MORE CUBESATS EXPECTED TO DEPLOY FROM ISS THIS WEEK - Another batch of CubeSats is set for deployment February 25 from the International Space Station, but no Amateur Radio satellites are expected to be among them. They may be put into orbit later in the week, however. According to NASA, astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, last week prepared the second batch of NanoRacks CubeSats for deployment. “Wakata opened the inner hatch to the airlock and replaced the empty deployers on the Multipurpose Experiment Platform with loaded deployers,” NASA reported.    More
(Source: ARRL - Feb 25)

BOULDER-BUILT INSTRUMENT KEY TO SATELLITE MISSION - A new satellite carrying critical instrumentation developed in Boulder is scheduled to be launched from Japan on Thursday. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. developed, designed and is providing launch support for what it calls the Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager, one of the prime instruments aboard a joint NASA-Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency mission. Engineers say the satellite could give forecasters far greater ability to predict severe weather.    More
(Source: MiamiHerald.com - Feb 24)

U.S. AIR FORCE REVEALS "NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH" SPY SATELLITE PROGRAM - The United States plans to launch a pair of satellites to keep tabs on spacecraft from other countries orbiting 22,300 miles above the planet, as well as to track space debris, the head of Air Force Space Command said. The previously classified Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) will supplement ground-based radars and optical telescopes in tracking thousands of pieces of debris so orbital collisions can be avoided, General William Shelton said at the Air Force Association meeting in Orlando on Friday.   More
(Source: Reuters - Feb 23)

SATELLITE ENVISAT COULD SPARK 'GRAVITY' STYLE DEBRIS CLOUD - A satellite which has lost contact with the European Space Agency could potentially pose a similar threat to that experienced by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in the Oscar nominated 'Gravity, if it breaks up and sparks a deadly debris field, students have claimed. Physics students at the University of Leicester have suggested that the observational satellite Envisat is at risk of colliding with other satellites and debris during the 150 years it is expected to remain in space in their final year paper.   More
(Source: The Independent - Feb 21)

LIFT OFF: DELTA IV ROCKET LAUNCHES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - A Delta IV rocket lit up the skies over Brevard County Thursday night. The Air Force sent a new GPS satellite into orbit. The launch was put on hold briefly during the launch window over a concern about solar radiation -- flares that could hinder communications. But those concerns were put to rest, and the rocket launched just before the window closed. The Delta IV rocket has been under review since a problem was detected on an October 2012 rocket launch, when an engine leak caused a lower than expected thrust.   More
(Source: Bay News 9 - Feb 21)

COMMERCIAL CARGO CARRIER LEAVES SPACE STATION - A commercial Cygnus cargo-carrying spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, heading for a fiery finale over the Pacific Ocean to help clear the outpost of trash at the conclusion of the first operational resupply run by Orbital Sciences Corp. The automated solar-powered spaceship disengaged from the space station's robotic arm at 1141 GMT (6:41 a.m. EST) as the duo sailed 260 miles over the South Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina.    More
(Source: SapceFlight Now - Feb 19)

CYGNUS LAUNCHED FROM WALLOPS ISLAND TO RETURN FROM INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TUESDAY - After spending five weeks at the International Space Station, the Cygnus commercial space freighter that launched from Wallops Island last month is set to disembark Tuesday. The unmanned Cygnus delivered abut 2,800 pounds of crew provisions, science experiments, hardware and spare parts after it launched Jan. 9 aboard an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Eastern Shore. It docked with the station four days later.   More
(Source: Daily Press - Feb 17)

LATEST SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION TO ISS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 16 - SpaceX’s next big resupply flight to the International Space Station is scheduled for March 16. ISS managers approved the launch date this week, which will liftoff from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad. The time? Precisely 4:41 a.m. EDT, exactly when the Earth’s rotation brings the ISS flight path over the Space Coast. SpaceX, a passion project of Tesla’s Elon Musk, previously shuttled supplies to the ISS last year. The mission is part of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, which calls for 12 missions through 2016.    More
(Source: TechnoBuffalo - Feb 17)

TURKEY LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITE - Turkey launched its TURKSAT 4A communications satellite from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan on Friday night. The TURKSAT 4A Communication Satellite was Turkey´s fifth to be put into orbit. The Turksat 4A telecommunication satellite was jointly produced with Turkish and Japanese engineers. The satellite was equipped with two 3-panel solar arrays for power generation, a chemical propulsion system for apogee maneuvers as well as orbital adjustments and navigation and stabilization equipment.   More
(Source: www.worldbulletin.net - Feb 17)

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