LOCKHEED MARTIN’S MISPLACED SATELLITE TO FALL BACK TO EARTH NEXT MONTH - A Lockheed Martin satellite that was placed in the wrong orbit Dec. 22 is expected to de-orbit in February. Despite a much shortened mission, the company said it successfully accomplished many of the objectives of the technology demonstration.. The 300-pound payload — a newly designed electronically steerable antenna flying on a Terran Orbital Nebula bus — went to the wrong orbit following an upper stage problem with the Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket placed that launched the mission Dec. 22. More (Source: SpaceNews - Feb 1)
SPACEX LAUNCHES NORTHROP GRUMMAN CYGNUS SPACECRAFT ON ITS WAY TO THE SPACE STATION - SpaceX completed its second mission bound for the International Space Station this month. But unlike all previous missions targeting the orbiting outpost, this flight didn’t feature a Dragon spacecraft. At 12:07 p.m. EST (1707 UTC) SpaceX launched a Cygnus spacecraft on behalf of Northrop Grumman as part of NG’s 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract mission for NASA using its Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) against a clear blue sky as a backdrop. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 31)
U.S. SPACE FORCE WARY OF CHINA’S EXPANDING SPY SATELLITE FLEET - Concerns are rippling across the U.S. Space Force as China ramps up its constellation of reconnaissance satellites. The latest launches, including optical and radar surveillance spacecraft, have U.S. officials dismissing China’s claims that these satellites serve mostly civilian and commercial purposes. Speaking Jan. 30 at the Space Mobility Conference, Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch, of the Space Systems Command’s intelligence directorate, said China’s rapidly advancing military space-based reconnaissance capabilities are worrisome. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 31)
WATCH SPACEX LAUNCH PRIVATE CARGO SPACECRAFT TO THE ISS ON JAN. 30 - SpaceX will launch a private cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station this week, and you can watch the action live. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch Northrop Grumman's latest robotic Cygnus freighter Tuesday (Jan. 30) at 12:07 p.m. EST (1707 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 30)
SPACEX LAUNCHES TWO ROCKETS FROM TWO COASTS IN STARLINK DOUBLEHEADER - SpaceX launched two more batches of its Starlink internet satellites overnight (Jan. 28-29), on doubleheader liftoffs from both U.S. coasts. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink spacecraft launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Sunday (Jan. 28) at 6:15 p.m. EST (2315 GMT). Another Falcon 9 carried 22 more Starlinks skyward from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday at 12:57 a.m. EST (9:57 p.m. local time, and 0557 GMT). More (Source: Space.com - Jan 30)
A NEW SATELLITE COULD HELP SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL SOME OF EARTH'S MYSTERIES. HERE'S HOW. - Imagine coloring a picture with 200 crayons instead of eight. That’s the difference in light and color that a new satellite bound for orbit will bring to the study of microscopic particles in our atmosphere and waterways, said Jeremy Werdell, a project scientist with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. The satellite – called the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and Ocean Ecosystem, or PACE – will provide critical new information to help better understand the role such particles play in the exchange of carbon dioxide and energy in the atmosphere and ocean, and in our changing climate, scientists said. More (Source: USA Today - Jan 30)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST OF PLANNED BACK-TO-BACK FALCON 9 STARLINK MISSIONS - SpaceX is preparing for a busy week to close out the month of January. Two Starlink flights are set to kick things off as the company prepares to launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station for the first time. First up to bat is the Starlink 6-38 mission, which will send 23 more satellites to low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket supporting this mission is set for Sunday, Jan. 28, at 8:10 p.m. EST (0110 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning approximately one hour before liftoff. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 29)
IRAN LAUNCHES 3 SATELLITES INTO SPACE - Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space, the latest for a program that the West says improves Tehran's ballistic missiles. The state-run IRNA news agency said the launch also saw the successful use of Iran's Simorgh rocket, which has had multiple failures in the past. The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While Iran has not intervened militarily in the conflict, it has faced increased pressure within its theocracy for action after a deadly Islamic State suicide bombing earlier this month and as proxy groups like Yemen's Houthi rebels conduct attacks linked to the war. More (Source: VOA News - Jan 29)
CYGNUS READY FOR FIRST LAUNCH ON FALCON 9 - A Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, a combination that required more changes to the rocket than to the spacecraft. NASA announced at a Jan. 26 briefing that it was targeting Jan. 30 at 12:07 p.m. Eastern for the launch of the NG-20 cargo mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. That is a one-day slip from previous plans, which the agency said was to “accommodate launch pad readiness.” If Cygnus launches that day, it will arrive at the International Space Station early Feb. 1. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 28)
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