RUSSIAN SATELLITE LOSES LINK WITH GROUND CONTROL - A Russian military satellite lost its communications link with the ground control centre, after it reportedly ran out of fuel, a media report said. The geostationary military satellite Raduga-1 might have run out of fuel and is not controlled by the flight control centre, Xinhua reported citing Interfax news agency. The Russian satellite became uncontrollable in space recently and came within three kilometres of a South Korean satellite. More (Source: Sify - Mar 12)
SHHH: U.S. SPY SATELLITE BLASTS INTO SPACE - An unmanned Delta 4 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Friday carrying a spy satellite. And that's about all that the general public really knows at this point. The rocket launch, which had briefly been delayed because of high winds, is hauling along a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. So what's going up there? Cue Hollywood and let your imaginations roam. For the record, the Air Force Space Command put out a terse comment under the byline of Col. James Ross of the 45th Space Wing vice commander. He explained that the mission "helps ensure that crucial NRO resources will continue to strengthen our national defense." More (Source: CBS News - Mar 12)
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LANDS ON EARTH AFTER FINAL VOYAGE - The space shuttle Discovery has returned to Earth from its final mission, never to soar in orbit again. In the end, Discovery — NASA's oldest and most traveled shuttle — flew its last mission the same way it flew its first: with grace and pride, and with keen eyes around the world watching it every step of the way. Discovery landed for the final time here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:57 a.m. EST (1657 GMT), capping a busy 13-day mission to the International Space Station. After 27 years and 39 flights, Discovery's wheels rolled to a stop for the very last time under the warm sun at the Florida spaceport's Shuttle Landing Facility. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 9)
OFFICIALS ANTICIPATE MORE FLIGHTS OF X-37 SPACE PLANE - The U.S. Air Force and Boeing anticipate more missions of the X-37B space plane to finish testing the craft's flight characteristics and carry top secret experiments into orbit, but there is no firm timetable for additional launches of the robotic mini-space shuttle, according to military officials. Boeing's Phantom Works division built two X-37 vehicles for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, a unit managed from the Pentagon that develops shadowy and fast-track programs for the military. The second X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, launched several hundred miles above Earth Saturday on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. It will stay into orbit for up to 270 days, according to Air Force officials. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Mar 9)
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY HEADS HOME FROM FINAL MISSION - Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, left the international space station on Monday for the last time. Station skipper Scott Kelly rang his ship's bell in true naval tradition, as the shuttle backed away on the final leg of its final journey. "Discovery departing," he called out. Discovery is due back to Earth on Wednesday. It's being retired after touchdown and sent to the Smithsonian Institution for display. NASA's two other shuttles will join Discovery in retirement after their upcoming missions. More (Source: The Washington Post - Mar 9)
INDIA TO LAUNCH REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE IN APRIL - India will launch a remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat-2, in April, that will provide information on biophysical and geophysical parameters on the Earth's surface, local media reported Monday. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch the satellite from the Sriharikota Space Center in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said local daily The Times of India. Youthsat, in collaboration with Russia, and Xsat, a venture with a Singapore laboratory, are the other two satellites that will also be launched then, the report said. More (Source: Xinhua - Mar 8)
U.S. MILITARY'S MINI SPACE SHUTTLE LIFTS OFF - A prototype miniature space shuttle blasted off aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday for a demonstration run that could last as long as nine months. The experimental vehicle, known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV, lifted off at 5:46 p.m. EST. It is the second ship to be put in space under the U.S. military's X-37B program. The vehicles are smaller versions of NASA's space shuttle orbiters -- 29 feet long, 14 feet across. The one-third scale spaceships are solar powered, unlike the space shuttles, and are not designed to carry people. More (Source: Reuters - Mar 5)
LAUNCH OF AIR FORCE'S SECRET X-37B SPACE PLANE DELAYED A DAY BY BAD WEATHER - Bad weather in Florida thwarted the U.S. Air Force's attempts to launch its latest secret X-37B space plane Friday (March 4), forcing a one-day delay for the robotic reusable mini-shuttle. The unmanned X-37B space plane — known as Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2) — was supposed to take to the skies from Cape Canaveral at 3:50 p.m. EST (2050 GMT) today atop an Atlas 5 rocket. But cloudy, windy conditions caused officials to scrub that attempt, as well as a second try around 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT). More (Source: Space.com - Mar 5)
NASA'S LOST GLORY SATELLITE: WHY IT FAILED AND WHY IT MATTERS - NASA's Earth-observing satellite, called Glory, launched this morning (March 4), but within minutes, scientists realized the rocket would not make it into orbit. The failed launch has implications for the study of Earth's climate and the changes that are shifting it. Glory launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on a Taurus XL rocket. The nose cone of the rocket covering the satellite failed to separate, making it too heavy and too slow to achieve orbit. The failed launch comes after a week of delays due to technical difficulties, and is the second consecutive failure for a Taurus XL rocket. NASA has established an investigation board to determine the cause of the launch failure. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 4)
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