DISCOVERY MAKES RETURN TRIP TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING - Leaving the launch pad and rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building overnight, the space shuttle Discovery will spend the holidays having the external tank digitally X-rayed as engineers look to prove the hypothesis that its structural cracks resulted from pent up stresses accumulated during construction and were unleashed during the strains of cryogenic fueling. The crack problem dates back to Discovery's initial launch attempt Nov. 5 when a chunk of outer insulating foam on the external tank broke during fueling. The subsequent investigation revealed that two underlying U-shaped support beams in the tank's ribbed midsection had cracked, displacing the covering foam.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Dec 23)

INDIAN, RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS DISCUSS ROCKET LAUNCH DELAY - Chennai, Dec 20 (IANS) Indian and Russian space scientists are discussing the remedial measures that need to be taken after a leak was detected in the cryogenic engine of a rocket that was to place an advanced communications satellite into orbit Monday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Sunday decided to postpone the rocket's launch after it detected the leak in one of the valves of the Russian-made cryogenic engine during the pre-countdown mandatory tests even as the 51-metre tall rocket was on the launch pad.    More
(Source: Sify - Dec 21)

ISRO TO LAUNCH ITS FIFTH SATELLITE IN GSAT SERIES - A communication satellite — GSAT-5 Prime — is set to be launched aboard the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F06) at 4 pm on December 20. The 30-hour countdown to the launch will begin on December 19. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is terming it a crucial mission, as it will greatly boost India’s transponder capacity.    More
(Source: Business Standard - Dec 19)

CHINA LAUNCHES BEIDOU-2 L2 THE 7TH SATELLITE IN COMPASS NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM - This afternoon at 3:20 p.m. EST China launched the Beidou-2 L2 satellite he 7th satellite in their Compass Navigation Satellite System. The satellite was launched from the XiChang Satellite Launch Center in near Liangshan in Sichuan province on a Long March 3A rocket. This is the 15th successful Chinese launch this year. The BeiDou-2 or Compass Navigation Satellite System is China's second-generation satellite navigation constellation which will consist of 35 satellites.    More
(Source: SpaceRef.com - Dec 19)

SOYUZ CAPSULE DOCKS WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station, delivering three new astronauts for the orbiting laboratory. The Soyuz blasted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday carrying Catherine Coleman of the US, Russian Dmitry Kondratyev and Italian Paolo Nespoli. The docking took place 220 miles (355km) above West Africa. Two Russians and one American are already are on board the ISS, giving a total crew of six.    More
(Source: BBC News - Dec 19)

SOYUZ BLASTS ASTRONAUTS INTO SPACE - Soyuz blasts astronauts into space Advertisement15 December 2010 Last updated at 17:20 ET Help A Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft carrying astronauts from the US, Russia and Italy blasted off from Kazakhstan heading towards the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, and Italy's Paolo Nespoli of Italy are expected to dock at the Space Station on Friday. Space programs are expected to change dramatically in the coming months, with the United States having only two more space shuttle flights scheduled before retiring their shuttle program in 2011.    More
(Source: BBC News - Dec 17)

RUSSIA TO LAUNCH NEW GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE IN LATE DECEMBER - A Russian Glonass-K satellite has been delivered to the Plesetsk Space Center in Arkhangelsk Oblast, where it will be launched later this month. The satellite will be sent into orbit atop a modernized Soyuz rocket, RIA Novosti reports. Russia lost three Glonass-M satellites on December 5th when a Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan deviated from its course and the satellites were dropped in the Pacific Ocean.    More
(Source: Barents Observer - Dec 16)

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO BE ROLLED BACK TO VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING - NASA engineers are planning on conducting a tanking test of space shuttle Discovery’s external tank, no-earlier-than Dec. 17. Technicians have been hampered by local weather which has been extremely windy – and cold. Temperatures in the local area have fallen into the twenties. This test will work to ensure that repairs that were made to the large, orange external tank (ET) after several cracks were discovered after the launch attempt on Nov. 5. The cracks were discovered on the intertank region of the ET. These 21-foot-long aluminum brackets are called ‘stringers’ and NASA has been striving to repair the first crack, only to discover a second and third crack. Engineers are stilling trying to figure the cause of the cracks.    More
(Source: Examiner.com - Dec 16)

ISRO TO LAUNCH GSAT-5P COMMUNICATION SATELLITE ON DEC 20 - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)will launch GSAT-5P, a 2,400 kg communication satellite, on December 20 from the SHAR Range at Sriharikota by a Geo-Stationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) using Russian Cryogenic engine. ISRO sources told UNI here yesterday that the launch window for the mission will start on December 20 and it would be open for about 90 minutes. "We have fixed the date at December 20:, the sources, said,adding GSAT-5P would be launched by GSLV-F06 mission at around 1600 hours on that day.    More
(Source: NetIndian - Dec 12)

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