CHINA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES SATELLITE MADE BY STUDENTS - China has launched a satellite developed by a group of students which is used for global maritime automatic identification and demonstrating information exchanges between satellites in-orbit, state-run media reported today. The satellite "Nanligong-1", developed by Students in Nanjing University of Technology and Engineering independently has already started transmitting data. The satellite - carried by a Long March-11 rocket - was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, state-run People's Daily reported.   More
(Source: Economic Times - Oct 11)

INTERNATIONAL DOCKING STANDARD RECEIVES UPDATE - A major update to the station docking system standard has been approved by the International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB), allowing for multiple types of spacecraft to dock with the orbiting lab. The International Docking Standard System (IDSS) was first released in 2010 by the MCB. It established a common station-to-spacecraft equipment interface, enabling many types of spacecraft to dock together. It describes the physical features and design parameters of a standard interface without dictating a particular design.    More
(Source: Space Flight Insider - Oct 11)

AO-85 OSCAR NUMBER ASSIGNED FOR FOX-1A - Willian (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, AMSAT-NA OSCAR Number Administrator has issued the following statement: I have been informed of the successful launch today, October 8, 2015 of the AMSAT-NA-built Fox-1A CubeSat. I am also informed that the satellite has been heard by several amateurs in various countries. This successful launch comes after years of diligent and dedicated work on the part of AMSAT-NA volunteers including Tony Momteiro, AA2TX, who became a silent key in March, 2014. It was Tony who spearheaded and guided the work on all AMSAT-NA CubeSats until his untimely passing. Thus, it is only fitting that this spacecraft be dedicated to his memory.   More
(Source: Southgate - Oct 9)

US SPY SATELLITE LAUNCHES INTO SPACE ALONG WITH 13 TINY CUBESATS - An American spy satellite and 13 tiny "cubesats" shared a rocket ride to orbit this morning, lighting up the predawn sky over their California launchpad. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket blasted off today (Oct. 8) from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT; 8:49 a.m. local California time), lofting the secret NROL-55 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency that operates the United States' spy satellites. You can watch a video replay of the dazzling rocket launch here. The 13 cubesats tagged along as part of the NRO's GRACE (Government Rideshare Advanced Concepts Experiment) secondary payload. Nine of the tiny spacecraft were sponsored by the NRO, while NASA sponsored the other four.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 9)

INDIA’S GREAT WALL CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE - A nighttime picture taken from the International Space Station of the boundary between India and Pakistan—visible because of a string of Indian floodlights erected in an effort to prevent militants from crossing into its territory–went viral this week. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the frontier was one of only a few visible from space at night. Among the others are the dividing lines between South Africa and Zimbabwe and North and South Korea – both marked by sharp differences in the prevalence of electric lighting on the two sides. In the case of estranged neighbors India and Pakistan, the Indian floodlights, which extend for more than 1,900 kilometers, limn a boundary that is disputed in places. Fences extend along much of the 3,323-kilometerfrontier as well.   More
(Source: Wall Street Journal - Oct 9)

ULA LAUNCHES ATLAS V ROCKET IN CALIFORNIA - The 19-story-tall Atlas V rocket carried a National Reconnasiance Office spacecraft for a mission labeled NROL-55. The miniature spacecraft, sponsored by the NRO and NASA, will test assorted technology and is in support of national defense, ULA officials said. Thirteen CubeSats also launched aboard the Atlas V rocket aboard the NRO's Government Rideshare Advanced Concepts Experience auxiliary payload. Nine of the CubeSats are sponsored by the NRO, and four are sponsored by NASA.   More
(Source: Central Florida News 13 - Oct 8)

CHINA LAUNCHES JILIN-1 MISSION VIA LONG MARCH 2D - China launched four satellites to provide photographs to commercial clients while helping with harvest assessment, geological disaster prevention and resource surveys. The launch of the Jilin-1 mission took place at 04:13 UTC on Wednesday, using a Long March-2D launch vehicle from the 603 Launch Pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center’s LC43. The Jilin-1 mission was developed on the China’s Jilin Province and is the country’s first self-developed remote sensing satellite for commercial use.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 8)

INDIA LAUNCHES FIRST ASTRONOMY SATELLITE - Indian astrophysics got a boost recently when an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) PSLV rocket launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center on September 28th, placing Astrosat in a low-Earth orbit inclined 6° to the equator. The multi-purpose observatory is equipped to observe the Universe across the X-ray spectrum, accompanied by simultaneous visible and ultraviolet light observations. Previously, India has lofted X-ray detectors aboard high-altitude balloons and sub-orbital sounding rockets, but this is India’s first astronomical satellite. Data from AstroSat will be available to the Indian astronomy community via proposals for observations.   More
(Source: SkyandTelescope.com - Oct 7)

EXPERTS: NORTH KOREA'S NOT PREPARING FOR A SATELLITE LAUNCH - Despite recent rumors, North Korea is not preparing for a satellite launch on October 10, when Pyongyang will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its Korean Workers’ Party. Recent satellite imagery does not show any launch preparations underway at the Sohae launch facility, said analysts with 38 North, a website providing analysis of North Korean affairs and a program of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Internationals Studies. A bit of background first: the idea that North Korea would conduct a satellite launch – regarded by the United States and South Korea as an excuse to test ballistic missile technology – on October 10 emerged in the aftermath of North-South tensions this August.    More
(Source: The Diplomat - Oct 6)

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