ULA’S ATLAS 5 LAUNCHES AEHF-6 COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE IN ITS FIRST MISSION FOR U.S. SPACE FORCE - A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off on March 26 at 4:18 PM EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a $1.4 billion Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) communications satellite for the U.S. Space Force. This was the sixth and final satellite of the AEHF constellation that provides secure, jam-proof voice and data communications for U.S. national leadership, military forces and international partners Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia. All six were manufactured by Lockheed Martin. More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 27)
AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, SPACEX LAUNCH OF ARGENTINIAN SATELLITE POSTPONED - A SpaceX satellite launch that had been scheduled for later this month has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The SAOCOM1B satellite is being launched for Argentina’s Space Agency, the Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). The launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket had originally been scheduled for March 30 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. More (Source: Fox News - Mar 26)
CHINA TO LAUNCH EXPERIMENTAL SPACECRAFT NEXT MONTH - China aims to launch an experimental spacecraft without a crew in April, as part of a broader spaceflight programme to shuttle astronauts to its future space station, state media reported on Tuesday. The new-generation spacecraft is scheduled to launch on the maiden flight of the Long March-5B carrier rocket, China's largest carrier rocket, from the southern island province of Hainan, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The launch is set for mid- to late April. More (Source: India Today - Mar 26)
SPACEX PUSHES FOR FIRST CREW LAUNCH AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC - Even in the midst of the pandemic, SpaceX and NASA are moving ahead with their plans to launch astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time in mid-to-late May. Why it matters: The launch marks the culmination of years of work for SpaceX and NASA to get Americans flying to orbit from U.S. soil for the first time since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011. More (Source: Axios - Mar 26)
CHINA LAUNCHES THREE MILITARY SATELLITES - Three Chinese military satellites with undisclosed missions rocketed into a 370-mile-high (600-kilometer) orbit Tuesday on a Long March 2C launcher. The classified payloads lifted off at 0343 GMT Tuesday (11:43 p.m. EDT Monday) from the Xichang space center in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Xinhua said the three “remote sensing satellites” will be used for “electromagnetic environment detection and related technological tests.” Liftoff occurred at 11:43 a.m. Beijing time Tuesday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 25)
VERY HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM CLOUDFERRO - Satellite images in quality, which until now were only available for the military sector, are already available for all organizations. Very high resolution satellite images (VHR) are available on the CREODIAS.EU platform, where you can search and process Earth observation data. The Polish company CloudFerro, specializing in providing cloud computing services, which is also the operator of cloud platforms providing Earth observation satellite images... More (Source: Space Daily - Mar 25)
ULA TARGETING THURSDAY FOR U.S. SPACE FORCE SATELLITE LAUNCH FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - Even during a global pandemic U.S. national security launches must go on. On Thursday, United Launch Alliance plans to launch its first communications satellite for the now U.S. Space Force designed to help troops around the world. An Atlas V rocket will blast off Thursday at 2:57 p.m. with the sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency, or AEHF, satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. The rocket is at Space Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station awaiting lift off. More (Source: WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando - Mar 25)
MILITARY OFFICIALS COMMITTED TO KEEPING CAPE CANAVERAL OPEN FOR LAUNCHES - The military-run Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral remains ready to support upcoming launches — including an Atlas 5 flight Thursday — amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday. The next launch scheduled from Cape Canaveral is set to take off Thursday, when a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carries a U.S. Space Force communications satellite into orbit. Preparations for that mission are on schedule, officials said Tuesday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 25)
CORONAVIRUS IMPACT: SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW WORLD CITIES BEFORE AND AFTER OUTBREAK - This is what it looks like when the world pauses because of the coronavirus pandemic. Before-and-after satellite images starkly show just how much things have changed across the planet as the coronavirus outbreak spread. Images provided by commercial satellite company Planet Labs reveal empty parking lots, beaches, bridges, waterways, and popular tourist and religious destinations in recent days. More (Source: CNBC - Mar 24)
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