3 ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT SPACE STATION FOR THE HOLIDAYS - Three astronauts arrived today (Dec. 23) at the International Space Station just in time for a zero gravity holiday party as they begin a five-month stay in orbit. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency (ESA), docked at the orbiting laboratory today at 10:19 a.m. EST (1519 GMT) as the two spacecraft sailed 240 miles over southern Russia. They arrived aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which launched Wednesday (Dec. 21) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. "The Soyuz crew arrives down the chimney of the space station with an early Christmas present for the station's crew," said NASA spokesman Rob Navias during the televised space rendezvous. More (Source: MSNBC - Dec 23)
RUSSIA SENDS MULTINATIONAL CREW TO ISS - Russia on Wednesday sent a multinational crew of three astronauts to the International Space Station on a Soyuz rocket from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, US NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers blasted off aboard a Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft at 1316 GMT in a spectacular night-time launch from the Kazakh steppe, an AFP correspondent reported. The launch, which filled the otherwise pitch-black steppe with blazing light, appeared to go smoothly and mission control said that the Soyuz went into orbit as planned 10 minutes after lift-off. More (Source: AFP - Dec 21)
NEW SPACE CREW TO LAUNCH FROM WINTER WONDERLAND ON WEDNESDAY - A diverse crew of veteran spacemen is poised to blast off toward the International Space Station on Wednesday (Dec. 21) to double the population of the orbital outpost just in time for Christmas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, part of the European Space Agency (ESA) will join three men already living aboard the space station as Expedition 30 flight engineers. More (Source: Space.com - Dec 21)
NIGERIA LAUNCHES SATELLITE TO REPLACE EARLIER FAILED ATTEMPT - Nigeria on Monday launched a communications satellite into space to replace one that failed in 2008, the country's satellite agency said. The satellite was launched from Xichang in southwest China and the event was broadcast live on Nigerian state television. NigComSat-1R, is expected to help boost communications, broadcasting and broadband multimedia services across large swathes of Africa and parts of Europe and Asia. More (Source: AFP - Dec 21)
LOCKHEED MARTIN DELIVERS U.S. NAVY’S FIRST MOBILE USER OBJECTIVE SYSTEM SATELLITE - Lockheed Martin delivered the U.S. Navy’s first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on December 15, where it will be prepared for a Feb. 16, 2012 liftoff aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle. The MUOS constellation is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system that will augment and replace the legacy Ultra High Frequency Follow-On system, providing significantly improved and assured communications for the mobile warfighter. More (Source: defpro - Dec 20)
POWERFUL NIGERIAN SATELLITE READY FOR LIFTOFF FROM CHINA - China will launch a massive Nigerian communications satellite Monday to link Africans with television programming, education services and navigation signals. Manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology, the Nigcomsat 1R satellite will replace a craft that lost power and failed in November 2008, less than 18 months after its launch on a Chinese rocket. Nigcomsat Ltd., a company chartered by the Nigerian government, will operate the satellite for up to 15 years. More (Source: Spaceflight Now - Dec 20)
SOYUZ LAUNCHES SHARP-EYED PLEIADES SATELLITE - A Russian Soyuz rocket has launched from French Guiana - only the second such vehicle to fly out of the territory's new Sinnamary spaceport. The Soyuz put six satellites in orbit, including France's new Pleiades-1 high-resolution imaging spacecraft. This satellite is designed to take pictures that resolve features on the ground as small as 50cm across. The capability will put it on a par with the leading US commercial systems operated by GeoEye and DigitalGlobe. More (Source: BBC News - Dec 18)
NASA LAUNCHES NEW SPACE STATION — ON INTERNET RADIO - NASA on Monday unveiled a new online radio station dubbed "Third Rock: America's Space Station" in the U.S. space agency's latest bid to spread its space exploration to the American public. The radio station, which launched today, will broadcast new rock, indie and alternative music in a format that is "crafted specifically to speak the language of tech-savvy young adults," NASA officials said in a statement. More (Source: MSNBC - Dec 14)
JAPAN LAUNCHES 2ND SPY SATELLITE THIS YEAR, EXPECTS TO HAVE INTEL-GATHERING NETWORK NEXT YEAR - Japan successfully put a spy satellite into orbit on Monday and expects to complete its network of intelligence-gathering satellites with another launch next year. Japan’s space agency, JAXA, said the launch from the remote southern island of Tanegashima went off without a hitch and the radar-equipped satellite is functioning properly. It was the second launch of the year, following a successful liftoff in September. More (Source: Washington Post - Dec 13)
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