RUSSIAN PROTON-M WITH US INTELSAT SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM BAIKONUR - The Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a US Intelsat DLA-2 satellite was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday, a Roscosmos spokesman said. The launch was initially set to take place on Wednesday but was postponed for technical reasons. More (Source: Sputnik News - Jun 9)
HOW IS THERE INTERNET ON THE SPACE STATION? - We covered some of the tricks behind NASA’s communication with spaceships a little while back, but the International Space Station’s internet access is pretty interesting. There are some significant challenges with getting the internet set up in space, beginning with not being able to run a fiber-optic cable from ground to space, and we still don’t have a planetary scale wifi network yet, so getting a wifi hotspot in space is still a challenge. The vast majority of communication with the ISS happens via radio. Radio is a pretty straightforward means of broadcasting information, and we’re pretty familiar with radio for audio recordings. More (Source: Forbes - Jun 9)
LAUNCH OF NEXT SPACE STATION CREW MOVED TO JULY - Russian managers have delayed the launch of a Russian-U.S.-Japanese crew to the International Space Station two weeks until early July to allow time for additional software testing on an upgraded version of the Soyuz spacecraft. Officials from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced the delay Monday, saying the extra testing will improve the safety of the mission. Russia’s Tass news agency reported last week that the launch of the Soyuz crew may be delayed from June 24 to resolve a potential glitch in the capsule’s software that could pose a problem during the spacecraft’s docking with the International Space Station. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 9)
SPACEX PLANS TO RELAUNCH A USED ROCKET FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS FALL - Today, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a picture of all the rockets the company has landed so far, noting that one of them will re-fly for the first time in September or October. When that happens, SpaceX will finally be able to boast that it has reused one of its Falcon 9 vehicles. Those target dates are a little later than what Musk had originally suggested, however. After SpaceX's first drone ship landing in April, the CEO said the Falcon 9 rocket could fly again on an orbital mission as early as May or June. It was an ambitious turnaround time for the company, especially since SpaceX is just now figuring out how to put its reusable rocket strategy into practice. Eventually, SpaceX hopes to land and re-fly its rockets within just a few weeks. More (Source: The Verge - Jun 9)
“ANOMALY” FORCES ARIANESPACE TO DELAY SATELLITE LAUNCH - The company said early Tuesday that an “anomaly” took place prior to the Ariane 5’s rollout to the launch pad. The unspecified anomaly involved a fluid connector between the vehicle’s upper stage and the launch table. Arianespace said it will announce a new launch date for the mission, carrying the EchoStar 18 and BRIsat commuincations satellites, “very soon.” More (Source: SpaceNews - Jun 8)
STUNNING PICTURES TAKEN BY ASTRONAUTS ON THE SPACE STATION SHOW EARTH'S BEAUTY AND FRAGILITY - It has travelled more than 2.6 billion miles and circled the Earth more than 100,000 times since it launched into space 17 years ago. During their time on board the International Space Station, the crews living there have enjoyed some of the best views of our planet imaginable. So it is hardly surprising that they have now taken more than three million images on board as they orbit 249 miles above the Earth. More (Source: Daily Mail - Jun 8)
SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE LAUNCHING THURSDAY ATOP DELTA 4-HEAVY ROCKET - One of the largest satellites in the world will launch aboard America’s biggest operational booster Thursday, riding that power to a listening post 22,300 miles above the planet for its clandestine eavesdropping mission, all indications suggest. A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will fly from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37 at 1:59 p.m. EDT (1759 GMT). Although the duration of the day’s usable launch window has not been revealed, officials previously said liftoff would occur by 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT). Weather forecasters say there is a risk of showers and thunderstorms, dropping the odds of acceptable launch conditions to 40 percent due to anvil clouds, cumulus clouds and lightning. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 7)
CHINA PLANS TO LAUNCH HUBBLE-LIKE SPACE TELESCOPE - China plans to launch an independent optical facility, which will function like the Hubble Space Telescope , along with the construction of a space station in the coming years, scientists said. The field of view of the optical cabin will be 300 times as large as that of the Hubble, and the cabin will be connected with the space station, said Gu Yidong , technology consultant of China's manned space flight project and academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). More (Source: Times of India - Jun 7)
RUSSIA DELAYS LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION TO ENSURE SAFETY OF NEW SPACESHIP - The flight of the next crew to the International Space Station has been postponed until July 7 from June 24 in order to ensure the safety of the first launch of their new Soyuz-MS spaceship, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Monday. A series of additional tests of the spaceship's software is required, Roscosmos said, citing the decision of a state commission which met earlier Monday. Russian Commander Anatoly Ivanishin, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japan's Takuya Onishi are due to take off from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Soyuz-MS. More (Source: Daily Star - Jun 7)
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