RUSSIA TRYING TO SALVAGE PHOBOS-GRUNT MISSION - One day after a Russian Mars probe was left stranded in low Earth orbit, engineers planned to begin trying to save the mission Wednesday in hopes the problem was a relatively simple software glitch. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday, the 29,000-pound Phobos-Grunt spacecraft entered an orbit with a low point of 128 miles and a high point of 216 miles. But the craft's propulsion unit was supposed to fire twice later Tuesday night to raise its altitude and inject the probe on a trajectory toward Mars.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Nov 10)

SUCCESSFUL DOCKING CATAPULTS CHINA INTO ELITE SPACE CLUB - Two unmanned Chinese spaceships made an automated docking in orbit Wednesday, successfully proving precise navigation and rendezvous technology crucial to China's aspirations for a space station by the end of this decade. Although no one was aboard either spacecraft Wednesday, the precise docking could give Chinese officials confidence to put up to three astronauts on the next rendezvous mission.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Nov 7)

RUSSIAN PROTON ROCKET LAUNCHES THREE NEW NAVIGATION SATELLITES - A Proton launcher rocketed into orbit Friday with three Glonass navigation satellites for the Russian government, delivering reinforcements for the military-run fleet of positioning and timing spacecraft. Powered by six hydrazine-fueled main engines, the 191-foot-tall Proton rocket blasted off at 1251 GMT (8:51 a.m. EDT) Friday from a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket soared into a dusk sky over Baikonur, where it was just after sunset.    More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 6)

VIASAT-1 SATELLITE REACHES GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT - ViaSat Inc. has announced that ViaSat-1, the highest capacity satellite in the world, is now positioned in geosynchronous orbit where it will begin in-orbit testing. Since launching on October 19, ViaSat-1 has successfully completed all scheduled maneuvers: Deployment of solar arrays, Six apogee motor firings, lifting the spacecraft from transfer orbit to geosynchronous orbit, Deployment of main reflectors and sub-reflectors, Deployment of stationary plasma thrusters for satellite positioning.    More
(Source: Sacramento Bee - Nov 5)

RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DELIVERS VITAL SUPPLIES TO SPACE STATION CREW - An unmanned Russian spacecraft delivered supplies to astronauts in orbit on Wednesday after the crash of the previous cargo flight left the three-man crew on the International Space Station with dwindling rations. The loss of the Progress cargo flight on Aug. 24 grounded all launches of Russia's workhorse Soyuz rocket over safety concerns and forced staffing levels to be cut on the space station.    More
(Source: Fox News - Nov 4)

SPACE DOCKING MARKS NEW MILESTONE FOR CHINA'S STELLAR AMBITIONS - China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 successfully docked with the lab module Tiangong-1 early Thursday, another milestone in Beijing's plan to build a space station. Shenzhou-8 joined up with the 8.5-ton Tiangong-1 343 kilometers (213 miles) above Earth, according to Wu Ping, spokesperson with the China Manned Space Engineering Project. "The equipment works well and all the in-orbit experiments are progressing well," she said. President Hu Jintao, currently in Europe at the G-20 summit, praised the nation's first space docking, according to Xinhua news agency.    More
(Source: CNN - Nov 4)

CHINA IS ALL SET FOR HISTORIC SPACE DOCKING ATTEMPT - A robotic Chinese spaceship is chasing down another vessel for a scheduled orbital meet-up Wednesday that could help clear the way for China's planned space station. The unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft launched yesterday on a mission to locate and latch onto the prototype space lab Tiangong 1, which has been circling Earth since late September. The historic space docking, which would be a first for China, is due to occur sometime Wednesday Eastern Daylight Time (which might make it Thursday local time in China), officials have said.    More
(Source: MSNBC - Nov 2)

CHINESE SHENZHOU CRAFT LAUNCHES ON KEY SPACE MISSION - China has taken the next step in its quest to become a major space power with the launch of the unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle. The spacecraft rode a Long March 2F rocket into orbit where it will attempt to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-1 lab, launched in September. It would be the first time China has joined two space vehicles together. The capability is required if the country is to carry through its plan to build a space station by about 2020.    More
(Source: BBC News - Nov 1)

SOYUZ SUCCESSFULLY RETURNS TO FLIGHT FOR SPACE STATION - Two months after a rare Russian launch failure, an unmanned Progress cargo ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station rocketed smoothly into orbit Sunday, clearing the way for the resumption of manned Soyuz flights next month, just in time for the lab's partners to avoid being forced to temporarily abandoning the complex. The Progress M-13M spacecraft took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:11 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), kicking off the 45th unmanned Russian space station resupply mission.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Oct 31)

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