SPACEX LAUNCHES SPAINSAT NEW GENERATION 1 SATELLITE ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched a secure communications satellite on behalf of Hisdesat, a Spanish communications company, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday night. The SpainSat New Generation 1 (SNG 1) satellite is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by Airbus Defense and Spa... More (Source: - Jan 30)
SPACEX STARLINK SATELLITE SPARKS BRILLIANT FIREBALL AS IT FALLS FROM SPACE OVER US - A SpaceX Starlink internet satellite fell from space in a blaze of glory overnight, lighting up the Midwest U.S. sky with a brilliant fireball. Stargazers across parts of Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois witnessed the Starlink satellite's fiery demise as it burned up in Earth's atmosphere late Tu... More (Source: Space.com - Jan 30)
CREW PREPS FOR THURSDAY SPACEWALK AND WORKS SPACE GARDENING - Spacewalk preparations and space gardening were the main duties aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The seven Expedition 72 crewmates also serviced electronics systems and packed a cargo craft for its upcoming departure. Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore beg... More (Source: NASA - Jan 29)
MUSK: PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLS FOR FAST-TRACK RETURN TO EARTH OF THE FORMER STARLINER ASTRONAUTS - In a late afternoon post to X, SpaceX founder Elon Musk stirred up some confusion and consternation among the space community. Without any indication ahead of time, Musk suggested that the Crew Dragon capsule, named ‘Freedom,’ may make an early departure from the International Space Station w... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 29)
THE CSO-3 SATELLITE LAUNCH BY ARIANESPACE FOR FRANCE’S DGA AND CNES ON BEHALF OF THE FRENCH AIR AND SPACE FORCE’S SPACE COMMAND (CDE) IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 26, 2025 - On February 26, 2025 at 1:24 p.m. local time (4:24 p.m. UTC, 5:24 p.m. CET), Arianespace will launch the CSO-3 satellite with Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission, called VA263, will be the first commercial flight for Ariane 6, the new European heavy-lift launcher... More (Source: Arianespace - Jan 29)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 21 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX sent its latest batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit Monday late afternoon. Among the 21 V2 Mini satellites were 13 that feature Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 12-7 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 28)
SWARM SATELLITES USE MAGNETIC SIGNALS TO REVEAL EARTH’S HIDDEN OCEAN MYSTERIES - ESA’s Swarm mission, utilizing the faint magnetic signals generated by Earth’s ocean tides, offers groundbreaking insights into undersea magma distribution and potential changes in global ocean temperatures and salinity. These discoveries, revealed by a long-standing satellite constellation o... More (Source: SciTechDaily - Jan 27)
ASTRONOMERS SEEK GLOBAL BAN ON SPACE ADVERTISING - Astronomers are calling on nations to ban advertising in space that can be seen from the ground, calling it the latest threat to the dark and quiet sky. At a briefing during the 245th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society earlier this month, the organization rolled out a statement calling ... More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 26)
CHINESE ROCKET BOOSTER FALLS TO EARTH, EXPLODES NEAR HOME - China successfully launched a classified satellite on Thursday (Jan. 23), but a spent booster from the mission fell shockingly close to a family home. The TJS-14 satellite launched on a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Thursday at 10:32 a.m. EST (1532 GMT; 11:32 p.m. l... More (Source: Space.com - Jan 26)
SPACEWALKS RESUME FROM U.S. SEGMENT OF ISS AFTER SIX MONTH HIATUS - The International Space Station (ISS) kicked off 2025 with a long-awaited return to extravehicular activity (EVA) spacewalk activities from the U.S. segment of the ISS. These spacewalks were sharply curtailed in 2024 due to issues with the aging Space Shuttle-era Extravehicular Mobility Unit suits.... More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jan 26)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites from California during a Falcon 9 flight Friday morning. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-6 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 6:07 a.m. PST (9:07 a.m. EST, 1407 UTC).... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 25)
ALMAGEST SPACE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH + DEPLOYMENT OF THEIR ELEVATION-1 E-BAND SATELLITE - Almagest Space Corporation has announced the successful launch and deployment of ELEVATION-1, a demonstration satellite carrying the world’s first E-band communications payload with the foundational technology for Almagest to develop innovative, high performance, bulk data solutions. ELEVATION-1 w... More (Source: SatNews - Jan 24)
BLACKSKY SHIPS FIRST GEN-3 SATELLITE FOR EXPECTED LAUNCH IN FEBRUARY - BlackSky Technology Inc. ships its first Gen-3 satellite to launch provider Rocket Lab today. The satellite is planned for launch in February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The Gen-3 constellation will offer customers new mission critical insights with the addition of very h... More (Source: BlackSky - Jan 24)
CHINA LAUNCHES FOURTH BATCH OF THOUSAND SAILS MEGACONSTELLATION SATELLITES - China launched the fourth batch of 18 satellites for the Thousand Sails megaconstellation early Thursday using a Long March 6A rocket. The Long March 6A lifted off at 12:11 a.m. Eastern (0511 UTC) Jan. 23 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China, carrying 18 Qianfan (Thousand Sails) Po... More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 24)
CHINA LAUNCHES CLASSIFIED TJS-14 SATELLITE TOWARDS GEOSTATIONARY BELT - China sent a classified experimental technology satellite into orbit Thursday, adding to a series of spacecraft recently sent towards geostationary orbit. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 10:32 a.m. Eastern (1532 UTC) Jan. 23 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The Chi... More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 24)
CHINESE ASTRONAUTS INSTALL DEBRIS SHIELDS ON TIANGONG SPACE STATION DURING 8.5-HOUR SPACEWALK - Two Chinese astronauts have completed the second spacewalk of their six-month-long mission in Earth orbit. Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, part of China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission, completed an 8.5-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) — or spacewalk — at 12:12 p.m. EST on Jan. 20 (1712 GMT... More (Source: Space.com - Jan 23)
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? - Americans, Russians and spacefarers from other countries have been working together aboard the International Space Station for a quarter-century. But the ISS is nearing the end of its operational life. What's next for the space station, and what comes after it retires? Following the ISS retiremen... More (Source: - Jan 23)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 21 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites for its internet megaconstellation shortly after midnight on Tuesday. However, there may have been additional satellites onboard as well. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 12:24 a.m. E... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 22)
HOW NEW NASA, INDIA EARTH SATELLITE NISAR WILL SEE EARTH - When NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) new Earth satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) launches in coming months, it will capture images of Earth’s surface so detailed they will show how much small plots of land and ice are moving, down to fractions of an in... More (Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Jan 22)
