REPAIRED SATELLITE FINALLY BLASTS OFF FROM BAIKONUR - A Malaysian communications satellite successfully journeyed to orbit Sunday after spending nearly an extra year on the ground for repairs to damage caused by a launch site crane accident last August. A Land Launch Zenit 3SLB rocket lifted off at 2150 GMT (5:50 p.m. EDT) from Complex 45 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first phase of the launch was successful, placing the launcher's upper stage and the MEASAT 3a satellite in a temporary parking orbit about 12 minutes after liftoff, according to the launch provider. More (Source: Spaceflight Now - Jun 22)
SABOTAGE ON SHUTTLE? NASA DOESN’T THINK SO - NASA does not suspect sabotage was behind the glitch that twice delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour recently. The agency is investigating all possible explanations for the problem, but has no specific processes to search for intentional tampering, officials said. More (Source: MSNBC - Jun 19)
NASA ORBITER ON WAY TO EXPLORE THE MOON - Humans are a step closer to returning to the moon after NASA launched a lunar orbiter Thursday to provide a comprehensive survey of our nearest celestial neighbor. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter lifted off aboard an Atlas V Rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 5:32 p.m. ET, powered by two liquid-fueled engines and a pair of solid-fueled boosters. More (Source: CNN - Jun 18)
NASA TARGETS MOON FOR A MIGHTY CRASH - The last thing one usually wants on a spaceflight is a crash, but that's exactly what NASA is hoping for when it launches two new probes at the moon's south pole this week on the first U.S. lunar mission in more than decade. The two probes will tag along with powerful new lunar orbiter that will map the moon's surface to help figure out where astronauts might set up moon bases in the future. More (Source: MSNBC - Jun 17)
GPS SATELLITE GLITCHES FUEL CONCERN ON NEXT GENERATION - Technical problems are degrading the accuracy of signals from the last GPS satellite launched by the Pentagon, sparking concerns among U.S. military and aerospace industry officials that the next generation of the widely used satellites could face similar troubles. The next generation of the widely used satellites could face similar troubles. More (Source: The Wall Street Journal - Jun 17)
HYDROGEN GAS LEAKING AGAIN FROM SPACE SHUTTLE TANK - Hydrogen gas is leaking again from a vent line on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank. Launch officials have yet to call off Wednesday morning's launch attempt. But it appears unlikely the shuttle will be able to take off. That means the space station construction mission will be delayed until July. NASA said the leak is occurring in the same place as one that cropped up Saturday during fueling and caused a four-day launch delay. More (Source: Associated Press - Jun 17)
SHUTTLE LAUNCHING RESCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY - Trying to maximize the chances of getting two rockets off the ground this week, NASA on Monday scheduled the launching of the space shuttle Endeavour for Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The scrubbing of the Endeavour’s first effort, on Saturday because of a hydrogen leak, created a traffic jam on the launching pad because repairs required four days, so Wednesday was the earliest the Endeavour could be ready. But Wednesday was also the scheduled launching date for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from the neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. More (Source: New Tork Times - Jun 16)
NASA REPAIRING LEAK ON SPACE SHUTTLE FUEL TANK - NASA is repairing a leaky hydrogen gas line on Endeavour's fuel tank in hopes of possibly launching the space shuttle on Wednesday. The leak forced mission managers to call off a launch attempt Saturday. The repair work began Sunday and should be completed in time for Endeavour to lift off Wednesday on the space station construction mission. But that's the same day a pair of science spacecraft are scheduled to blast off for the moon. More (Source: Associated Press - Jun 15)
NASA TO LAUNCH 2 SPACECRAFT TO THE MOON - The moon will drift into NASA's cross hairs again Wednesday as the space agency prepares to launch two new spacecraft to search for the best places for humans to land when they return as early as 2020. One of the two will crash its rocket booster into a polar crater, then fly through the debris plume to scan for water ice. The second, conceived and built in Maryland, will orbit the moon for at least a year. Its goal is to find safe landing sites with the water and sunshine needed to help sustain a permanent manned base. More (Source: Baltimore Sun - Jun 15)
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