RUSSIA LAUNCHES SOYUZ-2.1B CARRIER ROCKET WITH GLONASS-M NAVIGATION SATELLITE - Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center on Sunday to orbit a Glonass-M satellite, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "On Sunday, at 00:46 Moscow time [21:46 GMT]… the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces successfully launched a middle-class Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a navigation Glonass-M spacecraft," the ministry said in a statement. Hours later the ministry reported that the satellite reached the designated orbit.   More
(Source: Sputnik International - Jun 17)

SPACEX HOPES TO LAUNCH 4,000 SATELLITES, MOSTLY FROM FLORIDA, NASA REPORT SAYS - SpaceX has plans to launch more than 4,000 satellites, the majority of which will head into space from the Space Coast, according to an environmental impact study done by the Elon Musk-led company and NASA. If it comes to fruition, the work would further solidify Cape Canaveral as the world’s busiest private launch center. Buried in a 73-page study released in April was a reference to a project SpaceX has been pursuing that would establish a constellation of small, Internet-beaming satellites for the company.   More
(Source: Orlando Sentinel - Jun 16)

SPACE STATION DIGITAL AMATEUR RADIO TV SYSTEM TRANSMITTER DETERMINED TO BE DEFECTIVE - The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) “Ham Video” digital Amateur Radio TV (DATV) transmitter on the International Space Station (ISS) is reported to be defective, with onboard repair not possible. Also known as HamTV, the DATV system stopped working in mid-April, and a subsequent test on June 1 using a second L/S band patch antenna on the Columbus module had failed. ARISS-EU Mentor Gaston Bertels,   More
(Source: ARRL - Jun 15)

STATION ASTRONAUTS INSTALL NEW CAMERAS ON SUCCESSFUL SPACEWALK - Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Thursday and installed two new cameras on the front of the lab complex that will provide views of commercial crew ships during final approach and docking. The spacewalkers also replaced a faulty high-definition camera and closed a door that was jammed open on an external instrument. Floating in the Quest airlock, Expedition 56 commander Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold switched their spacesuits to battery power at 8:06 a.m. EDT (GMT-4)...    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 15)

RUSSIA WANTS TO ZAP SPACE JUNK WITH A HUGE FRICKIN’ LASER - Space junk is a big problem. The amount of trash floating around in Earth orbit has gradually piled up over the decades and we’ve now reached a point where NASA and other space agencies around the world are forced to plan for the likelihood that anything they shoot into space might end up crashing into some random piece of litter. NASA even went so far as to install a special sensor on the International Space Station to track the number of times it is hit by tiny bits of space junk.    More
(Source: BGR - Jun 14)

JAPANESE INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED - An all-weather spy satellite for the Japanese government launched Tuesday on top of an H-2A rocket, extending the country’s surveillance reach with coverage of North Korea and other strategic locations worldwide. The radar-equipped reconnaissance craft lifted off at 0420 GMT (12:20 a.m. EDT) Tuesday from the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan’s primary launch base, located on an island in the southern part of the country. Liftoff occurred at 1:20 p.m. Japan Standard Time, marking the 39th launch of an H-2A rocket, and the second H-2A launch of the year.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 14)

VACATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING - Are you tired of Lake Como? Bored by your round-the-world cruise on the Queen Elizabeth? Well cheer up, because there's finally a way to really get away from it all. Axiom Space, which bills itself as the first commercial space station, said Wednesday it'll offer seven- to 10-day vacations on the International Space Station as early as 2020, according to The New York Times. At $55 million a person, the cost is equally out of this world. The company plans to launch its habitation pods connected to the ISS in 2022.    More
(Source: CNET - Jun 14)

THE 2018 WORLD CUP BALL IS NAMED AFTER A 1960S SATELLITE - Over the course of the month-long World Cup, fans will cheer for every “golazo” and groan over every near miss, or defensive miscue. One thing most people outside of the pitch won’t lose sleep over, however, is the sport’s most important object: the ball. This year’s ball, the Telstar 18, is named as a tribute to Adidas’ first official World Cup ball from Mexico 1970, but the name has an even richer history than that—one that goes back more than 50 years to a tiny satellite that changed the world.   More
(Source: History - Jun 14)

PHOTOS: RUSSIA’S WORLD CUP STADIUMS, AS SEEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - After spending roughly $11 billion to host the World Cup, Russia will kick off the competition on Thursday (June 14) with matches being played at 12 stadiums around the country. Along with much-needed transportation and security infrastructure, a massive chunk of Russia’s spending was on the stadiums themselves. Russia commissioned several new ones, while expanding and updating a clutch of existing venues, with sometimes terrifying outcomes. Overall, around $4 billon was spent on stadium construction and renovations over the past several years.   More
(Source: Quartz - Jun 12)

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