SPACEX INKS DEAL TO LAUNCH 2 MORE ASTRONAUT MISSIONS TO THE ISS - SpaceX has signed a deal to fly two more private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS) using its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. The flights were booked by California company Vast Space, which is developing a private space station called Haven-1 that could reach orbit as soon as next year, also atop a Falcon 9.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 20)

CHINESE ASTRONAUTS CONDUCT RECORD-BREAKING 9-HOUR SPACEWALK OUTSIDE TIANGONG SPACE STATION - Two Chinese astronauts just secured a spot in spaceflight history. Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, part of China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission, spent more than nine hours spacewalking outside the Tiangong space station from late Monday night (Dec. 16) through Tuesday morning (Dec. 17), according to officials with China's Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 19)

NASA SETS COVERAGE FOR ROSCOSMOS SPACEWALK 63 OUTSIDE SPACE STATION - NASA will provide live coverage as two Roscosmos cosmonauts conduct a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on Thursday, Dec. 19. NASA’s live coverage begins at 9:45 a.m. EST, Thursday on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:10 a.m. and last about six and a half hours.   More
(Source: NASA - Dec 19)

AXIOM SPACE REVISES SPACE STATION ASSEMBLY PLANS - Axiom Space is revising the assembly sequence for its commercial space station, a move it says will allow it to get to a free-flying station sooner while addressing NASA’s needs to prepare for the deorbiting of the International Space Station. The company announced Dec. 18 a revised sequence of modules it will deploy through the end of the decade to assemble its Axiom Station, starting with a Payload Power Thermal Module (PPTM) that will be installed on the ISS.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 19)

RETURN OF NASA ASTRONAUTS FROM SPACE STATION FURTHER DELAYED UNTIL LATE MARCH - NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore's return to Earth will be further delayed until at least late March, the agency said, taking what should have been an eight-day stay on the International Space Station to more than nine months. The duo had traveled to the ISS in June for the test mission, but their return was extended by eight months to February, after the Boeing Starliner capsule they arrived on was deemed unfit to return them to Earth.   More
(Source: Reuters - Dec 19)

JAPANESE SPACE STARTUP ABORTS 2ND SATELLITE LAUNCH ATTEMPT MINUTES AFTER LIFTOFF - A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself again, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion. Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan.   More
(Source: AP News - Dec 19)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST TWO SES O3B MPOWER SATELLITES WITH UPGRADES TO ADDRESS POWER ISSUES SEEN ON EARLIER SPACECRAFT - SpaceX completed its third Falcon 9 launch in less than 24 hours with a launch for one of its oldest customers: Luxembourg-based communications company, SES. Liftoff of the O3b mPOWER 7 and 8 satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center happened near sunset at 5:26 p.m. EST (2226 UTC), which was the close of a nearly 1.5-hour-long launch window. It was be the 90th orbital launch from the Florida spaceport comprising of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 18)

U.S. SPACE FORCE LAUNCHES EXPEDITED GPS MISSION USING FALCON 9 ROCKET - The latest third-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite launched to orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday night. Unlike previous GPS missions though, the launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket marked a first-of-its-kind mission for the U.S. Space Force. The launch, previously known simply as “RRT-1,” actually stands for “Rapid Response Trailblazer.” Onboard was the GPS 3 Space Vehicle (SV) 07 (GPS 3 SV-07). Lockheed Martin, the satellite’s manufacturer, confirmed successful signal acquisition less than two hours after the launch at 7:52 p.m. EST (0052 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 18)

SPACEX’S 31ST DRAGON CARGO CAPSULE DEPARTS ISS TO HEAD HOME TO EARTH - SpaceX's 31st robotic cargo mission is headed back to Earth. SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on schedule today (Dec. 16) at 11:05 a.m. EST (1605 GMT) today (Dec. 16). The spacecraft will begin a series of deorbit burns to complete the company's 31st commercial resupply services mission (CRS-31) for NASA, splashing down of the coast of Florida tomorrow (Dec. 17). The agency won't webcast the splashdown but will provide updates via its ISS blog.   More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 17)

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