IMAGES SHOW IRAN PREPPING SATELLITE LAUNCH DESPITE POMPEO'S THREAT - New images obtained by CNN Tuesday indicate Iran is preparing to launch a remote sensing satellite into space, the latest sign that the Islamic Republic is moving ahead with the planned mission despite recent warnings from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The high-resolution satellite images, captured by Planet Labs on January 4, 6 and 7, show activity at the Imam Khomeini Space Center consistent with steps that were taken prior to a previous launch in 2017, according to researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.    More
(Source: CNN - Jan 9)

BEHOLD! SPACEX'S 1ST CREW DRAGON SPACESHIP IS ON THE LAUNCHPAD - The private spaceflight company SpaceX has moved its first Dragon spaceship designed for astronauts to the launchpad ahead of an uncrewed test flight that's just weeks away. SpaceX rolled the Crew Dragon and its Falcon 9 rocket out to the historic Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida Thursday (Jan. 3) for a test flight for NASA targeted for Jan. 17 . That schedule, however, may be delayed due to the ongoing partial government shutdown that has shuttered much of the U.S. space agency.    More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 8)

DIGITALGLOBE LOSES WORLDVIEW-4 SATELLITE TO GYRO FAILURE - DigitalGlobe announced Monday that its WorldView-4 satellite has malfunctioned. In a statement, DigitalGlobe, a division of Maxar Technologies, said the control moment gyros on WorldView-4, launched in November 2016, have failed, preventing the spacecraft from pointing accurately. The company said that while efforts are continuing to restore the spacecraft, “Maxar believes that WorldView-4 will likely not be recoverable and will no longer produce usable imagery.” Lockheed Martin built the satellite, which used gyros from Honeywell. Maxar said it “intends to seek full recovery for the loss of WorldView-4 under its insurance policies,” with an insured value of $183 million.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 8)

DRAGON DEPARTING STATION NEXT WEEK; CREW STUDIES BIOLOGY - The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is in its final week attached to the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Meanwhile, robotics experts on the ground and the crew aboard the lab are working a wide variety of science activities today. The Dragon space freighter has nearly completed its cargo mission to replenish the orbital laboratory after delivering over 5,600 pounds of science and supplies Dec. 8. Dragon will return to Earth Jan. 10 for retrieval in the Pacific Ocean loaded with completed science experiments and used hardware for analysis.   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 6)

'METEOR' MOST LIKELY AN OLD RUSSIAN MILITARY SATELLITE - A Russian military satellite was most likely the bright light in the sky that had lots of Kiwis stargazing on Saturday night, experts say. People from around the North Island reported a possible meteor or space junk sighting about 9pm. Cosmologist Professor Richard Easther from Auckland University said the evidence was strong that it was a satellite falling back to earth.   More
(Source: Stuff.co.nz - Jan 6)

NEW NANO-SATELLITE SYSTEM YIELDS HIGH-RES IMAGERY AT LOWER COST - Constellations of nano-satellites can produce high-resolution images for less money, according to new research. The imaging techniques developed by scientists at Ben-Gurion University in Israel could also be used to improve the observations of ground-telescope arrays. "This is an invention that completely changes the costs of space exploration, astronomy, aerial photography, and more," Angika Bulbul, a BGU Ph.D. candidate, said in a news release.    More
(Source: UPI - Jan 5)

U.S. WARNS IRAN AGAINST SATELLITE LAUNCHES IT SAYS COULD ADVANCE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran on Thursday to scuttle its plans for satellite launches that the United States says involve technology that could be used in intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Pompeo stopped short of saying how the United States might react if Iran goes ahead with its announced intention to test three Space Launch Vehicles (SLVs), but his warning suggested that the move could lead to new sanctions.   More
(Source: Washington Post - Jan 4)

HERE ARE THE MAJOR SATELLITE LAUNCHES FOR 2019 - As we embrace 2019 with open arms, we hope that the year would be better and more happening than the year gone by and herald path-breaking innovations in the realm of space. A large number of satellites and spacecraft will be lifted and sent into orbital this year, and this will enhance our understanding of space and other phenomena on earth that impact us, including climate change, natural disasters, and agricultural patterns and foster an enabling mechanism for new disruptions.   More
(Source: Geospatial World - Jan 4)

SPACEX CREW CAPSULE, FALCON 9 ROCKET ROLL OUT TO PAD 39A IN FLORIDA FOR TESTS - SpaceX rolled out the company’s first space-worthy Crew Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 launcher to pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time Thursday, beginning a series of fit checks before the commercial spaceship takes off on its first orbital test flight. Shrouded in off-and-on fog, the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule emerged from SpaceX’s hangar at the southern perimeter of launch pad 39A shortly after 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) Thursday for the quarter-mile trip up the ramp to the former Saturn 5 and space shuttle launch complex. The rocket was raised vertical just before 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)

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