SPACEX AND NORTHROP ARE WORKING ON A CONSTELLATION OF SPY SATELLITES - SpaceX is reportedly working with at least one major US defense contractor, Northrop Grumman, on a constellation of spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. According to Reuters, development of the network of hundreds of spy satellites by SpaceX is being coordinated with multiple contractors to avoid putting too much control of a highly sensitive intelligence program in the hands of one company.   More
(Source: Ars Technica - Apr 20)

CHINA ROLLS OUT ROCKET FOR NEXT ASTRONAUT MISSION TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China is all set to send its next crew to its Tiangong space station. The Shenzhou 18 spacecraft currently sits atop a Long March 2F rocket, on its pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket was transferred 0.93 miles (1.5 kilometers) by rail from the vertical integration building to the pad on April 17, according to China's human spaceflight agency (CMSA).   More
(Source: Space.com - Apr 20)

SPACEX COMPLETES 40TH FALCON 9 LAUNCH OF THE YEAR WITH STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX completed its 40 Falcon 9 mission of the year with a launch from the Cape. The Starlink 6-52 mission added 23 more satellites to the growing low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:40 p.m. EDT (2240 UTC), the opening of a nearly four-hour window. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions heading into launch.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 19)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 ROCKET ON STARLINK MISSION FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX completed its latest Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday evening. The Starlink 6-51 mission came about a week-and-a-half after the launch of its first Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission from that same launch pad. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket happened 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 UTC), the opening of an approximately four-hour launch window.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 18)

ESA IS LAUNCHING TWO SATELLITES ON A WORLD-FIRST MISSION TO CREATE A MAN-MADE SOLAR ECLIPSE - ESA says the "Proba-3" mission will be the first to create an artificial eclipse in a bid to better understand solar weather. The recent total solar eclipse primarily seen in North America left tens of millions in awe. Now, the European Space Agency (ESA) is working to create an artificial eclipse by launching two satellites in a stack to study the Sun’s corona, the atmosphere surrounding our universe’s star.   More
(Source: Euronews.com - Apr 17)

NASA COMPLETES ANALYSIS OF RECOVERED SPACE OBJECT - In March 2021, NASA ground controllers used the International Space Station’s robotic arm to release a cargo pallet containing aging nickel hydride batteries from the space station following the delivery and installation of new lithium-ion batteries as part of power upgrades on the orbital outpost. The total mass of the hardware released from space station was about 5,800 pounds.   More
(Source: NASA - Apr 17)

SPACEX TO LAUNCH MAXAR WORLDVIEW LEGION 1 & 2 MISSION FOR LEADING RESOLUTION AND ACCURACY - These are the first two of six planned WorldView Legion satellites, which will enhance Maxar Intelligence’s constellation by delivering industry-leading resolution and accuracy. When all six WorldView Legion satellites are launched, it will triple Maxar Intelligence’s capacity to collect 30 cm-class and multispectral imagery. The full Maxar constellation of 10 electro-optical satellites will image the most rapidly changing areas on Earth as frequently as every 20 to 30 minutes, from sunup to sundown.   More
(Source: SatNews - Apr 17)

DEAD SATELLITES ARE FILLING SPACE WITH TRASH. THAT COULD AFFECT EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD - A dead spacecraft the size of a truck ignites with plasma and pulverizes into dust and litter as it rips through the ionosphere and atmosphere. This is what happens to internet service satellites during re-entry. When the full mega-constellation of satellites is deployed in the 2030s, companies will do this every hour because satellite internet requires thousands of satellites to constantly be replaced. And it could compromise our atmosphere or even our magnetosphere.   More
(Source: The Guardian - Apr 17)

SPACE FORCE IS PLANNING A MILITARY EXERCISE IN ORBIT - The US Space Force announced Thursday it is partnering with two companies, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, for a first-of-its-kind mission to demonstrate how the military might counter “on-orbit aggression.” On this mission, a spacecraft built and launched by Rocket Lab will chase down another satellite made by True Anomaly, a Colorado-based startup. “The vendors will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration called Victus Haze,” the Space Force's Space Systems Command said in a statement.   More
(Source: WIRED - Apr 15)

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