NASA TO KEEP PAYING RUSSIA TO SEND ASTRONAUTS TO SPACE STATION - “Congress, while incrementally increasing annual funding, has not adequately funded the Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight launches to American soil this year, as planned,” Bolden wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “This has resulted in continued sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft as our crew transport vehicle for American and international partner crews to the ISS.” Now, Bolden said 2017 appears to be at best a long shot given that lawmakers are expected to provide no more than $1 billion for the program in the 2016 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 — about $250 million less than Obama is seeking. The Commercial Crew program is funding ventures by two private companies — Boeing and SpaceX — to develop a fleet of domestic rockets to resume ferrying astronauts to the space station. The last space shuttle flight to the orbiting lab was in July 2011.   More
(Source: USA Today - Aug 7)

NASA CAMERA SHOWS MOON CROSSING EARTH - You can't call it "the dark side of the moon" based on a new NASA picture. A camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite shot an arresting view of the moon crossing in front of the Earth. The image clearly shows the moon's far side lit up by the sun -- though even in full sunlight, the Earth is far brighter. "It is surprising how much brighter Earth is than the moon," DSCOVR project scientist Adam Szabo said in a news release. "Our planet is a truly brilliant object in dark space compared to the lunar surface." DSCOVR, which is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Air Force, is equipped with NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, a 4-megapixel CCD camera and telescope. It's orbiting between the Earth and the sun at a distance of 1 million miles.    More
(Source: CNN - Aug 7)

INMARSAT RESCHEDULES GLOBAL XPRESS SATELLITE LAUNCH FOR END-AUGUST - Britain's Inmarsat plc said on Thursday the satellite needed to complete its new Global Xpress network would launch at the end of this month after its rocket partner quickly recovered from a failure in May which upset schedules. The provider of communications for shipping and aircraft had to delay the start of the service, which its says will deliver $500 million in annual revenue within five years, when a rocket carrying a Mexican satellite malfunctioned and burnt up over Siberia minutes after launch in May. Inmarsat's third Global Xpress satellite was already at the Proton launch site in Kazakhstan when the failure occurred.   More
(Source: Reuters UK - Aug 7)

RADIO HAM CHATS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FROM HIS GARDEN SHED - An amateur radio enthusiast has made contact with the International Space Centre from his garden shed. Adrian Lane realised it would be passing 200 miles above his home, travelling at 18,500mph. This offered a brief window during which might be able to make contact. Until now the father of two has only communicated with other radio hams from his shed. Adrian, 52, plotted the space station's route and as it came into his frequency he sent out a call with his unique sign. To his delight an American astronaut responded to "welcome him aboard". They chatted for nearly a minute before the space station shot out of range. Adrian asked what it was like in space and got the answer: "Very dark".   More
(Source: Express.co.uk - Aug 6)

WHISKY IN SPACE! JAPANESE DISTILLERY SENDS BOOZE TO SPACE STATION - Does whisky taste better in a galaxy far, far away? Or perhaps it gets mellower when it's stored in space? Japanese distillery Suntory wants to find out through a science experiment using the International Space Station. This month, Suntory will be loading up the Kounotori 5 transfer vehicle -- due to launch from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center on August 16 -- with five kinds of whisky (along with 40% ethanol) to mature for a few years on the International Space Station. Tokyo University's Institute for Solid State Physics, Tohoku University's Institute of Fluid Science, the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute and the Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences are all excited to see if a microgravity environment at a space station can affect alcoholic beverages, specifically the mellowing process...   More
(Source: CNET - Aug 5)

L.A.-BASED ROCKET LAB TO BUILD A SATELLITE LAUNCH SITE IN NEW ZEALAND - small Los Angeles aerospace firm has ambitious plans to become the first commercial company to build and operate its own satellite launch site — in New Zealand. Currently, most rocket launch sites in the United States are government owned and regulated. That puts restrictions on when satellites can be launched into orbit and drives up cost, experts say. To bring down costs and improve the frequency of launches, Rocket Lab intends to finish construction by the end of the year at a private launch pad near Christchurch in southern New Zealand. Rocket Lab estimates each launch will cost nearly $5 million — a fraction of the average price that aerospace firms pay today to blast a satellite to orbit.   More
(Source: Los Angeles Times - Aug 5)

ISRO TO LAUNCH 9 NANO/MICRO AMERICAN SATELLITES DURING 2015-16 - Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching nine nano/ micro satellites for United States during 2015-16 time frame. This will be the first time that ISRO will launch US satellite. "As on date, Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO, has signed agreement to launch about nine nano/micro (US) satellites during 2015-2016 time frame," ISRO Director Public Relations Deviprasad Karnik said. These satellites will go as piggyback on PSLV's (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), officials said.    More
(Source: Economic Times - Aug 5)

ISRO TO PUT US SATELLITE IN SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME - Many may find it a crowning glory, but Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) scientists think it's just an acknowledgement long due. The US, which imposed sanctions on India, will take India's help to launch one of its satellites soon. Isro has a track record of launching satellites for 19 countries including space-faring nations, but this is the first time the US would be using an Indian vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, to put one of its satellite in orbit.    More
(Source: Times of India - Aug 4)

COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE SYSTEM READY FOR MILITARY USE - A secure satellite communications system for the U.S. military and allies in the time of global crisis is now live, Lockheed Martin reports. The system -- it connects the military forces of the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Britain -- is the Advanced Extremely High Frequency, or AEHF, satellite network. With attaining initial operational capability, all operators with access can begin using the system for routine sensitive communication and critical operations. "When a commander issues orders, they need to know their troops will get the information quickly and without fear of interruption or interception," said Mark C. Calassa, vice president of Protected Communication Systems and AEHF program manager for Lockheed Martin. "Compared to anything else on orbit, AEHF gives an unmatched level of protection and has five times the speed of legacy protected communication systems.    More
(Source: UPI - Aug 4)

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