SPACEX LAUNCHING 27 STARLINK SATELLITES JAN. 19 IN 1ST FLIGHT SINCE STARSHIP EXPLOSION - SpaceX is set to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites Sunday (Jan. 19), just three days after a test flight of the company's Starship megarocket ended in an explosion. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 27 Starlink craft is scheduled to lift off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base Sunday, during a 3.5-hour window that opens at 10:35 a.m. EST (1535 GMT; 7:35 a.m. local time). SpaceX will webcast the action live via its X account, beginning about five minutes before launch. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 19)
XPLORE ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF ITS XCUBE-1 HYPERSPECTRAL SATELLITE - Xplore Inc., a dual-use space company in Bellevue, Wash., announced the successful launch and operation of its first hyperspectral satellite, XCUBE-1. The satellite was launched 21 2024, at 3:34 a.m. PST as part of the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission with SpaceX, facilitated by Maverick Space Systems. It was deployed into a mid-inclination orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. More (Source: Military Aerospace - Jan 18)
PAKISTAN LAUNCHES FIRST HOME-MADE OBSERVATION SATELLITE - Pakistan launched its first home-made observation satellite on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China, Pakistan's space agency said. The PRSC-EO1 satellite will boost Pakistan's ability to monitor and manage natural resources, respond to disasters, and improve urban planning and agricultural development, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said in a statement. More (Source: Reuters - Jan 18)
SIERRA SPACE SATELLITE PASSES MILESTONE IN SPACE FORCE PROGRAM - A navigation satellite designed by Sierra Space for the U.S. Space Force has cleared an early review, the company announced Jan. 16, Sierra Space, based in Colorado, is one of four companies selected for the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program, aimed at bolstering the existing GPS satellite constellation with a fleet of smaller and more affordable satellites. The other competitors are Astranis, Axient and L3Harris. More (Source: Space News - Jan 17)
NASA ASTRONAUT STUCK IN SPACE VENTURES OUTSIDE - Nasa astronaut Suni Williams, one of two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station, ventured outside for a spacewalk on Thursday for the first time since arriving on board seven months ago. Ms Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore were due to return to Earth after a week-long mission in June 2024 but their return has been delayed because of a technical issue. More (Source: BBC News - Jan 17)
HISTORY MADE: BLUE ORIGIN BECOMES FIRST NEW SPACE COMPANY TO REACH ORBIT ON ITS FIRST LAUNCH - Blue Origin entered into the history books in the predawn hours of Thursday. The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, became the first to successfully reach orbit on their first launch with a new orbital-class rocket in the new era of commercial spaceflight that dawned in the last two decades. After dealing with an unplanned hold to chill its engines and a wayward boat entering the keep out zone, the New Glenn rocket, standing as tall as a 32-story building lumbered off the pad under the power of 3.9 million pounds of thrust. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 17)
IRIDE PATHFINDER SATELLITE HAS LAUNCHED - The first IRIDE satellite – the Pathfinder Hawk – is now in orbit around Earth after lifting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 14 January. As its ‘Pathfinder’ name suggests, this new microsatellite is a prototype for one of the six IRIDE constellations, which are tailored to provide information for a wide range of environmental, emergency and security services for Italy. More (Source: European Space Agency - Jan 16)
NASA’S LATEST CUBESAT LAUNCHES TO EARTH’S THERMOSPHERE - A NASA-developed CubeSat, Technology Education Satellite 22 (TES-22), launched at 11:09 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 14, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The small satellite will test a variety of technology, including a deployable drag sail to help deorbit the spacecraft, and provide valuable information about a region Earth’s atmosphere. More (Source: NASA - Jan 16)
PLANET LAUNCHES HIGH-RESOLUTION PELICAN-2 SATELLITE & 36 SUPERDOVES - We are thrilled to announce today that our high-resolution Pelican-2 satellite and 36 SuperDoves of Flock 4G were successfully launched to orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-12 Rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Our Planet team has successfully made contact with Pelican-2 and started its commissioning process. More (Source: Planet Labs - Jan 16)
Previous Next
