PROGRESS MS-14 CARGO CRAFT DOCKS WITH ISS - The Progress MS-14 cargo craft, launched on April 25 at 04:51 Moscow time from the Baikonur cosmodrome, has docked successfully with the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian space agency Roscosmos has transmitted the docking on its website. The cargo craft will deliver the Victory Day (the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Second World War) paraphernalia to the ISS, as well as data on the war fighters within the "Immortal Regiment on the ISS" project.   More
(Source: TASS - Apr 26)

SOYUZ LAUNCHES FROM KAZAKHSTAN WITH SPACE STATION SUPPLY SHIP - A Soyuz rocket decorated to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe fired into space Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, sending a Progress supply ship on a fast-track, three-hour pursuit of the International Space Station. The Soyuz-2.1a booster ignited its kerosene-fueled engines at climbed away from Launch Pad No. 31 at Baikonur at 9:51:41 p.m. EDT Friday (0151 GMT Saturday) to kick off a nine-minute climb into orbit.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 25)

LONG-LOST U.S. MILITARY SATELLITE FOUND BY AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR - There are more than 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. At the end of their useful lives, many will simply burn up as they reenter the atmosphere. But some will continue circling as "zombie" satellites — neither alive nor quite dead. "Most zombie satellites are satellites that are no longer under human control, or have failed to some degree," says Scott Tilley.   More
(Source: NPR - Apr 25)

SPACEX’S STARLINK NETWORK SURPASSES 400-SATELLITE MARK AFTER SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH - SpaceX launched 60 more spacecraft Wednesday to join the Starlink fleet beaming broadband signals around the world, while the company’s engineers move closer to debuting a sunshade that could reduce the satellites’ impacts on ground-based astronomy. Riding 1.7 million pounds of thrust from nine Merlin main engines, a Falcon 9 rocket took off at 3:30:30 p.m. EDT (1930:30 GMT) Wednesday from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 24)

NASA SATELLITE REVEALS HUGE DROP IN AIR POLLUTION OVER PARTS OF INDIA SINCE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN - NASA satellite data reveals how aerosol levels in India have dropped dramatically since March 25, when the government imposed the world's largest lockdown on its 1.3 billion-strong population amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This lockdown, like in other parts of the planet, has significantly reduced industrial activities and caused large falls in road vehicle and plane traffic in the country.    More
(Source: Newsweek - Apr 23)

INTELSAT SATELLITE RESUMES OPERATIONS AFTER DOCKING OF ROBOTIC SERVICER - An Intelsat communications spacecraft running low on fuel has resumed commercial operations more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the Atlantic Ocean after getting an assist from a pioneering servicing satellite earlier this year. A first-of-its-kind Mission Extension Vehicle built in Virginia by Northrop Grumman docked with the Intelsat 901 satellite Feb. 25, accomplishing the first link-up between two satellites in geosynchronous orbit, a region high above the equator where spacecraft move at speeds that match the rate of Earth’s rotation.   More
(Source: SoacedFlight Now - Apr 23)

SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES 60 MORE STARLINK SATELLITES AS IT CONTINUES TOWARDS 2020 SERVICE DEBUT - SpaceX has launched another big batch of Starlink satellites, the low Earth orbit spacecraft that will provide connectivity for its globe-spanning high-bandwidth broadband internet network. This brings the total number of Starlink satellites on orbit to 422, though the company plans to de-orbit two of those (the first two prototypes launched) shortly.   More
(Source: TechCrunch - Apr 22)

IRAN SAYS MILITARY SATELLITE LAUNCHED AMID US TENSIONS - Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had successfully launched the country's first military satellite on Wednesday, at a time of fresh tensions with US forces in the Gulf. The United States alleges Iran's satellite programme is a cover for its development of missiles, while the Islamic republic has previously insisted its aerospace activities comply with its international obligations.   More
(Source: Yahoo News - Apr 22)

SPACEX MODIFIES STARLINK NETWORK DESIGN AS ANOTHER 60 SATELLITES GEAR UP FOR LAUNCH - Another 60 Starlink satellites are ready for launch Wednesday to beam Internet signals to future SpaceX consumers as the company seeks regulatory approval to fly all 4,400 relay stations in the network’s first phase of deployment at lower altitudes than previously planned. SpaceX’s Starlink network is a multibillion-dollar program aimed at blanketing the planet in broadband connectivity, serving a wide range of consumers in homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 22)

Previous Next