CHINESE ROCKET BOOSTER FALLS TO EARTH, EXPLODES NEAR HOME - China successfully launched a classified satellite on Thursday (Jan. 23), but a spent booster from the mission fell shockingly close to a family home. The TJS-14 satellite launched on a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Thursday at 10:32 a.m. EST (1532 GMT; 11:32 p.m. local time). The satellite is safely on its way to geostationary orbit, but one of the rocket's four strap-on side boosters fell to Earth in a populated area of Zhenyuan County in Guizhou province. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 26)
SPACEWALKS RESUME FROM U.S. SEGMENT OF ISS AFTER SIX MONTH HIATUS - The International Space Station (ISS) kicked off 2025 with a long-awaited return to extravehicular activity (EVA) spacewalk activities from the U.S. segment of the ISS. These spacewalks were sharply curtailed in 2024 due to issues with the aging Space Shuttle-era Extravehicular Mobility Unit suits. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jan 26)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites from California during a Falcon 9 flight Friday morning. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-6 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 6:07 a.m. PST (9:07 a.m. EST, 1407 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 25)
ALMAGEST SPACE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH + DEPLOYMENT OF THEIR ELEVATION-1 E-BAND SATELLITE - Almagest Space Corporation has announced the successful launch and deployment of ELEVATION-1, a demonstration satellite carrying the world’s first E-band communications payload with the foundational technology for Almagest to develop innovative, high performance, bulk data solutions. ELEVATION-1 was launched, with support from Almagest’s launch partner D-Orbit S.p.A., on January 14th as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission from Vandenberg Space Base. More (Source: SatNews - Jan 24)
BLACKSKY SHIPS FIRST GEN-3 SATELLITE FOR EXPECTED LAUNCH IN FEBRUARY - BlackSky Technology Inc. ships its first Gen-3 satellite to launch provider Rocket Lab today. The satellite is planned for launch in February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The Gen-3 constellation will offer customers new mission critical insights with the addition of very high-resolution, rapid-revisit 35-centimeter imagery and AI-enabled analytics delivered at industry-leading speed and scale. More (Source: BlackSky - Jan 24)
CHINA LAUNCHES FOURTH BATCH OF THOUSAND SAILS MEGACONSTELLATION SATELLITES - China launched the fourth batch of 18 satellites for the Thousand Sails megaconstellation early Thursday using a Long March 6A rocket. The Long March 6A lifted off at 12:11 a.m. Eastern (0511 UTC) Jan. 23 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China, carrying 18 Qianfan (Thousand Sails) Polar orbit group 6 satellites into orbit. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which produced the launcher, confirmed launch success in a post-launch statement. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 24)
CHINA LAUNCHES CLASSIFIED TJS-14 SATELLITE TOWARDS GEOSTATIONARY BELT - China sent a classified experimental technology satellite into orbit Thursday, adding to a series of spacecraft recently sent towards geostationary orbit. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 10:32 a.m. Eastern (1532 UTC) Jan. 23 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) announced launch success in a statement under an hour after liftoff, revealing the previously undisclosed payload to be communication technology experiment Satellite-14, or Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-14 (TJS-14) and headed for geostationary orbit (GEO). More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 24)
CHINESE ASTRONAUTS INSTALL DEBRIS SHIELDS ON TIANGONG SPACE STATION DURING 8.5-HOUR SPACEWALK - Two Chinese astronauts have completed the second spacewalk of their six-month-long mission in Earth orbit. Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, part of China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission, completed an 8.5-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) — or spacewalk — at 12:12 p.m. EST on Jan. 20 (1712 GMT; 1:12 a.m. Beijing time on Jan. 21). The pair were supported by crewmate Wang Haoze from inside the Tiangong space station. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 23)
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? - Americans, Russians and spacefarers from other countries have been working together aboard the International Space Station for a quarter-century. But the ISS is nearing the end of its operational life. What's next for the space station, and what comes after it retires? Following the ISS retirement in 2030, NASA expects to see the construction of "one or more commercial space stations," said The Verge. Each station will be run by a private company "for profit and part of a thriving space economy." NASA astronauts will use these stations as a platform for their work and further exploration of space. More (Source: - Jan 23)
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