SPACEX FALCON 9 SCRUBS CRS-6 DRAGON LAUNCH DUE TO WEATHER - SpaceX will make a second attempt to launch its seventh Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, with the cargo craft lifting off from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 atop a Falcon 9 rocket, following a weather scrub on Monday. Bound for a five-week visit to the ISS, the CRS-6 Dragon will depart the Cape at 16:10 local time (20:10 UTC). The sixth of fifteen Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) flights SpaceX has been contracted to perform on behalf of NASA, the launch will carry hardware, supplies and scientific equipment to the space station’s crew. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Apr 13)
OFFICIAL: RUSSIA 'BUSTS SATELLITE SPY RING' - Russia has uncovered a group of spy satellites, the head of its space command said in a film broadcast Sunday, which warned of "enemy" satellites that could masquerade as space junk. "Very recently, specialists of the department of space intelligence center uncovered a newly created group of space satellites ... made for radio-technical reconnaissance of equipment on Russian territory," said the commander of Russian Space Command, Oleg Maidanovich. Space Command is a division of the military responsible for warning of missile and air strikes and controlling Russia's defense satellites. More (Source: DefenseNews.com - Apr 13)
SPACEX 'GO' FOR DRAGON LAUNCH, ROCKET LANDING TRY ON MONDAY - All systems are go for the Monday launch of a SpaceX Dragon space capsule carrying NASA cargo the International Space Station on Monday (April 13), a mission that will also include a novel reusable rocket landing attempt. SpaceX is slated to launch an unmanned Dragon spacecraft atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Monday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It will be SpaceX's sixth of 12 delivery missions for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract for resupply flights. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 13)
FISHING FOR SPACE JUNK: NEW NETS CAPTURE OLD SATELLITES - The European Space Agency has gone fishin' — for space junk. Scientists hoping to remove old hardware from orbit around Earth have gone on a "fishing" trip unlike any other: Instead of lining riverbanks with fishing poles in hand, the scientists are free-falling through the air, shooting nets at a miniature model satellite. You can watch a video of the space fishing attempt here on Space.com. The trip took place aboard an airplane that flies in a parabolic shape, causing passengers to experience brief periods of weightlessness. The flight was meant to test the ability of a net (not unlike a traditional fishing net) to capture and remove dead satellites, rocket parts and other man-made debris floating in space. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 11)
BRICS MAY ENGAGE IN NEW INT’L ORBITAL STATION PROJECT - Speaking in an interview with Russian newspaper “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” due to be released on Friday, Komarov said that a new orbital station is under discussion to replace the International Space Station (ISS). “The discussion framework should not be limited exclusively to current ISS participants. We have to consider a possible participation of BRICS countries in the future projects,” Komarov said. In late March, Komarov said that Russia and the United States planned to jointly establish a new space station after 2024, when the ISS operation service comes to an end. More (Source: Sputnik International - Apr 11)
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION COULD BE REPLACED BY GIANT ORBITING 'MUSHROOM' WHICH GENERATES ITS OWN G - The International Space Station could be replaced by a bizarre craft which resembles a giant mushroom. That's the claim from a pair of designers who have unveiled a replacement for the ISS which generates its own gravity to help stop astronauts' bones and muscles wasting away. Whilst most people appear to agree the design is striking, there is some debate on exactly which natural wonder it recalls. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some Twitter users claimed the ship looks more like a giant orbiting penis than a massive mushroom. More (Source: mirror.co.uk - Apr 10)
NASA TV COVERAGE SET FOR SIXTH SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION TO SPACE STATION - The sixth SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch on Monday, April 13, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 4:33 p.m., carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft. Dragon is filled with more than 4,300 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support about 40 of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 43 and 44. More (Source: Space Ref - Apr 9)
GILBERT PLANT TO BUILD NASA WEATHER SATELLITES - Next-generation weather satellites designed to monitor Earth's climate and weather patterns for the U.S. government will be the latest in an array of spacecraft to be built at a high-tech manufacturing center in Gilbert. Orbital ATK, based in Virginia with Arizona facilities in Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa, recently landed a contract worth up to $470 million to design and build the Joint Polar Satellite System for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service. Data and images from the weather satellites are expected to boost the timeliness and accuracy of public warnings and weather forecasts, reducing potential loss of life and property, according to NASA. More (Source: azcentral.com - Apr 8)
THE INNOVATORS: BUILD AND LAUNCH YOUR OWN SATELLITE ... FOR 20,000 POUNDS - After Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March last year, one of the most vexing questions was: how can a modern aircraft with 239 people on board vanish without trace? Tom Walkinshaw believes a repeat could be avoided by tracking planes via a network of hundreds of tiny satellites that monitor oceans where there is limited radar coverage. The 25-year-old founder of the PocketQube Shop, a Glasgow-based company which provides the components for making tiny 5cm3 PocketQube satellites, is taking advantage of a new generation of space technology that allows small businesses to join an industry previously the preserve of governments and well-funded private companies. More (Source: The Guardian - Apr 6)
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