CARGO CRAFT UNDOCKING SETS STAGE FOR MORE ARRIVALS - The departure of an unpiloted Russian cargo craft Friday set the stage for the arrival of the next supply ship and a final visit from space shuttle Endeavour. The ISS Progress 41 cargo craft, filled with trash and other unneeded items, undocked from the Pirs docking compartment at 7:41 a.m. EDT Friday as the International Space Station flew 220 miles over China. As the Progress slowly backed away from the station, Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev photographed the cargo craft through a window in the Russian segment of the orbiting complex to assess the condition of the rubber seals on its docking interface. More (Source: Space Fellowship - Apr 24)
ARIANE 5 ROCKET ACHIEVES SUCCESS WITH TWO SATELLITES - Bouncing back from a last-second countdown abort in March, an Ariane 5 rocket smoothly ascended into space Friday with communications satellites destined to serve the Middle East and Africa. The 165-foot-tall rocket rose away from the launch pad at 2137 GMT (5:37 p.m. EDT) Friday, climbing into partly cloudy skies over the French-controlled Guiana Space Center on the northeast coast of South America. Powered by twin solid rocket boosters and a hydrogen-fueled main engine, the Ariane 5 surpassed the speed of sound in 42 seconds. After shedding the solid motors, the rocket's core stage accelerated to a velocity of more than 15,400 mph and an altitude of 104 miles in the first 9 minutes of flight. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Apr 24)
NASA CLEARS SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR FOR APRIL 29 LAUNCH - The shuttle Endeavour was cleared for a launch attempt on April 29 to deliver a new class of physics instrument to the International Space Station on NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight, officials said Tuesday. Liftoff of the 134th shuttle mission is scheduled for 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The all-veteran crew is led by Mark Kelly, husband of Arizona Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a January 8 shooting that killed six people and injured 12 others. More (Source: Reuters - Apr 21)
ALL SET FOR PSLV-C16 LAUNCH ON WEDNESDAY - The stage has been set for the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) from the first launch pad at Sriharikota on April 20 at 10.12 a.m. The PSLV-C16 will put in orbit three satellites — India's Resourcesat-2, an Indo-Russian satellite called Youthsat and a micro-satellite named X-Sat from the Nangyang Technological University of Singapore. The Launch Authorisation Board (LAB), which met at Sriharikota on Saturday, cleared the rocket's lift-off. More (Source: The Hindu - Apr 19)
PSLV C16 LAUNCH ON APRIL 20 - The Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up to launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C16 (PSLV C16) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of Sriharikota Range, 90 km from here, at 10.12 am on April 20. The countdown for the launch will begin at 4.12 am on April 18, 54 hours before the launch. ISRO chairman K Radhakrishan, who conducted a series of technical meetings with the scientists, expressed satisfaction on the arrangements. More (Source: Express Buzz - Apr 17)
NEW U.S. SPY SATELLITE LAUNCHES ON CLANDESTINE MISSION - A rocket carrying a new U.S. spy satellite lit up the California night sky Thursday on a secret mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The spy satellite NROL-34 soared into orbit atop an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket after launching from a pad at the Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:24 p.m. PDT (0424 GMT on April 15) to begin the latest classified flight for the NRO. The details of the satellite's purpose and final orbit are classified, but the new spacecraft will definitely serve a role for the U.S. military, officials said. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 15)
SCHEDULE MAPPED OUT TO FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH - The powerful booster rockets for the final space shuttle launch continue to be stacked segment-by-segment inside the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation to propel Atlantis skyward this summer. Technicians began piecing the solid motors together on March 29 when the base for the left-hand booster was hoisted atop the shuttle's mobile launching platform. The aft segment of the right-hand booster followed suit on March 31. The bottom segments of each booster get anchored to the platform by explosive bolts that pop at liftoff to release the shuttle. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Apr 12)
ARISSAT-1 ON THE AIR FOR GAGARIN ANNIVERSARY - To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the ARISSat-1 satellite aboard the International Space Station will be on the air using the station’s external antenna. Transmissions will begin on Monday, April 11, at 14:30 UTC and continue until 10:30 UTC on April 13. To preserve the satellite’s battery, transmissions will cycle on and off. ARISSat-1 will transmit for 40 to 60 seconds, and then remain silent for 2 minutes. The FM transmissions on 145.950 MHz will alternate between a voice ID, telemetry values, SSTV images and audio greetings in 15 different languages. One of the transmissions will contain audio of a conversation between Gagarin and ground controllers that was recorded during the historic flight. More (Source: ARRL - Apr 11)
ISRO TO LAUNCH THREE SATELLITES ON APRIL 20 - ISRO today announced that it will launch three satellites, including an advanced remote sensing satellite to study and manage natural resources, on April 20. "Preparations for the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) carrying Resourcesat-2 satellite are progressing well at Satish Dhawan Space Centre , Sriharikota. In this mission, PSLV-C16 will launch Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat satellites," the space agency said. Built by ISRO, Resourcesat-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1206 kg for facilitating the study and management of natural resources, it said. More (Source: Economic Times - Apr 10)
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