SPACEX COULD BE THE NEXT SPACE STATION - SpaceX could be the next space station in America, as the launch of the reusable rocket Grasshooper’s launch was successful last month, WacoTrib says. SpaceX did numerous tests to provide such a launch. The CEO of the company Elon Musk hopes that in the future, rockets along with the cars will be reusable and no gas will be needed. WacoTrib states that there will be a future test in New Mexico, which is yet to be scheduled for test flights of the Falcon9R at higher altitudes. The rockets should be able to land and be reused for another launch.   More
(Source: Guardian Liberty Voice - Apr 7)

PSLV PUTS NAVIGATION SATELLITE IN ORBIT - India marched towards establishing its own navigation system on Friday when its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C24) put into precise orbit the country’s second navigation satellite, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1B). The 1,432-kg IRNSS-1B will form part of a constellation of seven navigation satellites. It was the 25th success in a row for the PSLV, after it majestically lifted off from the first launch pad at Sriharikota at 5.14 p.m. After 19 minutes of flight, IRNSS-1B was put into a perfect orbit.    More
(Source: The Hindu - Apr 6)

FIRST SENTINEL SATELLITE IN ORBIT AFTER SUCCESSFUL SOYUZ LAUNCH - Europe's first Sentinel satellite blasted off Thursday and deployed its radar antenna and solar panels overnight, inaugurating a multi-billion dollar series of satellites to take the pulse of Earth's land surfaces, oceans and atmosphere with unmatched regularity. Fitted with a C-band radar antenna, the $383 million Sentinel 1A satellite launched at 2102:26 GMT (5:02:26 p.m. EDT; 6:02:26 p.m. local time) from the Guiana Space Center on South American's northern coastline.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 5)

ULA, SPACEX RESCHEDULE LAUNCHES AFTER RADAR OUTAGE - After a two-week delay to wait for the U.S. Air Force to restore a critical radar tracker, United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have rescheduled their next rocket missions from Cape Canaveral for April 10 and April 14. fficials put the launches on hold after a component on a rocket tracking radar short-circuited March 24, causing it to overheat and knock the radar offline. Without the radar, the Air Force's Eastern Range was unable to support launch attempts for the ULA Atlas 5 and SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets then set for March 25 and March 30.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 5)

INT'L SPACE STATION CONDUCTS DEBRIS AVOIDANCE MANEUVER - U.S. space agency NASA said Thursday that the International Space Station (ISS) orbit was raised half a mile (about 0.8 kilometers) to avoid a possible collision with a fragment from an old European Ariane 5 rocket. The maneuver was performed with a three-minute, 40-second firing of the ISS thrusters at 4:42 p.m. EDT (2042 GMT) that provided a reboost for the orbital laboratory.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Apr 5)

NASA CUTS TIES WITH RUSSIA OVER UKRAINE CRISIS, EXCEPT FOR SPACE STATION - After insisting that space relations would not be altered by earthly politics, Nasa on Wednesday said it was severing ties with Russia over the Ukraine crisis, except for the International Space Station. Nasa employees cannot travel to Russia or host visitors until further notice. They are also barred from emailing or holding teleconferences with their Russian counterparts because of Russia's actions in Ukraine, according to a memo sent to workers. Activities related to the space station are exempt. Nasa and Russia's space agency will "continue to work together to maintain safe and continuous operation" of the space station, Nasa said in a statement released late on Wednesday.   More
(Source: The Guardian - Apr 4)

EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE READY FOR LAUNCH - The first satellite in Europe’s Earth monitoring program is now in Guiana and ready for launch, Thales Alenia Space announced. The European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite, part of the Copernicus program, was built by Thales Alenia Space and will map urban areas, observe environmental impact, monitor risks due to movements in the Earth’s surface, conduct surveillance of the marine environment, provide maritime security, monitor sea ice and Earth’s forests and monitor climate change.    More
(Source: UPI.com - Apr 2)

LONG MARCH ROCKET BOOSTS CHINESE SATELLITE TO ORBIT - China launched an experimental satellite Monday aboard a Long March 2C rocket from the Jiuquan space base in northwest China, according to official media reports. Liftoff occurred at 0246 GMT Monday (10:46 p.m. EDT Sunday), according to a report broadcast on Chinese state television. Launch was at 10:46 a.m. Beijing time. The state-run Xinhua news agency reported the two-stage Long March 2C rocket's payload was the Shijian 11-06 satellite, the sixth in a series of secretive spacecraft launched since 2009.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 1)

MILITARY WEATHER SATELLITE FINALLY SET TO LAUNCH - A $518 million military weather satellite that has been waiting 15 years to shine will be launched into orbit Thursday atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the western spaceport in California. Liftoff of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 19 spacecraft is planned for 7:46 a.m. local time (10:46 a.m. EDT; 1446 GMT) at the opening of a 10-minute launch window at Vandenberg Air Force Base.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 1)

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