5 MONTHS AFTER NKOREAN ROCKET LAUNCH, SKOREA SAYS IT’S MAKING 3RD TRY FROM ITS OWN TERRITORY - South Korea said Tuesday it will launch a rocket next month carrying an observation satellite, its third attempt to put a satellite fired from its own territory into orbit. The announcement by South Korea’s Science Ministry came five months after North Korea drew international condemnation for its own rocket launch. More (Source: Washington Post - Sep 12)
PRC TO LAUNCH EIGHT NEW SATELLITES - China intends to launch eight maritime surveillance satellites over the next eight years, a senior official from the National Satellite Ocean Application Service has announced, amid efforts by China to improve its surveillance capabilities in the contested waters of the East and South China Sea. More (Source: Taipei Times - Sep 11)
ISRO'S 100TH MISSION: PSLV-C21 PUTS 2 FOREIGN SATELLITES IN ORBIT - The Indian space odyssey crossed a historic landmark on Sunday when a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) put in orbit two foreign satellites. It marked the 100th space mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) which started the journey in 1975 with the launch of its first satellite 'Aryabhata.' More (Source: Times of India - Sep 9)
METOP-B WEATHER SATELLITE IS READY FOR LAUNCH - Metop-B, the European polar orbiting weather satellite, designed and manufactured by Astrium, is now ready to launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. From its polar orbit 817 kilometres above Earth, Metop-B will provide a broad range of measurements vital to weather forecasting and climate monitoring. More (Source: Phys.Org - Sep 9)
COUNTDOWN STARTS FOR 100TH INDIAN ROCKET MISSION - The 51-hour countdown for the 100th mission of the Indian space agency, slated for September 9, began on Friday at 6.51 am at the Sriharikota satellite launch centre in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai, an official said. Carrying French and Japanese satellites, an Indian rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - will blast off at 9.51 am on Sunday. More (Source: IBNLive.com - Sep 8)
DO-IT-YOURSELF SATELLITES: PUT YOURS IN ORBIT FOR $1,000 AND UP - What could you do with your own, do-it-yourself satellite? Such things now exist—and at prices as low as $8,000, including the blast-off into space. You could use it, say experts, to track migratory animals--whales, perhaps, or elk. You could have it tweet you now and then, just to say hello. It could send you pictures of a developing hurricane or take readings of changes in the earth's magnetic field. More (Source: ABC News - Sep 8)
MORE SATELLITE LAUNCHES PLANNED FOR UPGRADING MARITIME MONITORING - China plans to launch eight more satellites by 2020 to further improve the country's maritime monitoring network, a national English-language newspaper reported Thursday. The planned launches will include four satellites for observing sea color, two for observing ocean currents, and two maritime radar satellites, according to the China Daily report, quoting official sources. More (Source: Xinhua - Sep 7)
WHY YES, IT IS TIME FOR HOMEMADE SATELLITES - Here’s a fun fact: Over the next year a dozen or so tiny, homemade satellites will be launched into space. They will travel in low Earth orbit—140 to 600 miles up, roughly as high as the International Space Station—conducting a variety of experiments. With time they will drift toward earth until they reenter the atmosphere and incinerate into memories. More (Source: Businessweek - Sep 6)
TIANGONG ORBIT CHANGE SIGNALS LIKELY DATE FOR SHENZHOU 10 - August 30, Tiangong 1's controllers raised its orbit by 11 kilometres, indicating that a target date for the Shenzhou 10 mission has probably been set. As August 30 dawned, Tiangong 1 was following a 344 x 356 kilometre orbit at 42.8 degrees inclination. Soon after noon UTC, a firing of its thrusters raised perigee to create a new apogee. The orbit became 355 x 366 kilometres at the same inclination as before. More (Source: SpaceDaily.com - Sep 4)
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