A SATELLITE THAT WAS LOST IN SPACE FOR 25 YEARS HAS FINALLY BEEN FOUND - An experimental satellite that launched in 1974 disappeared from ground-based sensors in the 1990s, only to be found again this week. Some defunct satellites or debris can often go missing for years, presenting hazards within an increasingly crowded Earth orbit. But, how exactly do objects disappear in space? The Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite was part of the United States Air Force’s Space Test Program. After launching on April 10, 1974, a large reconnaissance satellite, called KH-9 Hexagon, ejected the 26-inch-wide (66-centimeter-wide) satellite, boosting it to a 500 mile (800 kilometers) circular orbit.   More
(Source: Quartz - May 2)

SPACEX TO LAUNCH 23 STARLINK SATELLITES TONIGHT IN 2ND HALF OF SPACEFLIGHT DOUBLEHEADER - SpaceX aims to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites tonight (May 2), on the second half of a planned spaceflight doubleheader. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight during a 3.5-hour window that opens at 9:49 p.m. EDT (0149 GMT on May 3). SpaceX will webcast the action via its X account, beginning about five minutes before the window opens.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 2)

THE STARLINER SPACECRAFT IS FINALLY FLYING ASTRONAUTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - After a bumpy few years, NASA’s Starliner is finally ready for takeoff. The agency says the Boeing spacecraft is set to begin its inaugural crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) next week, nearly a decade after originally intended. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and the adjoining CST-100 Starliner spacecraft are scheduled to depart from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6.    More
(Source: Yahoo - May 2)

CHINESE ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER 6 MONTHS ON SPACE STATION - A Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Tuesday with three astronauts who completed a six-month mission aboard the country’s orbiting space station. The Shenzhou-17 craft carrying Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin landed at the Dongfeng site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the Gobi Desert shortly before 6 p.m. It comes roughly four days after the Shenzhou-18 mission docked with the station with their three-member replacement crew.    More
(Source: AP News - May 2)

AIRBUS OUTLINES PLANS FOR FUTURE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING SATELLITES - More than a year after losing two Pléiades Neo high-resolution imaging satellites in a launch failure, Airbus has outlined plans to replace them. The company announced April 29 a new program called Pléiades Neo Next, which it described as creating “new satellite assets and capabilities” to augment the two Pléiades Neo satellites currently in operation. That will start with one satellite Airbus has started to manufacture that will launch in the next few years.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 1)

MORE SATELLITES, LESS SPACE: NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS RISK GROWTH ON ORBIT - A new report finds that 2023 was yet another boom year for space operations with more launches, more satellites deployed, more dead satellites littering the heavens, more satellite maneuvers — and with that increase in on-orbit activity a growth in risks to operators, in part evidenced by “markedly increasing” insurance rates for operators. “The State of Satellite Deployments and Orbital Operations” is the first of what space monitoring firm Slingshot Aerospace intends as an annual report looking at the domain through “the lens of the satellite lifecycle” from launch to deployment to on–orbit operations to end-of-life disposal.   More
(Source: Breaking Defense - May 1)

SPACEX'S 30TH DRAGON CARGO MISSION DEPARTS THE ISS, SPLASHES DOWN ON EARTH - Dragon departed from the International Space Station (ISS) today (April 28) at 1:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT), while the two spacecraft were flying over Thailand. It was orbital nighttime in that locale, so there were no good visuals of the moment of undocking. Dragon returned to Earth with an ocean splashdown off the coast of Florida around 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) on Tuesday (April 30), SpaceX confirmed in a post on X.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 1)

TWO NEW SATELLITES JOIN THE GALILEO CONSTELLATION - The European Galileo navigation system has two more satellites in orbit following their launch in the early morning of Sunday, 28 April, at 01:34 BST/02:34 CEST. With 30 satellites now in orbit, Galileo is expanding its constellation, increasing the reliability, robustness and, ultimately, the precision, benefiting billions of users worldwide. Already the most precise satellite navigation system in the world and the largest European constellation of satellites, Galileo has been operational since 2016, when Initial Services were declared. Galileo is making a difference across the fields of rail, maritime, agriculture, financial timing services and rescue operations.   More
(Source: European Space Agency - Apr 30)

BOEING'S STARLINER SPACECRAFT WILL NOT FLY PRIVATE MISSIONS YET, OFFICIALS SAY - Boeing says it may sign up private astronauts for future Starliner missions, but the focus is on NASA for now. The spacecraft's program manager, Mark Nappi, told reporters Thursday (April 25) the company is very focused on flying the first Starliner mission for NASA with astronauts on board. That mission, Crew Flight Test (CFT), will see NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams rocket to space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket no earlier than May 6.   More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 29)

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