SPACEX CARGO LAUNCH SLIPS A DAY AFTER RODENT EXPERIMENT SNAG - NASA has announced a one-day delay in SpaceX’s next cargo launch until Wednesday to allow time for ground teams to replace moldy food bars meant for 40 mice heading for the International Space Station as part of a biological research experiment, denying the launch company a chance at two Falcon 9 missions on back-to-back days. The commercial cargo flight, previously set for Tuesday, is now scheduled for 1:16 p.m. EST (1816 GMT) Wednesday from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 will loft SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule into orbit in pursuit of the space station, where astronauts will snare the supply ship with the station’s robotic arm.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 5)

ARIANESPACE LAUNCHES TWO ASIAN SATELLITES ON ARIANE 5 ROCKET - Arianespace completed its final Ariane 5 launch of 2018 and penultimate overall mission for the year on Dec. 4, carrying a satellite for India and another for South Korea to geostationary transfer orbit. The Ariane 5 lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana along the South American coast at 3:37 p.m. Eastern. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-11 telecom satellite detached from the rocket’s upper stage 29 minutes later, followed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s GEO-Kompsat-2A weather satellite another four and a half minutes later. The mission was Arianespace of Evry, France’s sixth Ariane 5 mission of the year and 10th cumulative launch for 2018.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Dec 5)

NASA MOURNS DEATH OF PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH - NASA's chief Jim Bridenstine that the entire U.S. space agency is in mourning for President George H. W. Bush, who died in his Houston home at age 94 on Friday (Nov. 30). "NASA and the nation mourn the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, a leader who was a passionate advocate for space exploration," Bridenstine said in a statement Saturday. Bush launched the Space Exploration Initiative on July 20, 1989 – the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing – to galvanize NASA to once again return astronauts to the moon, and then aim for a crewed mission to Mars.    More
(Source: Space.com - Dec 4)

SPACEX LAUNCHED 64 SATELLITES IN RECORD-BREAKING MISSION - SpaceX delivered 64 satellites into orbit in one fell swoop for a record-setting mission. Elon Musk's company launched a rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Monday after a series of delays triggered by bad weather and last-minute inspections for the rocket. It marked one of the largest satellite ride-sharing missions ever launched and the most crowded single mission in US history, according to Spaceflight, SpaceX's customer for the launch. The mission illustrated the growing demand to launch small satellites, modern devices that some companies hope will empower an array of new businesses — from internet service to supply chain monitoring.    More
(Source: CNN - Dec 4)

SPACEX BREAKS RECORDS WITH 'SMALLSAT EXPRESS' LAUNCH - SpaceX completed an unprecedented 19th launch this year on Monday, while putting a U.S. record 64 satellites in orbit at once. Additionally, SpaceX made history as the first company to fly the same orbital-class rocket three times. This Falcon 9 rocket's large first stage, also known as the "booster," launched and landed twice before, in May and August. Reusing rockets is key to Elon Musk's space company, which hopes to make humanity "a multiplanetary species."   More
(Source: CNBC - Dec 4)

SOYUZ CREW ENJOYS PROBLEM-FREE LAUNCH, HEADS FOR SPACE STATION - A Soyuz FG rocket thundered to life and shot into orbit smoothly Monday carrying three crew members on a six-hour flight to the International Space Station. The problem-free ascent came less than two months after an Oct. 11 launch abort that forced a different crew to carry out safe-but-scary emergency landing. That mishap was triggered when one of four strap-on boosters failed to separate cleanly two minutes after liftoff. But this time around, all four rockets separated as expected from the second stage core booster and the Soyuz crew ship slipped into its planned preliminary orbit eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 3)

S. KOREA TO LAUNCH NEW WEATHER SATELLITE CHOLLIAN-2A WEDNESDAY - South Korea will launch a stationary meteorological satellite on Wednesday at a French space center in South America. The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Sunday that the meteorological satellite Chollian-2A will be launched from the space center in French Guiana at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday.   More
(Source: KBS WORLD Radio News - Dec 3)

MICRODRAGON SATELLITE SET FOR 2019 LIFT-OFF - MicroDragon, a made-in-Việt Nam earth observation satellite, will be launched into space early next year. The Việt Nam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology said take-off had been planned for January 17 from Japan. MicroDragon and six Japanese satellites will be launched by an Epsilon-4 rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:50:20-9:59:37 (local time). MicroDragon will be separated from the rocket at a height of 511 kilometres.   More
(Source: Viet Nam News - Dec 3)

SPACEX SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH DELAYED ONCE AGAIN FOR ADDITIONAL INSPECTIONS - SpaceX was scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California this weekend, but the launch had to be delayed in order to conduct extra inspections of the craft. SpaceX now hopes to go ahead with the launch on Monday instead. The company announced the delay in a tweet: “Standing down from tomorrow’s launch attempt of Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express to conduct additional inspections of the second stage. Working toward a backup launch opportunity on December 3.”   More
(Source: Digital Trends - Dec 3)

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