JAPAN POSTPONES MICHIBIKI SATELLITE LAUNCH ON CONCERN OVER PART - Japan postponed the launch of a rocket carrying the Michibiki satellite because of concerns over a component produced by an overseas supplier, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said. The new launch date is undecided, Mitsubishi Heavy and JAXA said in a joint statement on the heavy machinery maker’s website that didn’t identify the manufacturer of the part in question. Mitsubishi and JAXA said earlier this month the rocket would be launched on Aug. 2.    More
(Source: BusinessWeek - Jun 24)

ISRAEL: SPY SATELLITE IS LAUNCHED - Israel launched a spy satellite into orbit Tuesday night from an air force base near the center of the country. The new satellite, known as Ofek-9, will help Israel more efficiently monitor the region, including Iran, said Chaim Eshed, the director of Israel’s military space program. It increases the speed at which Israel can receive high-resolution images of subjects of interest, he said.    More
(Source: New York Times - Jun 24)

KOREA'S OWN WEATHER SATELLITE READY FOR LAUNCH - Korea is poised to launch its first communication, ocean and meteorological satellite on Thursday. The satellite, dubbed Cheollian, has been installed on a space rocket in preparation for blastoff at the Ariane Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Sunday. The booster rocket is an Ariane V and will be launched between 6:41 and 7:45 a.m. KST on the day, it added.    More
(Source: The Chosun Ilbo - Jun 22)

GERMAN TANDEM-X SATELLITE SEEKS 3D VIEW OF EARTH - The TanDEM-X satellite has blasted into orbit on a mission to acquire the most precise 3D map of the Earth's surface. The German radar spacecraft will fly in formation with an identical platform called TerraSAR-X launched in 2007. Together, the pair will measure the variation in height across the globe to an accuracy of better than two metres. Their digital elevation model will have myriad uses, from helping military jets fly ultra low to showing relief workers where an earthquake's damage is worst.    More
(Source: BBC News - Jun 22)

NASA OFFERS TO SEND NAMES AND DIGITAL PHOTOS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THE FINAL TWO SHUTTLE MISSIONS - NASA will be sending photos and names from the public to space on its two final shuttle missions. People can upload their information on a new website under the Face in Space program to have it go into orbit along with the astronauts on the last two times the reusable space planes will launch. In a statement released by NASA's space shuttle program chief John Shannon he said: "The Space Shuttle Program belongs to the public, and we are excited when we can provide an opportunity for people to share the adventure of our missions. This website will allow you to be a part of history and participate as we complete our final missions "    More
(Source: Examiner.com - Jun 19)

THREE-PERSON INTERNATIONAL CREW LAUNCHED INTO SPACE - Lighting up the pre-dawn Kazakhstan sky, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a veteran cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts roared to life and vaulted into orbit Tuesday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station. Station veteran Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronauts Douglas Wheelock, a shuttle veteran, and rookie flight engineer Shannon Walker lifted off aboard the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft at 5:35:19 p.m. EDT (3:35:19 a.m. Wednesday local time) from Yuri Gagarin's launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.    More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Jun 17)

SOUTH KOREA ROCKET 'EXPLODES' MOMENTS AFTER TAKE-OFF - South Korea rocket 'explodes' moments after take-off Page last updated at 10:36 GMT, Thursday, 10 June 2010 11:36 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version AdvertisementCommunication was lost just two minutes after the KSLV-1 took off A South Korean rocket appears to have exploded moments after take-off, ending the country's latest attempt to join the space-launch industry. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 is thought to have blown up 137 seconds after take-off, said science minister Ahn Byong-man. The rocket lifted off from Goheung's Naro Space Centre at 1701 (0801 GMT). But contact was lost as the rocket reached an altitude of 70 kilometres (44 miles). "Looking from the bright flash seen on the camera mounted on the tip of the rocket, it appears [the KSLV-1] exploded in flight during the first-stage ignition," said Mr Ahn.    More
(Source: BBC News - Jun 11)

MALFUNCTION DELAYS SOUTH KOREA SATELLITE LAUNCH - South Korea's space program suffered a setback Wednesday when the planned launch of a satellite was postponed due to malfunctioning firefighting equipment. The two-stage Naro rocket was supposed to blast off in the late afternoon carrying an observation satellite to study global warming and climate change. The process was halted, however, after fire retardant suddenly sprayed from one of three nozzles set up near the launch pad to extinguish any blaze, said Pyun Kyung-bum, a spokesman at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.    More
(Source: The Associated Press - Jun 10)

TECHNICAL GLITCH MAY DELAY ROCKET LAUNCH - The South Korean space agency's Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) reached its launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Monday. However, the completion of the rollout was delayed for several hours due to an unexpected technical glitch that engineers refused to explain specifically. The problem appears serious enough to possibly delay the launching of the rocket, with a control committee consisting of South Korean and Russian engineers expect to meet early today to determine whether to continue the liftoff as scheduled.    More
(Source: Korea Times - Jun 8)

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