NASA’S OCO-2 SATELLITE REACHES OPERATIONAL ORBIT - A NASA satellite launched in early July to track carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere has reached its operational orbit of 705 kilometers, according to an Aug. 12 press release from Orbital Sciences Corp., the Dulles, Virginia-based builder of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2. OCO-2 was launched July 2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The observatory, a copy of one destroyed in a 2009 launch failure, was injected into a near-polar orbit some 688 kilometers up and has since been climbing into its intended position at the head of an international ad-hoc constellation of Earth-observing spacecraft known as the A-Train. More (Source: Space News - Aug 14)
NEW COMMERCIAL EYE IN THE SKY LAUNCHED FROM CALIFORNIA - An Atlas 5 rocket carrying the most powerful Earth-imaging satellite ever built for the commercial market blasted off from California and streaked into orbit Wednesday, the latest in a series of rapid-fire flights by rocket-builder United Launch Alliance. With a rush of flame and a billowing cloud of smoke, the 189-foot-tall Atlas 5 thundered to life at 2:30 p.m. EDT (GMT-4; 11:30 a.m. local time), vaulting away from launch complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles. More (Source: - Aug 14)
EUROPE'S LAST ATV CARGO SHIP HOOKS UP WITH SPACE STATION - For the last time, an unmanned European cargo vessel has linked up with the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's fifth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5) joined up with the station at 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, as both spacecraft sailed high over southern Kazakhstan in Central Asia. The delivery is the final one by Europe's ATV fleet of spacecraft, which has been resupplying the orbiting lab since 2008. Tuesday's ATV docking at the aft end of the station's Russian-built Zvezda module was "as flawless as can be," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said during a live broadcast of the orbital meet-up. More (Source: NBC News - Aug 12)
EUROPEAN CARGO SHIP SET FOR DOCKING WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Europe's final robot cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to dock today - its manoeuvres webcast live from several angles, France's CNES space agency has said. The automated transfer vehicle (ATV), the fifth and last that Europe had pledged for lifeline deliveries to the orbiting outpost, was blasted into space on July 30 from Kourou in French Guiana. Weighing in at more than 20 tonnes, the double decker bus-sized craft is carrying the biggest-ever payload of more than 6.6 tonnes, including fuel, water, oxygen, food, clothes and scientific experiments for the six ISS crew. More (Source: 9news.com.au - Aug 12)
NEW COMMERCIAL EYE IN THE SKY LAUNCHING WEDNESDAY - The world's most capable commercial Earth-imaging satellite will be launched into space Wednesday atop an Atlas rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Liftoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. EDT; 1830 GMT) at the opening of a 15-minute launch window from pad 3-East on South Base. "It's kind of like your kid going off to kindergarten and college for the first day at the same time," said Jeff Dierks, the program manager at satellite builder Ball Aerospace.Base in California. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 11)
CHINA LAUNCHES REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITE - China Saturday sent a remote-sensing satellite into the orbit. The Yaogan XX satellite blasted off at 1.45 p.m., on the back of a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre located in the Gobi desert, about 1,600 km from Beijing, Xinhua reported. The satellite will be used to conduct scientific experiments, land surveys, monitor crop yields and aid in preventing and reducing natural disasters. More (Source: Zee News - Aug 10)
NEW WORLDVIEW 3 SATELLITE TO OFFER UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT THE GLOBE - DigitalGlobe's WorldView 3 satellite, scheduled to launch next week, promises to bring unprecedented resolution to commercial satellite imagery. The satellite will be blasted into space on an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Wednesday morning in a launch that has extra significance given a recent U.S. government decision to relax rules regarding the resolution of images that can be sold to companies like Google and Microsoft. More (Source: Computerworld - Aug 9)
HOW TO SEE EUROPE'S LAST SPACE STATION CARGO SHIP IN THE NIGHT SKY - A robotic European cargo vessel is closing in on the International Space Station over the coming week, and skywatchers can follow the chase. The European Space Agency's fifth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5) blasted off July 29 and is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting lab on Aug. 12. There will be a number of opportunities to see both the space station and the cargo ship streaking across the night sky, even for observers in brightly lit cities. ATV-5, which is named "Georges Lemaitre" after the Belgian astronomer and priest, is stocked with 7.3 tons of experiments, spare parts, clothing, food, fuel, air, oxygen and water for the space station's six-person crew. More (Source: Space.com - Aug 8)
INDIA IDENTIFYING SITE FOR THIRD SATELLITE LAUNCH PAD - India is considering setting up another satellite launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, which is expected to boost the launching frequency of Indian satellites, it was stated Wednesday in the Lok Sabha. Answering a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, said the third launch pad is "intended to support increased launch frequency and to support launching requirements of advanced launch vehicles." More (Source: Economic Times - Aug 8)
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