CHINA GEARS UP FOR LAUNCHES TO COMPLETE TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China is preparing to launch the final missions to complete its three-module Tiangong space station which it plans to keep constantly occupied for at least a decade. A Long March 5B is being assembled and tested at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan. The 849-metric-ton rocket is expected to launch the third and final module for the Tiangong space station at the end of October.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 19)

NASA IS GO FOR U.S. SPACEWALKS OUTSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA completed a flight readiness review in October, and is “GO” to resume routine spacewalks outside of the International Space Station. The first of three planned spacewalks is targeted to begin around mid-November to continue the work to install roll out solar arrays, called iROSA. The review marks the completion of an investigation into the cause of a thin layer of moisture being discovered in March inside ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer’s helmet after station airlock re-pressurization following a nearly seven-hour spacewalk.   More
(Source: NASA - Oct 19)

EUROPE’S ALL-NEW WEATHER SATELLITE ARRIVES AT LAUNCH SITE - After a two-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the ship transporting the first Meteosat Third Generation satellite docked at Pariacabo in French Guiana and the precious cargo unloaded. Now safe and sound in one of the spaceport’s cleanrooms, satellite engineers will ready it for liftoff on an Ariane 5 rocket in December. Once in geostationary orbit, this new satellite, which carries two new extremely sensitive instruments, promises to further bolster Europe's leadership in weather forecasting.   More
(Source: European Space Agency - Oct 19)

VIRGIN ORBIT TO LAUNCH FIRST SATELLITE IN EUROPE WITHIN SIX WEEKS - BRANSON - Richard Branson's small satellite service provider Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc (VORB.O) will be doing its first launch from European soil within the next six weeks, its founder said on Tuesday. "Virgin Orbit can launch satellites into space from anywhere in the world into any orbit at a days notice," Branson said during a press conference in Milan.   More
(Source: Reuters - Oct 19)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 14 ASTRONAUTS SNAP STUNNING PHOTOS OF EARTH, THE MOON AND MORE - China's Shenzhou 14 astronauts have been busy testing a new space station module, conducting spacewalks and carrying out experiments — but they've also found time to take some spectacular photos. China's human spaceflight agency, CMSA, released the photographs taken by the astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station during their ongoing mission, which launched June 3.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 17)

ANGARA 1.2 LAUNCHES SATELLITE FOR RUSSIAN AEROSPACE FORCES - At 19:55 UTC on Oct. 15, an Angara 1.2 rocket launched from Site 35/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome carrying a payload for the Russian military to a Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO). The exact identity of the payload is not known, other than it received the Kosmos-2560 designation upon reaching orbit. While initially suspected to be a small military optical reconnaissance satellite designated EMKA-3, new reports offer the payload is part of a different series of satellites and is designated EO MKA No. 3.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 16)

EUROPE PLANS TO LAUNCH A QUANTUM ENCRYPTION SATELLITE FOR ULTRASECURE COMMUNICATIONS IN 2024 - Europe is aiming to launch a technology demonstration satellite for secure, quantum-encrypted communications in 2024, with a view to developing a larger constellation. The satellite, Eagle-1, will be the first space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) system for the European Union and could lead to an ultrasecure communications network for Europe, according to a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA).   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 16)

CHINA LAUNCHES FOUR OBSERVATION SATELLITES IN 48 HOURS - In a span of fewer than 48 hours, China has launched four observation satellites, three of them intended for military reconnaissance, and one intended for environmental monitoring. These launches were both conducted by Chang Zheng 2 family vehicles, the environmental satellite from Taiyuan in the north, and the military launch from Xichang in southwest China. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 22:53 UTC, a Chang Zheng 2C launched from Launch Complex-9 (LC-9) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 15)

HOTBIRD-13F LAUNCHES ABOARD FALCON 9 FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - The Eutelsat Hotbird-13F geostationary communications satellite launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Falcon 9 booster 1069-3, which had flown the CRS-24 and Starlink 4-23 missions, launched the Hotbird satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch occurred at the end of the window on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1:22 AM EDT (05:22 UTC). The Falcon 9 launched due East into an initial parking orbit inclination of 28 degrees from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on the grounds of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Oct 15)

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