ARIANESPACE MARKS MILESTONES... LAST LAUNCHES OF THE YEAR + LAST TWO GALILEO SATELLITES TO SOAR - The two spacecraft for Arianespace’s latest Soyuz launch at the service of Europe’s Galileo satellite-based navigation system—and the company’s record 12th mission overall in 2015—have been integrated at the Spaceport in preparation for their December 17 liftoff from French Guiana. During activity in the Spaceport’s S3B clean room facility, the spacecraft pair was mated with their dispenser, which will deploy the satellites by firing a pyrotechnic system for separation in opposite directions at the orbital insertion point.   More
(Source: SatNews Publishers - Dec 10)

LATEST GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM SATELLITE GOES LIVE - The newest Global Positioning System replenishment satellite went into operation Tuesday night, five weeks after ascending to space from Cape Canaveral atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. The GPS 2F-11 navigation spacecraft was launched Oct. 31 into a circular orbit 11,000 nautical mile high and tilted 55 degrees to the equator. GPS 2F-11 has assumed Plane E, Slot 2 of the network. The new bird took the place of GPS 2R-10 satellite, launched in 2003. The Lockheed Martin-built satellite has outlived its 7.5-year design life and will shift to an alternate role within the constellation for its remaining years.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 10)

AMERICAN SATELLITE STARTED TRANSMITTING 46 YEARS AFTER BEING ABANDONED IN 1967 - An American satellite, abandoned in 1967 as a piece of Space Junk has begun transmitting again after 46 years. Lincoln Experimental Satellite refers to a series of satellites designed and built by Lincoln Laboratory at MIT between 1965 and 1976, under USAF sponsorship, for testing devices and techniques for satellite communication.   More
(Source: The Vintage News - Dec 10)

JAPAN TO CONTINUE SPACE STATION PROJECT UNTIL 2024 - Japan announced Tuesday it intends to remain part of the U.S.-led International Space Station project when it is extended until 2024, hoping to strengthen its alliance with the United States as China advances into space. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced for the first time Japan's planned participation in the four-year extension proposed by the United States. Of the 15 countries participating in the ISS, Russia and Canada have already expressed intent to remain in the project, while European members have yet to decide.   More
(Source: Kyodo News - Dec 9)

NASA TV TO COVER LAUNCH OF TIM PEAKE KG5BVI - The next three crew members bound for the International Space Station are set to launch on Tuesday, December 15. NASA Television will provide full coverage of the launch beginning at 10:00 UT. UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI, along with Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP and Tim Kopra KE5UDN, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:03 UT (5:03 p.m. Baikonur time) for a six-month stay on the orbital complex. The three will travel in a Soyuz spacecraft, rendezvous with the space station and dock to the Rassvet module at 17:24 UT NASA TV coverage of docking will begin at 16:45 UT   More
(Source: AMSAT-UK - Dec 9)

RUSSIA LOSES A SATELLITE IN ANOTHER SETBACK TO ITS SPACE PROGRAM - In the latest setback for the Russian space program, one of two defense satellites failed to separate from the Soyuz carrier rocket's upper stage and is believed lost. The Soyuz-2.1B rocket carrying two satellites was launched Dec. 5 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Russian north-western Arkhangelsk region. But TASS news agency, citing an unnamed source Monday, acknowledged that the Kanopus-ST satellite "was lost" after “one of the four locks holding the satellite malfunctioned.”   More
(Source: Fox News - Dec 8)

FOURTH TIME'S THE CHARM FOR SPACE STATION CARGO LAUNCH - After three back-to-back weather delays, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket finally boosted an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship into orbit Sunday on a flight to deliver nearly 4,700 pounds of critical supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. The Atlas 5's powerful Russian-built RD-180 engine ignited with a rush of brilliant exhaust at 4:44:57 p.m. EST (GMT-5), throttled up to full power and majestically pushed the 19-story-tall rocket away from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.   More
(Source: CBS News - Dec 8)

CYGNUS RETURNS TO SPACE VIA ATLAS V LAUNCH - Orbital ATK’ Cygnus resupply spacecraft finally returned to flight on Sunday following weather scrubs over numerous recent attempts. Riding United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket uphill a year on from the loss of its previous mission atop Orbital’s own Antares rocket, liftoff from Cape Canaveral finally occurred at 16:44 Eastern on Sunday. Bound for the International Space Station, the launch was the first Cygnus flight since last October’s failure, and the first mission for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program since the loss of a SpaceX Dragon resupply mission in June.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Dec 6)

RUSSIAN MILITARY SATELLITES ORBITED BY STRIPPED-DOWN SOYUZ ROCKET - A Russian satellite reportedly designed to demonstrate sensors to track enemy submarines and a passive secondary spacecraft to help calibrate ground-based military radars lifted off Saturday aboard a modified Soyuz rocket, but one of the payloads apparently failed to deploy from the launcher’s upper stage, according to Russian media. The Soyuz 2-1v rocket launched at 1409 GMT (9:09 a.m. EST) Saturday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, heading north from the snow-covered space base for an orbit circling over Earth’s poles.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 6)

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