ARIANESPACE WILL LAUNCH THE EU’S COPERNICUS EO SENTINEL-1C SATELLITE - Earlier this month, Arianespace announced that the company will be launching the Sentinel-1C, a Copernicus satellite, for the European Commission within the scope of a contract signed with the European Space Agency (ESA). This mission will provide crucial environmental data for the planet, while also carrying out Arianespace’s commitment of guaranteeing Europe’s independent access to space.    More
(Source: SatNews - Oct 23)

BLOWING UP: INFLATABLE SPACE HABITATS COULD BE KEY TO EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM - It's high time to crank up the volume in space! That's the shout from several private firms that want to see an inflation factor for the future. What is now being evaluated and tested is the use of "softgoods" to fashion inflatable/expandable airlocks and off-Earth habitats, not only for low Earth orbit, but also to provide comfy housing for future moon and Mars explorers.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 22)

NASA, SPACEX CONTINUE WEATHER WATCH FOR CREW-8 RETURN - Weather conditions near the multiple splashdown zones off the coast of Florida remain unfavorable for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers continue to monitor conditions and will meet at 11 a.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 19 for the next weather briefing. If weather conditions improve, NASA and SpaceX will target no earlier than 3:05 a.m., Monday, Oct. 21, for undocking from the space station.   More
(Source: NASA - Oct 21)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 20 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - Against the backdrop of a pink and purple sunset, SpaceX launched its third batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit since Monday morning. It was able to overcome a blustery evening that at times saw wind gusts of more than 26 miles per hour. Liftoff of the Starlink 8-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 7:31 p.m. EDT (2331 UTC) on Friday, Oct. 18.   More
(Source: - Oct 20)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FINAL GEN. 1 ONEWEB SATELLITES ON 100TH ORBITAL FLIGHT OF 2024 - SpaceX completed its 100th orbital launch of the year for its Falcon family of rockets late Saturday night in California. It reach this first-time milestone by launching OneWeb’s final batch of its first generation internet satellites. The mission, dubbed OneWeb Launch #20, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:13 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Oct. 19 (1:13 a.m. EDT, 0513 UTC on Sunday, Oct. 20).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 20)

‘HUMANITY WOULD WATCH HELPLESSLY AS SPACE JUNK MULTIPLIES UNCONTROLLABLY’: HAS THE NUMBER OF SATELLITE LAUNCHES REACHED A TIPPING POINT? - “Since the start of the space age, we’ve had a throwaway culture – a bit like plastics in the ocean,” says Nick Shave, managing director of Astroscale UK, an in-orbit servicing company headquartered in Japan. Getting a satellite into orbit around the Earth used to be a big deal. From the launch of the first, Sputnik, in 1957, as it became easier and cheaper to put satellites into space, the numbers have boomed. In 2022, there were about 6,000 and by 2030, one estimate suggests there will be nearly 60,000 satellites in orbit around our planet.   More
(Source: The Guardian - Oct 20)

INTELSAT 33E LOSES POWER IN GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT - Intelsat 33e has lost power in geostationary orbit and the satellite is no longer providing communications for customers across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia Pacific, its operator announced Oct. 19. Intelsat said it is working with satellite maker Boeing to address the anomaly, but “believe it is unlikely that the satellite will be recoverable.” An Intelsat spokesperson said the satellite was not insured at the time of the issue.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Oct 20)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 20 STARLINK INTERNET SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA - SpaceX sent yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit tonight (Oct. 18). A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 20 Starlink craft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight at 7:31 p.m. EDT (2331 GMT). The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned, landing on the SpaceX drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Atlantic Ocean. Sponsored Links   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 19)

CHINA LAUNCHES NEW EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE - China on Wednesday sent a new Earth observation satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Gaofen-12 05 satellite was launched at 7:45 a.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-4C carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. It will be used in a variety of fields including land surveys, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster relief.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Oct 18)

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