CHINA TO LAUNCH SPACE STATION TEST MODULE NEXT WEEK - China will launch a test module for its first space station next week between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30, state media reported today (Sept. 20). The unmanned module, called Tiangong-1 (which means "Heavenly Palace") will test autonomous docking procedures and other space operations in preparation for China's plan to build a 60-ton space station by the year 2020. The Chinese Long March 2F rocket set to launch Tiangong-1 has already been rolled out to its launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, according to state-run news service Xinhua. More (Source: Space.com - Sep 21)
SPACE STATION CAPTURES AMAZING TIME-LAPSE VIEW OF EARTH - Ever wonder how it feels to fly over planet Earth? Unless you're an astronaut, Superman or the Green Lantern, this is as close as you'll get. This time-lapse video was captured by a camera mounted in front of the International Space Station as it orbited Earth at night. According to the YouTube video's description, the clip "begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica." More (Source: CBS News - Sep 19)
SES-2 SATELLITE SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH TOMORROW ON BOARD ARIANE 5 - SES S.A. announces that the launch of its new satellite SES-2 is scheduled for tomorrow night, September 20, 2011. The satellite will be launched into space from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on board an Ariane 5 ECA rocket between 18:38 and 20:02 pm local time (17:38 -- 19)(23:38 -- 01)(23:2011 Central European Summer Time). The SES-2 spacecraft, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation, is based on Orbital's space-proven Star 2.4 platform and carries 24 C-Band transponders and 24 Ku-Band transponders (36 MHz equivalents). More (Source: MarketWatch - Sep 19)
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LAUNCHED BY CHINA - A Chinese communications satellite, potentially designed to relay messages between Chinese military forces, blasted off on a Long March rocket Sunday. The Chinasat 1A spacecraft launched at 1633 GMT (12:33 p.m. EDT) Sunday from the Xichang space base in southwestern China's Sichuan province. It was 12:33 a.m. local time at the launch site. A Long March 3B/E rocket lifted the 11,500-pound satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit with a high point of more than 22,200 miles, a low point of almost 120 miles and an inclination of 27 degrees, according to U.S. military tracking data. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Sep 19)
SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS SAFELY RETURN TO EARTH - Three spacemen made a safe delayed return from the International Space Station on Friday as Russia again pushed back the launch of their replacement crew because of a recent rocket crash. Space officials said the Soyuz capsule landed on its side in the wind-swept steppes of the ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan at 0400 GMT. "A bull's-eye landing for the Soyuz TMA-21," a NASA commentator said in a live video feed while Russian mission control flashed a message on its screen reading: "Landing confirmed!" More (Source: AFP - Sep 17)
NEXT SPACE STATION CREW WILL LAUNCH NOV. 14, NASA SAYS - NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency have agreed on a Nov. 14 date for the first manned Soyuz rocket launch since the failure of a similar booster carrying a robotic cargo ship last month. The decision follows an investigation by Russian space officials to identify the source of that failure and ensure it won't plague future launches, NASA announced today (Sept. 15). It also clears the way for a new three-man crew to launch on the Soyuz to the International Space Station, sustaining the orbiting lab's 10-year streak for a continuous human presence in space. More (Source: Space.com - Sep 16)
DEAD SATELLITE WILL FALL TO EARTH BY SEPTEMBER'S END, NASA SAYS - A defunct satellite poised to fall back to Earth will make its death plunge during the last week of September, NASA officials now say. The spacecraft, an old NASA climate probe called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), was decommissioned in 2005 and has been slowly losing altitude since. Soon, the 6 1/2-ton satellite will make a final uncontrolled plunge through Earth's atmosphere. More (Source: Space.com - Sep 15)
GLOBALSTAR ANNOUNCES SATELLITE LAUNCH UPDATE - Globalstar, Inc., a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services to businesses, government and consumers, today announced that its upcoming launch of six second-generation satellites planned for mid October will be delayed. Russian Space Agency officials notified the Company of the delay and said it will undertake complete inspections of all Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicles, including three to be used for launches to the International Space Station and Globalstar's, following a recent launch failure. More (Source: MarketWatch - Sep 14)
RUSSIAN ROCKET DELAYS RISK TURNING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION INTO GHOST TOWN - Houston, YOU have a problem. With no space shuttles to take astronauts to the International Space Station, the U.S. relies upon Russian rockets. But amid deep concerns over a recent rocket crash, Russia on Tuesday announced it was postponing the launch of the latest space station crew to Nov. 12 -- mere days before before the final astronauts on the orbiting laboratory are due to return to Earth. That makes the potential for an unmanned International Space Station very real -- and NASA could have seen it coming, said Christopher C. Kraft, the former director of NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center. More (Source: Fox News - Sep 14)
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