CHINA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST MEDIUM EARTH ORBIT BROADBAND SATELLITES - China launched the first satellites for a medium Earth orbit broadband constellation late Wednesday. A Long March 3B lifted off at 9:43 p.m. Eastern May 8 (0143 UTC May 9) from the inland Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed launch success, revealing the mission payloads for the first time to be the Smart Skynet-1 (01) satellites A and B. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 10)
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT: HOW BAD ARE SATELLITE MEGACONSTELLATIONS FOR ASTRONOMY? - Over the past few years, our planet has become increasingly encircled by Starlink, OneWeb and other "megaconstellation" satellites. Yes, the emergence of those megaconstellations offers great benefits for humanity. But in a wait-a-minute pause, there are also substantial costs, including a growing imposition on astronomy. That's the view of David Koplow, the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. More (Source: Space.com - May 10)
SPACEX BREAKS SPACE SHUTTLE PAD RECORD WITH FALCON 9 STARLINK MISSION - With a Wednesday afternoon launch, SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets exceeded the total number of Space Shuttle missions from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The combination of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket launches passed the total number of shuttle flights seen at that pad. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 8)
ATLAS 5 VALVE REPAIR WILL DELAY STARLINER’S FIRST CREWED MISSION TO MAY 17 AT THE EARLIEST - Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is going to have a wait a bit longer before its first astronaut mission can take place. Following the decision to scrub the Crew Flight Test mission about two hours prior to liftoff, teams with United Launch Alliance (ULA), Boeing and NASA concluded that more work was needed to prepare the Atlas 5 to launch. In order to do that, the rocket will need to be rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex 41. The anticipated timeline for the work will push the launch back to no earlier than May 17, according to NASA. The new liftoff time is now 6:16 p.m. EDT (2016 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 8)
STARLINER LAUNCH SCRUBBED BY TROUBLE WITH A VALVE IN THE ATLAS 5’S CENTAUR UPPER STAGE - In a blog post early Tuesday, NASA said launch of Boeing’s Starliner astronaut ferry ship will be delayed until at least Friday “to complete data analysis on a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas 54 rocket‘s Centaur upper stage and determine whether it is necessary to replace the valve.” If the analysis concludes it’s safe to launch the Atlas 5 as is, NASA, Boeing and Atlas 5-builder United Launch Alliance could recycle for a second attempt at 9 p.m. EDT Friday. If the valve has to be replaced, the rocket would have to be hauled back to ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility for repairs, delaying another launch attempt to Sunday or later next week. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 7)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA - SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites today (May 6), the company's 46th orbital mission of the year already. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 2:14 p.m. EDT (1814 GMT), carrying 23 Starlink craft toward low Earth orbit (LEO). The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes later as planned, touching down on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. More (Source: Space.com - May 7)
EARTHCARE SATELLITE SET FOR LAUNCH - Recently, ESA's EarthCARE satellite was removed from its transport container at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, beginning an intensive period of preparation for its upcoming launch. The team conducted detailed inspections and testing to ensure the satellite was in optimal condition for its mission. Ensuring the cleanliness of EarthCARE was a critical step in optimizing the performance of its four main instruments. These instruments are designed to advance our understanding of the interactions between clouds, aerosols, solar energy, and outgoing radiation, which are crucial for regulating the Earth's climate. More (Source: Space Daily - May 6)
NORTH KOREA APPEARS TO TEST ROCKET ENGINE AMID PREPARATION FOR SATELLITE LAUNCH - North Korea appears to have tested a rocket engine in recent weeks at the country’s main space launch complex, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, as Pyongyang continues to prepare its first satellite launch of the year. Planet Labs satellite imagery shows what appears to be vegetation die-off under the vertical engine test stand at the Sohae Satellite Launching Grounds between April 21 and 26, likely caused by intense heat and exposure to chemicals emitted during a lengthy engine burn. More (Source: NK News - May 4)
THE BOEING STARLINER LAUNCHES SOON, WITH A CREW, AND ITS SUCCESS WOULD BE A BIG DEAL - If all goes well late on May 6, 2024, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will blast off into space on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Launching from the Kennedy Space Center, this last crucial test for Starliner will test out the new spacecraft and take the pair to the International Space Station for about a week. Part of NASA’s commercial crew program, this long-delayed mission will represent the vehicle’s first crewed launch. If successful, it will give NASA – and in the future, space tourists – more options for getting to low Earth orbit. More (Source: Astronomy Magazine - May 4)
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