ROMANIA BECOMES CO-OWNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Romania has joined European partners in two programmes of the European Space Agency (ESA) of strategic importance - The International Space Station (ISS) and the development of the Ariane 6 rocket - said on Wednesday Minister-delegate for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development Mihnea Costoiu, in a press release. The decision was taken by the Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) on Wednesday held in Luxembourg, reads the source. More (Source: ACTmedia - Dec 5)
NASA SCRUBS ORION LAUNCH; WILL TRY AGAIN FRIDAY - NASA has scrubbed the launch of its new Orion spacecraft due to wind, rocket valves; they will try again Friday. NASA stood poised to usher in a new era of exploration Thursday with the premier launch of its new Orion spacecraft, but the countdown was repeatedly stalled by gusty wind and then a sticky rocket valve. After halting the countdown twice because of high wind, NASA pushed ahead, only to be thwarted by a valve in the first-stage booster that failed to close on command with just three minutes and nine seconds to go. More (Source: CTV News - Dec 4)
NASA'S ORION 'MARS SHIP' SET FOR TEST FLIGHT - A US space capsule that could help get humans to Mars is due to make its maiden flight later. Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies. The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems. Given that this is a first outing, there will be no people aboard. Nonetheless, the US space agency describes the demonstration as a major event. "This is huge; Thursday is a giant day for us," said Nasa administrator Charlie Bolden. More (Source: BBC News - Dec 4)
EUROPE RECOVERS WAYWARD GALILEO SATELLITE - Europe has recovered one of two satellites that were put into the wrong orbit when launched in August and may still be useable for the Galileo satellite navigation system as originally planned. The mishap in August was one in a series of setbacks to the multi-billion-euro Galileo project, which has been beset by delays, financing problems and questions about whether Europe really needs a rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System, widely known as GPS. More (Source: Reuters - Dec 4)
NEW DATES SET FOR DELAYED PROTON-M SATELLITE LAUNCHES - Delayed launches have been announced of Proton-M rockets carrying Russian and European telecommunications satellites. Russia's Yamal-401 is scheduled for lift-off on December 16 and Europe's Astra-2G on December 28, Irina Zubareva, spokesperson for Russia’s space agency chief, told TASS on Tuesday. Launches were planned for December 12 and November 28, respectively, but the November event was delayed due to malfunction in the rocket's control system. More (Source: ITAR-TASS - Dec 3)
BILL WOULD CAP RUSSIAN ENGINES ON U.S. SATELLITE LAUNCHES - A compromise defense policy bill in Congress would bar the purchase of more Russian-made rocket engines to launch U.S. military satellites, clearing the way for competitive bids for 14 future launches, senior congressional aides said on Tuesday. The proposal is one of several new agreements included in a compromise version of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) filed in the House of Representatives and expected to be debated as early as this week. The NDAA, which is approved annually, sets U.S. defense policy and authorizes spending levels but does not actually appropriate funds. It has to be approved by both chambers before going to President Barack Obama for his signature. More (Source: Reuters - Dec 3)
SMALL SATELLITES HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO GET INTO SPACE - A spherical U.S. Navy spacecraft the size of a beach ball spring-ejected from a new satellite deployer outside the International Space Station last week, debuting a fresh way for low-budget space missions to reach orbit. The satellite — named SpinSat and developed by the Naval Research Laboratory — will test out new electrically-controlled micro-thrusters, help refine the military’s ability to track objects in space, and acquire data on the density of the tenuous upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. SpinSat’s deployment from the space station Friday was the first time a satellite was released from a new mechanism designed to accommodate spacecraft weighing up to 100 kilograms, or about 220 pounds. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 3)
NASA COVERAGE OF FIFTH SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION TO SPACE STATION - The fifth SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch Tuesday, Dec. 16, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 1:15 p.m. EST. The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 2:31 p.m., carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft. It is loaded with more than 3,700 pounds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations and supplies, including critical materials to support 256 science and research investigations that will take place on the space station during ISS Expeditions 42 and 43. More (Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club - Dec 1)
SOYUZ ROCKET DEPLOYS UPGRADED RUSSIAN NAVIGATION CRAFT - A new navigation satellite lifted off aboard a Soyuz rocket Sunday and reached an orbital perch 12,000 miles above Earth to test upgraded capabilities aimed at improving positioning services for Russian military and civilian users. The spacecraft will join Russia’s Glonass navigation system, an analog to the U.S. military’s GPS network. The Glonass satellite launched at 2152 GMT (4:52 p.m. EST) Sunday on top of a Soyuz 2-1b booster from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a military facility about 500 miles north of Moscow, according to Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 1)
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