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... 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-h... 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 rock... 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 Autonom... 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 ... 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 “marke... 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 s... 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 p... 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... 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... 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. E... 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 ... 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-pers... 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... 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... More (Source: Space.com - Apr 25)
SPACEX COMPLETES 300TH FALCON BOOSTER LANDING DURING STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX completed a Falcon 9 launch, highlighted by the company’s 300th booster landing to date. The Starlink 6-53 mission also marked the 30th orbital launch from Florida in 2024. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC). Th... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 25)
ELECTRON LAUNCHES SOUTH KOREAN IMAGING SATELLITE AND NASA SOLAR SAIL - Rocket Lab launched a South Korean smallsat and a NASA solar sail experiment on the company’s fifth flight of the year April 23. An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 6:32 p.m. Eastern. Liftoff was delayed nearly 20 minutes because of a problem wit... More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 25)
NASA SETS COVERAGE OF ROSCOSMOS SPACEWALK OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - NASA will provide live coverage, beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 25, as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is expected to begin at 10:55 a.m. and could last up to seven hours. NASA will stream the spacewalk on NASA+, NAS... More (Source: NASA - Apr 23)
CHINA LAUNCHES SECOND YAOGAN-42 RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE - China launched its second Yaogan-42 reconnaissance satellite over the weekend, weeks after sending the first such satellite into a similar orbit. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 7:45 p.m. Eastern (2334 UTC) April 20. The China Aerospace Science and Techno... More (Source: SpaceNews - Apr 22)
