SPACE JUNK MESS GETTING MESSIER IN ORBIT - The already untidy mass of orbital debris that litters low Earth orbit nearly got nastier last month. A head-on collision was averted between a spent upper stage from a Chinese rocket and the European Space Agency's huge Envisat Earth remote-sensing spacecraft. Space junk tracking information supplied by the U.S. military, as well as confirming German radar data, showed that the two space objects would speed by each other at a nail-biting distance of roughly 160 feet (50 meters).    More
(Source: MSNBC - Feb 24)

BOEING TO LAUNCH GOES-P WEATHER SATELLITE ON MARCH 2ND - Boeing announced that the commercial launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-P, (GOES-P) is scheduled for March 2 aboard a Delta IV rocket. The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., with a launch window extending from 6:19 to 7:19 p.m. Eastern time.    More
(Source: Space Ref - Feb 23)

SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR GLIDES TO GHOSTLY NIGHT LANDING - The shuttle Endeavour came out of the night sky Sunday to make a spectral landing at the Kennedy Space Center, leaving the International Space Station behind in orbit virtually complete, with a new life support module and an observation deck for robot arm operators. Approaching the spaceport in a steep dive, commander George Zamka guided the shuttle through a sweeping left overhead turn, lined up on runway 15 and swooped to a picture-perfect touchdown at 10:20 p.m. EST. Pilot Terry Virts then released a red-and-white braking parachute and a few moments later, the space plane rolled to a stop.   More
(Source: CNET - Feb 23)

LAUNCH OF EUROPEAN CLIMATE SATELLITE IS DELAYED - The launch next week of a European satellite designed to monitor the response of icesheets to climate change has been delayed by a technical worry, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday. CryoSat-2 had been scheduled to be launched from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan next Thursday. The operation "has been delayed due to a concern related to the second stage steering engine of the Dnepr launcher," ESA said in a press release.    More
(Source: AFP - Feb 22)

ENDEAVOUR LANDING TIMES UPDATED - STS-130 mission managers opted to forego a planned orbit adjust burn, changing space shuttle Endeavour's deorbit and landing times by a few minutes. Weather permitting, Endeavour's deorbit burn will occur at 9:14 p.m. EST Sunday, leading to a landing at Kennedy Space Center at 10:20 p.m. There is a second Kennedy landing opportunity at 11:55 p.m. There also are two opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in California early Monday at 1:25 a.m. and 3 a.m. Ground tracks for Endeavour's landing opportunities are posted on NASA's Web:    More
(Source: NASA - Feb 21)

SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION - The space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station Friday, leaving behind a new habitation module and observation deck that virtually complete the U.S. segment of the lab complex after more than 11 years of construction. With pilot Terry Virts at the controls, Endeavour pulled directly away from the station's forward docking port at 7:54 p.m. EST after nine days of joint activity.    More
(Source: CNET - Feb 20)

ENDEAVOUR AND STATION CREWS SAY GOODBYE - The hatches between space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station were closed at 3:08 a.m. EST Friday. During 9 days, 52 minutes of joint operations, the station got a new module and a viewport offering a valuable, enjoyable vantage. Hatch closure came after a farewell ceremony by the two crews. Endeavour Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken said their goodbyes in the Harmony module to Station Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Maxim Suraev, Oleg Kotov, Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer.    More
(Source: NASA - Feb 19)

EUTELSAT SWAPS ROCKETS FOR SATELLITE LAUNCH THIS SUMMER - Eutelsat is switching a communications satellite launch this summer from a Chinese booster to the Ariane 5 rocket, citing international trade regulations and consequences from an earthquake in Italy last year. The W3B satellite was scheduled for launch this year on a Long March 3B rocket provided by China Great Wall Industry Corp.   More
(Source: Space Flight Now - Feb 19)

SPOT THE SPACE STATION AND SHUTTLE TOGETHER - When the space shuttle Endeavour leaves the International Space Station (ISS), skywatchers across much of the United States and southern Canada are in for a real treat early on Saturday and Sunday morning. Weather permitting, there will be opportunities to see the space station and Endeavour and the ISS flying across the sky from many locations once the shuttle undocks from the orbiting lab Friday night.    More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 19)

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