FIRST SATELLITE DEVELOPED BY EMIRATI STUDENTS READY FOR LAUNCHING - The first satellite developed by Emirati students from the American University of Sharjah is ready for lift-off into space. The nanosatellite Nayif-1 was designed with the help of a team of engineers and specialists from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in part of a partnership to provide hands-on experience to the students. It has passed all the necessary tests and is ready for its launch this year, the centre said. Yousuf Al Shaibani, director general of the centre, said the satellite’s development was a testament to its commitment to develop Emirati talent. “There is no doubt that the field of satellite design and manufacturing is a new industry to UAE universities and students," Mr Al Shaibani said.   More
(Source: The National - Jun 28)

CREW PREPS FOR CARGO SHIP MANEUVERS - A pair of Expedition 48 cosmonauts are getting a Progress cargo ship ready to undock and redock Friday morning before its ultimate departure Saturday night. The maneuver will test an upgraded telerobotically operated rendezvous system installed in the Zvezda service module after the Progress docked in December. The Progress 62 (62P) resupply ship will undock from the Pirs docking compartment, back away to a distance of about 200 meters, then move back toward Pirs and dock 34 minutes later. Finally, the 62P will complete its mission Saturday night when it undocks for good and burns up over the Pacific Ocean less than 4 hours later.   More
(Source: NASA - Jun 28)

RUSSIA'S PLAN TO SPIN OFF A NEW SPACE STATION FROM THE ISS - The potential breakup of an international alliance is now brewing, and no, we're not talking about Brexit. This one is happening above our heads. Russia's main contractor in human space flight just detailed its plans to separate the newest modules from the International Space Station (ISS) once the long-lived project comes to an end in the 2020s. It plans to build a new habitable base in Earth orbit called the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS. The outpost will include three modules initially, possibly joined by two more in the future. Russian plans to split the ISS have been circulating for years. Now, for a host of political, financial, and technical reasons, this isn't just a wild idea on paper anymore.   More
(Source: Popular Mechanics - Jun 28)

CHINA ON SCHEDULE FOR LAUNCH THIS YEAR OF 2ND SPACE STATION - China on Sunday recovered an experimental probe launched aboard a new generation rocket, marking another milestone in its increasingly ambitious space program that envisions a mission to Mars by the end of the decade. Space program authorities said the spaceship’s landing of the on the vast Inner Mongolian steppe keeps China on schedule to place its second space station into orbit later this year. The launch of the spaceship aboard the newly developed Long March 7 rocket on Saturday was hailed as a breakthrough in the use of safer, more environmentally friendly fuels.   More
(Source: NBC4i.com - Jun 27)

NASA TV TO AIR RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP MOVEMENT AT SPACE STATION - A Russian cargo ship currently docked to the International Space Station will undock for a short test flight on Friday, July 1. NASA Television coverage will begin at 1:15 a.m. EDT. The Progress 62 cargo ship will automatically undock from the Pirs Docking Compartment of the space station and manually be guided in to re-dock. The maneuver will begin with undocking at 1:36 a.m. and take approximately 30 minutes, with re-docking planned for 2:10 a.m.    More
(Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club - Jun 26)

CHINA’S NEW LONG MARCH 7 ROCKET SUCCESSFUL ON FIRST FLIGHT - The new kerosene-fueled Long March 7 rocket rocket, developed to become a workhorse for a planned Chinese space station and the country’s clandestine military space program, flew into orbit Saturday on its inaugural flight from a launch base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. Burning a combination of rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, six YF-100 engines on the Long March 7’s core stage and boosters lit with a flash of orange light and climbed away from a new launch pad at 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT; 8 p.m. Beijing time) Saturday, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., or CASC, the Chinese space program’s state-owned prime contractor.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 26)

INDIA LAUNCHES AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITES - The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched several satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads. Satellites put into orbit include Swayam-1, a 1U CubeSat that carries a digital store-and-forward messaging system for use by the Amateur Radio community. “We are eagerly waiting for your reception report of the CW beacon at 437.025 MHz. You can also get the decoded beacon data by entering ‘beacon’ in Swayam beacon signal decoder available on our website,” said Rupesh Lad, VU2LRD/VU2COE of the College of Engineering Pune CSAT team.   More
(Source: ARRL - Jun 26)

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO LAUNCH A SATELLITE? - Over the past several months, we've spent a lot of time running down the list of the several space companies that send satellites into orbit: Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), SpaceX and Blue Origin, Arianespace in Europe, and even tiny Vector Space Systems here at home. Perhaps the most striking thing about this industry, though, is that while all of these companies are going to the same place, and they use similar vehicles to get there, the prices they charge for the trip are very different indeed. Why is this important? Look at it from your own perspective. Say you want to travel from Point A to Point B today.    More
(Source: Motley Fool - Jun 25)

NASA UPGRADES THE INTERNET CONNECTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - It is no secret that NASA is ahead in most developments in the field of science, most especially when it involves enhancements in outer space. This time, the space agency has made significant steps forward in establishing a Solar System Internet. This system is meant to make the gathering of information between stations, whether ground or space, more efficient. Science World Report shares that NASA is doing so by setting up an operational Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) service on the International Space Station (ISS).   More
(Source: iTech Post - Jun 25)

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