NASA'S NEWEST SMALL SATELLITE CONSTELLATION WILL TRACK HURRICANES - NASA's newest small satellite constellation will be the first with an Earth science mission. The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, a collection of eight micro-satellites, will collectively track hurricanes. The system, set to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 12, will be carried into space by a Pegasus XL rocket. Data collected by the satellite formation will help scientists track storms, as well as predict their intensity. CYGNSS data is also expected to improve storm surge forecasts. The CYGNSS mission is a partnership between NASA, the University of Michigan and the Southwest Research Institute.   More
(Source: UPI - Nov 12)

COMMERCIAL SATELLITE LAUNCHED TO IMAGE THE EARTH IN HIGH-RESOLUTION - A companion to the world’s most powerful private Earth-imaging satellite rocketed into space today from the U.S. west coast atop an Atlas 5 to double the amount of high-resolution imagery available on the commercial market and satisfy the demands of customers clamoring for more. The 10-year mission of the WorldView 4 satellite began at 10:30:33 a.m. local time (1:30:33 p.m. EST; 1830:33 GMT) as the United Launch Alliance booster powered away from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after an extended wait to fly. The launch was postponed eight weeks by a 12,500-acre wildfire that scorched Vandenberg in late September and the lengthy repairs to the base’s power grid in the aftermath.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 12)

THERE’S A NEW SATELLITE IN TOWN - One of the main satellite-based program delivery conduits that many radio stations use is about to change, starting today. The AMC-8 satellite is being replaced by AMC-18. This affects delivery of programming including: Cumulus Media and Westwood One, Orbital Media Networks, Premiere Radio Networks, Learfield, Skyview, et al, along with a large number of single programs that buy sat time. Current dishes will need to be reoriented from the 139-degree west longitude arc of AMC-8 to the 105-degree west longitude arc of AMC-18. - See more at: http://www.radioworld.com/article/theres-a-new-satellite-in-town/280001#sthash.Xa7pWBZY.dpuf   More
(Source: Radio World - Nov 11)

CHINA LAUNCHES PULSAR NAVIGATION SATELLITE XPNAV-1 - China today successfully launched a navigation satellite which will conduct in-orbit experiments using pulsar detectors to demonstrate new technologies. The X-ray pulsar navigation satellite — XPNAV-1 — weighing more than 200 kilogrammes, was sent skyward at 7:42 AM (local time) atop a Long March 11 solid-fuelled rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s northwest. The satellite operates in a Sun-synchronous orbit and will conduct in-orbit experiments using pulsar detectors to demonstrate new technologies, state-run China Daily reported. It was carried by a Long March-11 rocket, the 239th flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket series.   More
(Source: The Indian Express - Nov 11)

NASA SMALL SATELLITES WILL TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT EARTH - Beginning this month, NASA is launching a suite of six next-generation, Earth-observing small satellite missions to demonstrate innovative new approaches for studying our changing planet. These small satellites range in size from a loaf of bread to a small washing machine and weigh from a few to 400 pounds (180 kilograms). Their small size keeps development and launch costs down as they often hitch a ride to space as a "secondary payload" on another mission's rocket - providing an economical avenue for testing new technologies and conducting science.   More
(Source: Space Daily - Nov 10)

ADVANCED WEATHER BIRD MOUNTED ATOP ATLAS 5 ROCKET FOR LAUNCH INTO SPACE - The opening volley in the transformation of U.S. weather forecasting was mounted atop its ride to space today for the planned Nov. 19 launch that begins an $11 billion upgrade in the nation’s meteorology capability. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, or GOES-R, was hoisted high atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket this morning at the vehicle’s Cape Canaveral vertical assembly building. At 11,500 pounds and equipped with advanced sensors, it is the heaviest and most sophisticated U.S. weather satellite in history, continuing a line of 16 previous GOES craft launched since 1975.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 10)

THE FUTURE OF SPACE: TOP ISSUES FACING PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP - With the presidential election over, the focus in Washington, D.C., can finally turn back to policy and legislation. Most of the conversations between President-elect Trump and Congress will probably involve immigration, health care, the economy and other similarly high-profile issues. But the nation's future path in space will also be under consideration — and it will probably generate some spirited debate. One of the hottest topics will likely be the direction of NASA's human-spaceflight program, said Brian Weeden, a technical adviser for the nonprofit Secure World Foundation.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 10)

NASA TO LAUNCH 'SWARMS' OF SMALL, EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITES - NASA plans to launch a suite of tiny, next-generation satellites into Earth's orbit to study weather patterns and climate change. These missions will conduct important scientific research while also advancing the technology needed to launch smaller, cheaper satellites, NASA said. The space agency hosted a teleconference today (Nov. 7) from its headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss some of the new small satellites, or "smallsats," that will launch in the coming months. Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters, explained that small satellites can reduce the costs of space-based Earth observations.    More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 9)

NEXT JOB FOR X-37B MILITARY SPACE PLANE: ASTRONAUT AMBULANCE? - The United States Air Force's mysterious X-37B space plane would make a nice medical-evacuation vehicle for the International Space Station (ISS), some researchers say. The orbiting lab hasn't had a suitable astronaut ambulance since the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet back in 2011, said former astronaut Stephen Robinson, who flew on four shuttle missions and currently chairs the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at the University of California, Davis.   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 9)

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