ISRO TO LAUNCH INSAT-3DR WEATHER SATELLITE IN AUGUST - India will launch a weather satellite next month with its heavy rocket, the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV-Mk II), Indian space agency chief A.S. Kiran Kumar said in Chennai on Friday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch INSAT-3DR next month with its GSLV rocket, said Kiran Kumar at the Madras Institute of Technology Alumni Association meeting in Chennai. He also said Isro is targeting to increase the number of its satellite and rocket launches from the current six-eight per year to 12-18 per year.   More
(Source: NDTV - Jul 23)

NASA PREPARES FOR FIRST-EVER IN-SPACE DNA SEQUENCING EXPERIMENT - With the arrival of the SpaceX CRS-9 mission to the Space Station Wednesday morning, the first-ever in-space DNA sequencer experiment has arrived at the international orbiting lab. The experiment is designed to test the feasibility of DNA sequencing in a non-Earth environment as well as serve as a pathfinder for sequencing initiatives on long-duration human missions in the inner solar system and on Mars. NASASpaceflight.com’s Chris Gebhardt recently sat down with two members of the Biomolecule Sequencer Project – Aaron Burton, the Principal Investigator and astrobiologist, and Kristen John, Deputy Project Manager and engineer – for an interview about the potentially revolutionary project.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jul 23)

A YEAR OF EARTH: STUNNING VIDEO REVEALS 365 DAYS OF PICTURES FROM NASA'S EPIC SATELLITE - One million miles away from our planet sits Nasa’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite, which has been stationed between the sun and Earth since February 2015. From this spot, EPIC has captured more than 3,000 stunning images of the Earth as it makes the 365 day journey around the bright ball of gas. Now, the EPIC team has used these images to create a stunning timelapse of its time in orbit. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) DSCOVR satellite is the nation's first operational satellite in deep space.    More
(Source: Daily Mail - Jul 22)

GOT IT! ASTRONAUTS CAPTURE SPACEX DRAGON SUPPLY SHIP AT SPACE STATION - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have snagged a SpaceX Dragon supply spacecraft, which reached the station today (July 20) after two days spent catching up to the station. At 6:56 a.m. EDT (1056 GMT), NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, the space station's current commander, used the 57.7-foot (17.6 meters) Canadarm2 robotic arm to grab the incoming craft as it rendezvoused with the space station. Williams was assisted by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi. Over the next hours, ground controllers will direct the arm from Johnson Space Center in Houston, to install the craft on the Earth-facing side of the space station.    More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 21)

WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE INVOLVED IN ‘DEBRIS CAUSING EVENT’ - A commercial Earth observation satellite was involved in a “debris causing event” yesterday, according to the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), the part of the United States Defense Department that tracks space objects. The satellite in question, WorldView-2, is owned and operated by DigitalGlobe. JSpOC announced the event in a tweet and added the satellite has been confirmed as operational and maneuverable. However, eight pieces of debris were tracked. It is unclear exactly when the event occurred or how many of the pieces, if any, are part of WorldView-2.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Insider - Jul 21)

SECRET NRO SATELLITE MOUNTED ATOP ATLAS 5 ROCKET FOR JULY 28 LAUNCH - Crews hoisted a covert spacecraft atop an Atlas 5 booster rocket this morning for its trek into an equatorial orbit next week. United Launch Alliance will perform the deployment mission on July 28 for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the government agency that oversees the country’s spy satellite fleet. The launch is known as NROL-61 and the satellite’s purpose is classified. The NRO tells Spaceflight Now that the rocket will head easterly away from Cape Canaveral along an initial flight azimuth of 99 degrees. Liftoff will occur some time during an unclassified period of 8 a.m. to 12 noon EDT (1200-1600 GMT). The actual target launch time is expected to be announced early next week, but the duration of the usable window will remain secret.   More
(Source: SpaceFlignt Now - Jul 20)

TARPAULIN DELAYS JAPANESE MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE BY TWO YEARS - - The launch of Japan’s first dedicated military communications satellite will be delayed by two years after a mishap with a blue tarpaulin damaged sensitive antennas during transportation to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, two government sources told Reuters. The mishap has set back plans by Japan’s military to unify its fractured and overburdened communications network, and could hinder efforts to reinforce defenses in the East China Sea as Chinese military activity in the region escalates. “When we need to shift units to the southwest and troops are moving down from the north, we need a stable communications link and this delay could affect that,” a senior Defense Ministry official said on condition he wasn’t identified because he isn’t authorized to talk to the media.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 20)

THE METEOR THAT WASN'T: OBJECT COULD BE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DEBRIS - An object which exploded over the South Island on Tuesday night is believed to be debris from supplies sent to the International Space Station, not a meteor, an expert says. What was first thought to be a large meteor exploded over the South Island on Tuesday night, sparking a flurry of phone calls to police. It was spotted up and down the island when it hit Earth's atmosphere and exploded about 6.30pm. Earth and Sky astronomy guide Kristian Wilson, who works at the Mt John University Observatory, clarified initial reports on Tuesday night.   More
(Source: Manawatu Standard - Jul 20)

ROBOTIC RUSSIAN SUPPLY SHIP ARRIVES AT SPACE STATION - An unmanned Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station late Monday (July 18), delivering tons of supplies even as yet another cargo ship launched toward the orbiting lab. The Progress 64 cargo ship – operated by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency – docked automatically with the Pirs docking compartment of the space station at 8:20 p.m. EDT (0020 July 19 GMT) carrying a haul of food, supplies and fuel for the six astronauts on board. The spacecraft launched into orbit on Saturday (July 18) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It traveled two days in orbit before reaching the space station as both craft were flying 250 miles (402 kilometers) over Santiago, Chile.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 20)

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