SPACE CREWS SAY GOODBYE, SHUTTLE DEPARTING TUESDAY - The farewell hugs and handshakes are over. Now all that's left for the crews of the space shuttle and space station is the release of the docking latches. Discovery will pull away from the international space station Tuesday afternoon, ending a resupply visit that spanned just over a week. The shuttle will bring home seven astronauts and a Buzz Lightyear doll that was launched last year. The hatches between the spacecraft were closed late Monday. More (Source: The Associated Press - Sep 8)
EUTELSAT STATEMENT ON LAUNCH OF W7 SATELLITE - Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) announces that it has signed a contract with International Launch Services (ILS) for the launch in mid-November 2009 of the W7 satellite on an ILS Proton. Built by Thales Alenia Space, the satellite will now undergo final preparation for delivery to the Baikonour Cosmodrome. More (Source: Reuters - Sep 8)
NASA TRACKS CHINESE SATELLITE DEBRIS HEADED NEAR SPACE STATION - NASA is tracking a piece of leftover space junk from a 2007 Chinese anti-satellite test that is expected to fly near the International Space Station twice on Wednesday, a day after the shuttle Discovery leaves the orbiting lab. The satellite debris is expected to come within 31 miles (50 km) of the space station at about 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT) Wednesday morning, then zip around again two hours later to pass within 15 miles (25 km), NASA officials said. More (Source: Space.com - Sep 8)
JAPAN'S FIRST SPACE CARGO SHIP READY TO FLY - Japan's first unmanned spacecraft to haul cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) is nearly ready for its maiden launch next week. The new cargo ship is poised to launch toward the station on Sept. 10 at 1:01 p.m. EDT (1701 GMT) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on a shakedown cruise. If all goes well, the inaugural spacecraft, called the H-2 Transfer Vehicle 1 (HTV-1), should arrive at the station on Sept. 17. More (Source: Space.com - Sep 6)
ASTRONAUTS MAKE FINAL SPACEWALK - Astronauts from the US space shuttle Discovery have made their third and final spacewalk, installing equipment on the International Space Station. However, Nasa officials said one job had to be left undone after cables failed to connect. Nasa flight director Heather Rarick said repairs to the connector would be attempted on a future mission, possibly Atlantis's flight in November. More (Source: BBC News - Sep 6)
NASA ANALYZING JUNK THAT COULD THREATEN ASTRONAUTS - NASA is keeping tabs on a piece of space junk that could threaten the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts. Mission Control said Wednesday there is a chance, however unlikely, that part of an old rocket could come too close or even hit the linked space shuttle and space station if their path is not altered. Right now, the debris is expected to pass within seven miles of the outpost on Friday. More (Source: The Associated Press - Sep 3)
SPACE SHUTTLE'S HEAT SHIELD CLEARED FOR ENTRY - The shuttle Discovery's heat shield was cleared for re-entry "as is" Wednesday by NASA's Mission Management Team based on a detailed analysis of launch imagery, laser scans conducted by the astronauts the day after launch and a close-up inspection of the shuttle's belly during final approach to the space station. "The Damage Assessment Team provided their final summary to the team and declared that the TPS (thermal protection system) is acceptable for entry," the MMT said in a summary of Wednesday's meeting. More (Source: Spaceflight Now - Sep 3)
NASA KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON SPACE DEBRIS - NASA is monitoring debris in space moving in the vicinity of the international space station and the Shuttle Discovery docked with it, officials said late Wednesday. The debris, measuring "multiple meters" in size, is from a European Ariane series rocket launched in 2006, NASA said. By 10:06 a.m. ET Friday, the debris will be moving within 3 km (1.8 miles) of the space station, the agency said. More (Source: CNN - Sep 3)
TURKSAT 4A SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED TO SPACE IN 2011 - The procurement process started for TURKSAT 4A satellite which planned to be launched to space in 2011,said TURKSAT Director Genera Ozkan Dalbay on Friday. Dalbay was quoted by semi-official Anatolia news agency as saying that "TURKSAT plans to manufacture the satellite at the end of the year," adding that TURKSAT would send a preliminary specification to producing companies by the end of this month informing them about the details of the satellite. More (Source: Space Daily - Aug 31)
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