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)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 ROCKET ON RECORD-TYING 20TH MISSION - SpaceX tied its rocket-reuse record on Saturday night (April 27). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 GMT on April 28). It was the 20th launch for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description. That tied a mark set earlier this month by a different Falcon 9 booster, on a launch of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites.   More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 29)

NASA TO PROVIDE COVERAGE AS DRAGON DEPARTS STATION WITH SCIENCE - NASA and its international partners are set to receive scientific research samples and hardware as a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Sunday, April 28 weather permitting. The agency will provide coverage of undocking and departure beginning at 12:45 p.m. EDT on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.   More
(Source: NASA - Apr 29)

NEWS FROM THE PRESS SITE: BOEING STARLINER GETS GO AHEAD FOR CREW FLIGHT TEST, COMMUNICATION REESTABLISHED WITH VOYAGER 1 - In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Tariq Malik, editor-in-chief of Space.com, and Passant Robie, space reporter for Gizmodo. The panel discusses the arrival of the NASA astronauts who will be the first to fly onboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, the reestablishment of contact with the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the 300th Falcon 9 booster landing for SpaceX and much more.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 27)

CHINA LAUNCHES 3 ASTRONAUTS TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION ON SHENZHOU 18 MISSION - China has launched its seventh crew to the Tiangong space station. A Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert today (April 25) at 8:59 a.m. EDT (1259 GMT or 8:59 p.m. Beijing Time). The rocket carried the Shenzhou 18 spacecraft and its three-person crew into orbit. The Shenzhou spacecraft separated from its launch vehicle 10 minutes into the flight, prompting the China National Space Administration to declare the launch successful.    More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 26)

CHINA UNVEILS SHENZHOU-18 CREW FOR SPACE STATION MISSION - Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu will carry out the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission, and Ye will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday. The Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship will be launched at 8:59 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Apr 25)

CHINA'S TIANGONG SPACE STATION DAMAGED BY DEBRIS STRIKE: REPORT - China will beef up its space debris procedures for astronauts after a partial loss of power on its Tiangong space station, according to state media. Astronauts on the Shenzhou 17 mission conducted two spacewalks outside the Tiangong space station this winter, most recently on March 1. At the time, Chinese media said there had been a partial (but minor) loss of power supply after the outpost's solar panels suffered a debris strike.   More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 25)

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