BLUE ORIGIN, STOKE SPACE SELECTED BY U.S. SPACE FORCE TO COMPETE FOR SMALL SATELLITE MISSIONS - The U.S. Space Force has added Blue Origin and Stoke Space Technologies to its roster of launch providers eligible to compete for short-turnaround small-satellite missions under the Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4) contract. OSP-4, an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, was established by the Air Force in 2019 to leverage emerging commercial launch capabilities. IDIQ contracts allow for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period, with the government placing orders as needs arise.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jul 5)

FIREFLY SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ALPHA ON NOISE OF SUMMER MISSION - After six months of preparation following its last flight, Firefly successfully launched the Alpha rocket on its fifth mission. After deciding to stand down from a July 2 launch attempt while teams evaluated and tested the systems responsible for aborting the launch on Monday, July 1, Firefly took off at 9:04 PM PDT on July 3 (4:04 UTC on July 4). The mission, named Noise of Summer, launched eight CubeSats to a Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) from Space Launch Complex-2W (SLC-2W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. NSF is providing livestream production services to Firefly, with the stream starting at T-30 minutes and available on the NASASpaceflight YouTube channel.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jul 4)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 20 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA EARLY ON JULY 3 AFTER DELAY - SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida in the wee hours of Wednesday morning (July 3), following a two-hour delay. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 UTC). While the launch was delayed due to technical issues, the three-hour window for liftoff opened at 2:57 a.m. EDT (0601 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 4)

RUSSIA PLANS TO CREATE CORE OF NEW SPACE STATION BY 2030 - Russia is aiming to create the four-module core of its planned new orbital space station by 2030, its Roscosmos space agency said on Tuesday. The head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, signed off on the timetable with the directors of 19 enterprises involved in creating the new station. The agency confirmed plans to launch an initial scientific and energy module in 2027. It said three more modules would be added by 2030 and a further two between 2031 and 2033.   More
(Source: Reuters - Jul 4)

NEW SATELLITE TO SHOW HOW AI ADVANCES EARTH OBSERVATION - Artificial intelligence technologies have achieved remarkable successes and continue to show their value as backbones in scientific research and real-world applications. ESA’s new Φsat-2 mission, launching in the coming weeks, will push the boundaries of AI for Earth observation – demonstrating the transformative potential of AI for space technology.    More
(Source: European Space Agency - Jul 3)

NASA INVITES MEDIA TO NORTHROP GRUMMAN’S 21ST STATION RESUPPLY LAUNCH - Media accreditation is open for the next launch to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This launch is the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency and will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting early August to launch the Cygnus spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.   More
(Source: NASA - Jul 3)

GROUND EQUIPMENT ISSUE SCRUBS FIREFLY’S 5TH ALPHA LAUNCH OF 8 CUBESATS FOR NASA - A last minute ground systems issue kept Firefly Aerospace grounded as it prepared to launch its fifth Alpha rocket on its first mission with NASA as the customer. When it launches, the two-stage, 29.48 meter (96.7-foot) tall rocket will send eight CubeSats from multiple universities and NASA centers to a sun-synchronous Earth orbit Monday night. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, July 2, at 9:03 p.m. PDT (12:03 a.m. EDT, 0403 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jul 2)

NASA ASTRONAUTS TO EXTEND SPACE STATION STAY AS ENGINEERS TROUBLESHOOT BOEING CAPSULE - Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing’s new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there. NASA on Friday did not set a return date until testing on the ground was complete and said the astronauts were safe. “We’re not in any rush to come home,” said NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.   More
(Source: NPR - Jul 1)

JAPAN LAUNCHES ADVANCED EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITE ON 3RD FLIGHT OF H3 ROCKET - apan's new H3 rocket flew for the third time ever tonight (June 30). The H3 launched the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4; also known as DAICHI-4) from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center tonight, rising off the pad at 11:06 p.m. EDT (0306 GMT and 12:06 p.m. Japan Standard Time on July 1). ALOS-4 was deployed into low Earth orbit as planned about 16 minutes after liftoff, commentators said on the webcast provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jul 1)

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