ISRAELI HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS LAUNCH NANO-SATELLITE INTO SPACE - A nano-satellite built by Israeli high school students was launched to the International Space Station on April 18. Named for Israel’s national bird, the Duchifat-2 (in English, Hoopoe-2) nano-satellite was one of 28 student-built nano-satellites sent into space, to be released from the space station in about six weeks’ time. More than 80 Israeli teenagers from around the country – in grades 9-12 – came to Herzliya Science Center to help build the tiny 1.8 kilogram (4-pound) CubeSat satellite, a type of miniaturized satellite for space research.   More
(Source: ISRAEL21c - Apr 24)

CHINA’S FIRST UNMANNED SPACE CARGO SHIP DOCKS WITH CHINESE SPACE STATION - China’s first unmanned space cargo ship Tianzhou 1, which was launched Thursday, successfully docked with the country’s orbiting Tiangong 2 space station on Saturday, China national central television reported. The cargo spacecraft was built to carry fuel, materials and other supplies for the construction of the Chinese space station due for completion around 2020.   More
(Source: The Japan Times - Apr 24)

FIRST BULGARIAN COMMUNICATION SATELLITE IS READY TO BE LAUNCHED IN SPACE - The first Bulgarian communication satellite by the Geostationary orbit BulgariaSat-1 finished all main procedures for montage and tests by the company Space Systems/Loral (SSL) in Palo Alto, California successfully, Dnevnik announced. The installation is being currently prepared for transportation to the platform for launching in Cape Canaveral, Florida, said the company “Bulgaria Sat”.    More
(Source: Novinite.com - Apr 23)

TWO NEW CREW MEMBERS ARRIVE AT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - After a six-hour flight, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, KG5FYH, and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos arrived at the International Space Station at 9:18 a.m. EDT Thursday where they will continue important scientific research. The two launched aboard a Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:13 a.m. (1:13 p.m. Baikonur time), orbited Earth four times, and docked at the space station.   More
(Source: Southgate - Apr 22)

HERE’S WHY THE RESOLUTION OF SATELLITE IMAGES NEVER SEEMS TO IMPROVE - We take for granted that, from phones in our pockets, we can summon up street-level views of places we’ve never visited or see entire cities as viewed from miles above. The revamped Google Earth, released this month, brings that remarkable ability to tour the globe into your browser. If you view the White House, the most recent update shows the inauguration reviewing stand on the North Lawn, with people milling about nearby. It’s an intriguing snapshot. Recently, another group of people milling around in a satellite photo attracted international headlines.    More
(Source: Washington Post - Apr 22)

LIVE COVERAGE: CYGNUS RENDEZVOUS AND ARRIVAL JOURNAL AND WEBCAST - The orbital rendezvous of the commercially-operated Cygnus cargo ship with the International Space Station is set for early Saturday morning, completing a four-day trek to the laboratory from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. The trip took a bit longer than needed, giving space for the Soyuz crew launch and docking that successfully occurred on Thursday. Orbital ATK's Cygnus, approaching the station from behind and below, it will use Global Positioning navigation and rendezvous laser sensors to arrive at a point within 40 feet of the lab complex. That's when the vessel will be grappled by the station's robotic arm, expected around 6:05 a.m. EDT (1005 GMT).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 22)

ASTRONAUT, COSMONAUT AND STUFFED DOG ARRIVE AT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - In case you ever find yourself hurtling into space, know this: When the little stuffed dog starts to float, that's when you've reached Earth's orbit. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin lifted off from Kazakhstan on Thursday, bound for the International Space Station. About nine minutes into their voyage, the stuffed dog leaped into the air, then began to drift at the end of the string around its neck. (The dog is the latest in an adorable tradition of stuffed animals in space.) There was a rare extra seat in the Soyuz capsule; Reuters reports that Russia is scaling back its space station staffing as it prepares to prepares to send a laboratory to the ISS next year.   More
(Source: NPR - Apr 21)

AALTO-2 SATELLITE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE - In the evening on Tuesday 18 April, Aalto-2, the satellite designed and built by students in Otaniemi was launched on the Atlas V booster rocket towards the International Space Station orbiting the Earth. It will take the cargo spacecraft Cygnus about three days to reach the International Space Station. 'We have been preparing for the launch of either Aalto-1 or Aalto-2 for a long time. There was a big crowd of us looking forward to and celebrating this historic event in Otaniemi,' says Professor Jaan Praks, the director of the project.    More
(Source: Phys.org - Apr 20)

TRUMP TO CALL COMMANDER OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - President Donald Trump will speak next week to the commander of the orbiting International Space Station. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Wednesday the call with Peggy Whitson — and fellow astronaut Jack Fischer — will take place April 24. On that date, Whitson, the first woman to command the International Space Station, will have spent 535 days in space, the most time spent in space of any American astronaut. Astronaut Jeffrey Williams currently holds the record.   More
(Source: ABC News - Apr 20)

Previous Next