FIRST 'CUBESATS' IN RECORD-BREAKING FLEET LAUNCHED FROM SPACE STATION - The world's largest constellation of Earth-imaging satellites began taking shape today, as four tiny spacecraft were ejected from the International Space Station. The four "cubesats," each about the size of a loaf of bread, were deployed from the space station this morning and began zipping freely around Earth. Twenty-four more will join them over the coming days, filling out the "Flock 1" satellite fleet operated by San Francisco-based startup Planet Labs.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 12)

SPACEX ON PACE FOR MID-MARCH LAUNCH TO SPACE STATION - Juggling flight delays and busy skies with the skill of seasoned air traffic controllers, International Space Station managers have approved the launch date for SpaceX's next cargo resupply mission for March 16. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad is set for 4:41 a.m. EDT (0841 GMT), the time when Earth's rotation brings the space station's flight path over the Space Coast, NASA announced last week.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 11)

SINGAPORE TO LAUNCH FIRST COMMERCIAL SATELLITE TELEOS-1 WITH ISRO’S HELP - A Singaporean earth observation satellite will be launched with an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) next year, a senior official said on Sunday. The TeLEOS-1 would be Singapore’s first commercial project on Indian Space Research organisation’s PSLV, making Near Equatorial Orbit, taking images for shipping and maritime security, Mah How Teck, Vice President for Market Development at Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd told PTI.   More
(Source: Indian Express - Feb 11)

TURKEY'S FIFTH SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED - Turkey's TURKSAT 4A Communication Satellite - Turkey´s fifth satallite - will be launched with a Proton rocket on 15 February 2014 from Baykonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan. The Turksat 4A telecommunication satellite was produced jointly with Turkish and Japanese engineers. Television broadcasts and satellite communication signals will be able to reach all of the African continent with TURKSAT 4A. Turkey´s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 8, visited Mitsubishu Electric Company’s satellite production plant in Tokyo where TURKSAT 4A and TURKSAT 4B communication satellites are produced.   More
(Source: www.worldbulletin.net - Feb 11)

UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE PREPARING FOR ITS NEXT ATLAS 5 - Assembly of a Atlas 5 rocket kicked off Friday morning at Cape Canaveral to stack a powerful version of the vehicle launching next month. Liftoff of the Atlas 5-541 configured rocket is planned for March 25. The exact launch time is withheld for security reasons. The mission will launch the NROL-67 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the secretive government agency responsible for the country's fleet of spy satellites.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 8)

ARIANE 5 ECA LAUNCHES WITH ABS-2 AND ATHENA-FIDUS - Arianespace launched another two satellites into orbit - namely ABS-2 and Athena-Fidus - via their Ariane 5 ECA rocket on Thursday. Launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana was delayed from the opening of a long 125 minute launch window, due to poor weather at the launch site, before successfully launching an hour later. The Ariane 5 ECA (Cryogenic Evolution type A) - the most powerful version in the Ariane 5 range - was used for this flight. The Ariane 5 ECA is an improved Ariane 5 Generic launcher.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Feb 7)

SPACEX'S NEXT CARGO MISSION TO SPACE STATION IS MAR 16 - The next cargo supply mission to the International Space Station by the US company SpaceX has been set for March 16, NASA said Wednesday. SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 4:41 am (0941 GMT) on its third trip ferrying supplies and equipment to the orbiting lab, the US space agency said in a tweet. Owned by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX became the first commercial entity to reach the space station with its Dragon cargo ship in 2012.   More
(Source: Phys.Org - Feb 6)

GPS SATELLITE MOUNTED ATOP BOOSTER FOR FEB. 20 LAUNCH - Beginning a slate of three launches in five months to fortify the Global Positioning System, the first craft was mounted atop its Delta 4 booster rocket Wednesday for liftoff Feb. 20. The launch is precisely timed at 8:40 p.m. EST to replace a 16-year-old member of the navigation network -- the GPS 2A-28 satellite. The evening launch opportunity extends 19 minutes. Built by Boeing, the new GPS 2F-5 satellite brings with it modernized features including greater accuracy, better anti-jamming and a civil signal for commercial aviation as the fifth Block 2F bird.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 6)

RUSSIAN CARGO CRAFT DOCKS TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Russia launched a Progress resupply freighter Wednesday on a six-hour journey to the International Space Station, delivering nearly 3 tons of fuel and supplies to the orbiting scientific research laboratory after a smooth automated rendezvous. The unpiloted Progress M-22M spacecraft lifted off on top of a Soyuz rocket at 1623:33 GMT (11:23:33 a.m. EST) in temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, kicking off an expedited six-hour rendezvous with the space station.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 6)

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