ISS COULD 'DRIFT DOWN' FOR A YEAR BEFORE SPACEX VEHICLE DESTROYS IT IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE - Though the International Space Station is meant to be replaced in the 2030s, it will take a long time for the orbiting lab to officially reach the end of its life, NASA says. SpaceX's newly commissioned reentry vehicle will only push the International Space Station (ISS) into Earth's atmosphere some 12 to 18 months after the complex "drifts down" from its normal orbit. "We'll leave the crew on board as long as possible, so they're available to help maintain station and keep it healthy," NASA's Dana Weigel, ISS program manager, told reporters today (July 17) in a livestreamed briefing of the reentry plan.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 18)

RARE SPACEX ROCKET FAILURE SHOWS EXACTLY WHY NASA WANTS 2 COMMERCIAL OPTIONS TO FLY ASTRONAUTS TO ISS - Six years ago, a rare Russian abort during an astronaut launch caused delays in human spacecraft schedules. This week, NASA may face the same after a rare failure during a SpaceX launch. Back in 2018, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft was bound for the International Space Station (ISS) when a sensor issue aboard the rocket (also called Soyuz) forced the crew to escape in an emergency abort during liftoff. The two astronauts on board were safe, but for several weeks, it was unclear if the usual six-month rotation of ISS crews would be disrupted.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 18)

SATELLITES AROUND EARTH AT RISK AS ACTIVE SUNSPOT NEARS 'THE DANGER ZONE' - A massive sunspot on the surface of the sun is moving toward a prime position where any explosion could shower Earth with protons. The enormous sunspot, named AR3738, has a volatile 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that is set to send out explosions of solar plasma as coronal mass ejections or flashes of radiation as solar flares.   More
(Source: Newsweek - Jul 18)

‘GRAIN OF SAND’ TRAVELING AT WARP SPEED SLAMS SATELLITE, LEAVES HOLE, SCIENTISTS SAY - Science fiction movies that show microscopic meteoroids dramatically puncturing spacecraft aren’t far from the truth. The European Space Agency’s star mapping Gaia spacecraft was overtaken by “space dust” in April and one micrometeoroid left a hole, scientists say.   More
(Source: Durham Herald Sun - Jul 18)

REFUELLABLE SATELLITES OFFER CRITICAL EDGE AMIDST INTENSIFYING THREATS IN SPACE - The United States Space Force’s deliberate approach to satellite servicing and refueling has provided time for debate and the development of qualified solutions that have now resolved both the technical and budgetary challenges holding refuellable satellites back. Recent advancements in affordable refueling capabilities mean virtually every satellite produced could have a gas cap that would allow for replenishment in space — and unleash the unprecedented strategic advantage of rapid maneuverability that comes with refuellable satellites and extended missions.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 17)

WEATHER SATELLITE PASSES BAKE AND SHAKE TESTS WITH FLYING COLORS - As climate change drives more frequent and severe weather events, the need for accurate and timely forecasting has never been more critical. And now, the next Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite has passed its environmental test campaign with flying colors, taking it a significant step closer to launch. This new generation of satellites is set to transform weather forecasting, particularly in Europe.   More
(Source: Phys.org - Jul 17)

SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET FAILURE FORCES NASA TO EVALUATE ASTRONAUT LAUNCH SCHEDULE FOR ISS - NASA is waiting to see if there will be "schedule impacts" for its next astronaut mission aboard SpaceX after a rocket failure last week, the agency said in a recent statement. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket had a rare anomaly during a Starlink satellite launch on Thursday (July 11). The second stage on the rocket failed to work as planned, stranding the broadband satellites in an unusual orbit. As SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigate why this occurred, an International Space Station (ISS) mission is under scrutiny.    More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 16)

U.S. NUCLEAR COMMAND SATELLITES NEED HARDENING AGAINST ATTACKS, REPORT WARNS - The United States should harden its low Earth orbit satellites that support nuclear command and control against radiation effects from potential high-altitude nuclear detonations, according to a new report from a prominent think tank. The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security released a study July 15 titled “Modernizing Space-Based Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications” that recommends steps to protect space-based elements of the U.S. nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) system. The report comes amid growing concerns about Russia’s development of space-based nuclear weapons and the vulnerability of critical military satellites.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 16)

U.S. PLAN TO CRASH SPACE STATION IS CONDEMNED BY SPACE AGENCY LEADERS - An American plan to destroy the International Space Station by propelling it to burn through the atmosphere, and then crashing it into the Pacific Ocean, would rob citizens of the future of one of civilization’s greatest technological masterworks, and should be halted, say one-time leaders of NASA and of the European Space Agency. NASA’s draft blueprints to send the ISS on a peacetime kamikaze mission, to explode on impact with Antarctic waters, would obliterate a pole star of human ingenuity, says Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of the European Space Agency when the ISS was being built and expanded.   More
(Source: Forbes - Jul 15)

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