PHOTOS OF HURRICANE PATRICIA TAKEN FROM SPACE SHOW MONSTER OF A STORM - The photos of Hurricane Patricia taken from space are absolutely terrifying. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted two photos of the hurricane’s eye barreling towards Mexico on Friday taken from his view on the International Space Station. Kelly is a little more over half way through his one-year stay in space. Forecasters are calling the Category 5 storm the strongest storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. And it’s not done strengthening, according to the National Hurricane Center.    More
(Source: Orlando Sentinel - Oct 25)

ISRO TO LAUNCH SIX SINGAPORE-MADE SATELLITES IN DECEMBER - India will launch six Singapore-made satellites, including a dedicated 400 kg spacecraft for carrying out surveillance missions for maritime and border security, in mid-December onboard PSLV-C29. The six satellites will be launched on PSLV-C29 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh on December 16, 2015. Among them is a 400 kg satellite that can conduct surveillance missions for maritime and border security, The Strait Times reported.    More
(Source: Economic Times - Oct 23)

NASA PLANING TWO SPACEWALKS AT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will step out of the International Space Station to attach equipment used for receiving commercial crew vehicles. Michael Lammers is Flight Director at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "U.S. spacewalk 32 is scheduled for October 28th, and U.S. spacewalk 33 is planned for November 6th," Lammers said. "Each spacewalk is planned for our standard six-and-a-half hours outside the airlock." Spacewalks have been curtailed this year a bit, after unsuccessful launches of some cargo vehicles over the past few months. Kenneth Todd is ISS Operations Integration Manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.   More
(Source: Houston Public Media - Oct 23)

CHINA'S FIRST HIGH-RESOLUTION SATELLITE MAPS LARGE PART OF WORLD - The Ziyuan III, China's first high-resolution stereo mapping satellite for civilian use, has sent back visual data covering 69.45 million square kilometres of the globe since it was launched in January 2012. The satellite produced images of 190 million square kilometres of fields for mapping, land, mining and water conservancy, ridding the country of its reliance on imports of hi-resolution satellite images, according to the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo inform ..    More
(Source: Economic Times - Oct 22)

CYGNUS CARGO CRAFT PACKED, READY TO GO TO SPACE STATION - Teams at Kennedy Space Center have begun packing a spacecraft for a first-of-its-kind mission to the International Space Station. Targeting a Dec. 3 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mission will mark the return to flight of Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo craft. The last time it flew, a year ago, the Cygnus and its cargo were destroyed when the company's Antares rocket exploded seconds after lifting off from Virginia's Eastern Shore. While revamping the Antares with new first-stage engines, Orbital ATK has booked two flights on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, temporarily bringing Cygnus launches to the Space Coast.   More
(Source: USA Today - Oct 22)

CHINA DEVELOPING SPACE WEAPONS TO DESTROY AMERICAN SATELLITES — US CONGRESSIONAL REPORT - For years now, China and the United States have been competing to become the world's dominant power. The two countries have been challenging each other in the arena of economic progress, military size and even the control of major sea routes in Southeast Asia. China, however, is taking this battle for greatness to new heights, literally. The rising power is developing space weapons to jam and even destroy American satellites, a draft US congressional report revealed. The forthcoming report by the congressional US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, obtained by The Washington Times, reveals details of China's so-called counter-space programme, which directly targets US space operations.   More
(Source: ChristianToday - Oct 21)

APT ORDERS NEW SATELLITE AS APSTAR-9 REACHES ORBIT - Satellite fleet operator APT Satellite Holdings of Hong Kong has contracted with China Great Wall Industry Corp. to build, launch and insure an Apstar-6C satellite for launch in mid-2018 in a contract valued at $180 million. The contract was signed on the same day, Oct. 17, as APT’s Apstar-9 was successfully placed into geostationary transfer orbit by a Chinese Long March 3B rocket operating from China’s Xichang spaceport in Sichuan Province. The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) said the 5,250-kilogram Apstar-9 was placed into an orbit with an apogee of 41,965 kilometers and a perigee of 212 kilometers, and was healthy in orbit and sending signals.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 21)

RUSSIA SHRUGS OFF US ANXIETY OVER MILITARY SATELLITE - Ivan Moiseyev, head of Russia's Space Policy Institute, said he understood US concerns about the Luch relay satellite's manoeuvres. "But the possibility of a collision or some kind of interference is extremely small," he was quoted as saying. Intelsat said it had tried and failed to contact the satellite's operator. "Despite direct and indirect inquiries by the appropriate regulatory bodies and governmental agencies, the operator of the other satellite was unresponsive," it said in a statement to the BBC. Intelsat Inc. operates about 50 satellites, some of which are used by the US military, including for drone missions and communications with "remote military outposts".   More
(Source: BBC News - Oct 21)

THE LAST TIANGONG - In less than a year, China is expected to launch the Tiangong 2 space laboratory. Despite its name, Tiangong 2 is expected to be a small space station, just like its predecessor, Tiangong 1. With its long flights and complex tasks, the Tiangong program has taken China's human spaceflight program to new lengths, but it's really designed to prove the technologies required for the Chinese Space Station (CSS). This large, modular complex seems to be well on the pathway to launch in a few years. Tiangong is not an end in its own right, but an intermediate step between undocked human space missions and a permanent foothold in space. That's critical. The Tiangong program is useful only as long as it is preparing China for its space station.    More
(Source: Space Daily - Oct 21)

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