WITH MASSES OF HAZARDOUS SPACE JUNK ORBITING EARTH, JAPAN OFFERS A SOLUTION - While the star-filled night sky is truly a sight to behold, much closer to Earth things get a bit messy. Old orbiters, pieces of disused rockets, and countless fragments from past space-based collisions are all orbiting Earth, presenting unwelcome dangers for those aboard the International Space Station (ISS), as well as future space missions. On top of that, there’s also the risk of costly crashes with working satellites, which in turn would create even more hazardous space junk that could then collide with other debris to create even more trash. Yes, the situation is at risk of spiraling out of control. A myriad of solutions to clear up the trash are being examined, from lasers to solar-sail “parachutes” to targeted air puffs designed to force the junk to de-orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.   More
(Source: Yahoo News - Jul 3)

RUSSIA’S PROGRESS CARGO SPACECRAFT RE-DOCKED TO ISS - Russia’s cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin has switched off the manual docking control system of the Progress MS from the International Space Station on a command from the Mission Control Center. According to NASA, the Progress cargo ship automatically undocked from the Pirs Docking Compartment of the space station before its manual guiding back in to re-dock. The maneuver took approximately 30 minutes. This activity tested an upgraded manual docking system and an associated signal converter.    More
(Source: TASS - Jul 2)

NEXT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW LAUNCH ON NASA TV - The next three crew members bound for the International Space Station are set to launch Wednesday, July 6. Live launch coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch at 9:36 p.m. (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. All three will spend approximately four months on the orbital complex, returning to Earth in October.   More
(Source: Kansas City infoZine - Jul 2)

SATELLITE SPIES INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ORBITING EARTH - A satellite captured a birdꞌs-eye view of the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth, revealing spectacular images just released by NASA. The Landsat 8 is an Earth-observing satellite, and hovers an average of 438 miles (705 kilometers) above the surface of the planet. With the Space Station orbiting at only 250 miles (400 km) above the surface, the Landsat 8's Operational Land Imager (OLI) gets a unique view of the ISS when the two orbits align.    More
(Source: Live Science - Jul 2)

GOOGLE EARTH NOW INCLUDES AMAZING NASA SATELLITE IMAGES - The images you see on Google Earth have moved into sharper focus thanks to an update provided by a new satellite. NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite launched in 2013, but Google has just launched a fresh set of imagery taken from the satellite which enables not only sharper images, but also better, brighter and more realistic colours than previously possible. The new technology means Google can better stitch together images of the Earth, whereas until now Google Maps and Earth used imagery from the Landsat 7.   More
(Source: BT.com - Jun 30)

LONG MARCH 4B LAUNCHED WITH SHIJIAN-16-2 ON ATOP - China Launched their experimental Satellite Shijian-16-2 today from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It is second Shijian-16 satellite-first was launched on October 25, 2013. It was 231st mISSion of Long March Rocket. Again CNSA surprised us with launch of the rocket; this time launch was performed with technology demonstrator satellite on atop. Only information about planned launch activity was NOTAM announcements regarding Jiuquan region air space. Launch was performed today at 03:21 GMT from platform 603 on Launch Site 43 in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.   More
(Source: Military Technologies - Jun 30)

WOW! SPACE STATION CROSSES SUN'S FACE IN AMAZING PHOTO - A stunning skywatcher photo shows the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the face of the sun earlier this month. Alexander Krivenyshev, president of WorldTimeZone.com, captured the image from New York City on June 13 using a Canon EOS 7D camera, as well as a solar filter. (Warning: Never photograph or observe the sun directly without a solar filter or other such protective gear; serious and permanent damage to your eyes and equipment can result.) "The composite image made from five frames shows the International Space Station (Expedition 47), with a crew of six onboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun on Monday, June 13, 2016 at 15:22:12 EDT   More
(Source: Space.com - Jun 30)

AIST-2D SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM VOSTOCHNY BEGINS SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS - Operators of the Aist-2D satellite, which was put into orbit in April, have activated its scientific payload and begun research in accordance with the flight plan, the Samara University press service told Interfax. "The entire scientific payload designed by Samara University's Institute of Space Instruments Engineering for the Aist-2D is operating normally, and we have begun the research envisaged by the satellite's flight plan," the press service quoted Institute Director Nikolai Semkin as saying. The satellite is carrying six packages of scientific equipment, five of which were designed by Samara University.   More
(Source: Russia Beyond the Headlines - Jun 29)

LONG MARCH 7 PAYLOAD RAISES ANTI-SATELLITE CONCERNS - A secondary payload on China’s first Long March 7 launch has raised concerns about its anti-satellite applications. The Aolong-1 spacecraft is equipped with a robotic arm, a technology Chinese officials say is a test of future spacecraft to remove orbital debris. However, others are concerned the spacecraft is part of Chinese efforts to develop anti-satellite weapons, noting the technology to rendezvous with a “non-cooperative target” like a defunct satellite could also move or disable an active spacecraft.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jun 29)

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