridium Next satellites have arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and are being processed for the second launch. Scheduled for June 25 at 1:25 pm PDT (20:25 UTC), this launch continues the deployment cadence for the additional six SpaceX launches of Iridium Next satellites.   More
(Source: Satellite Today - Jun 8)

HERE'S HOW TO DESTROY A SATELLITE - Satellites generally have lifespans of eight years, so destruction is a fairly common occurrence. There are three concepts regarding satellite destruction, two are in use these days and a third is being prepared for greater efficiency. Destruction through missile launches is intensely complex and expensive, waiting for accidents or technical mistakes is inefficient and even dangerous, considering there's no real way to control where satellites could fall. That's why the Swiss EPFL Center is developing the Clean Space One, which hypothetically could gobble down satellites like a Pac-Man.   More
(Source: Popular Mechanics - Jun 8)

BACKUP SOFTWARE MADE IN ROMANIA, USED ON NASA’S INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A backup software developed in Cluj-Napoca, a city in western Romania, is being used on NASA’s International Space Station starting May of this year. NASA has purchased 20 licenses of the Backup4all software, developed by a group of programmers from Cluj-Napoca, who own the local company Softland, reports local News.ro. One such license costs USD 49.99, but NASA benefited from a discount, as it purchased a larger quantity.   More
(Source: Romania-Insider.com - Jun 8)

CHINA PLANNING TO INCREASE RATE OF HUMAN MISSIONS, HIRE NEW ASTRONAUTS AS IT DEVELOPS SPACE STATION - Chinese officials, speaking at a conference in Beijing this week, said they are planning four crewed missions over the course of five years, including two in 2020, as assembly of the country’s first permanent space station begins in 2019. China is planning to select a new class of 10 to 12 astronauts, of whom two will be women, this year.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jun 8)

HISPASAT 1C COMPLETES MISSION, NOW IN GRAVEYARD ORBIT - Hispasat has completed the re-orbiting operations of its Hispasat 1C satellite (subsequently called 30W 3 and 84W 1, the two orbital positions where it was located). The satellite has been retired after transmitting its final command from Hispasat’s satellite control center in Arganda del Rey, Spain on May 29, effectively providing communication services for 17 years, two more than the initially expected lifetime. The Hispasat 1C satellite was launched on February 3, 2000, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard International Launch Services’ (ILS) Atlas IIAS rocket.    More
(Source: Satellite Today - Jun 7)

CUBESATS SAIL AWAY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Three CubeSats with Earth's limb and thin atmosphere in the background, is seen shortly after being ejected from a small satellite deployer outside of the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. The trio are part of a subset CubeSats released during the week to monitor different gaseous molecules...   More
(Source: Space Ref - Jun 6)

Previous Next