NASA SELECTS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION US DEORBIT VEHICLE - NASA is fostering continued scientific, educational, and technological developments in low Earth orbit to benefit humanity, while also supporting deep space exploration at the Moon and Mars. As the agency transitions to commercially owned space destinations closer to home, it is crucial to prepare for the safe and responsible deorbit of the International Space Station in a controlled manner after the end of its operational life in 2030. NASA announced SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the space station and ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas. More (Source: NASA - Jun 28)
SATELLITE MEGACONSTELLATIONS THREATEN OZONE LAYER RECOVERY, STUDY CONFIRMS - Concentrations of ozone-damaging aluminum oxides in Earth's atmosphere could increase by 650% in the coming decades due to a rise in the number of defunct satellites burning up during reentry, a first-of-a-kind study has found. And, as satellite megaconstellations continue to pique the interests of private companies, this could be pretty bad news for our planet's protective shield known as the ozone layer. The authors of the study say rising concentrations of satellite-induced pollutants could cause "potentially significant" ozone depletion and thus thwart the ozone layer's slow and steady recovery. More (Source: Space.com - Jun 27)
NASA ASTRONAUTS STUCK WAITING ABOARD ISS TO RETURN TO EARTH AMID ISSUES WITH BOEING'S STARLINER - Two NASA astronauts have no set date to return to Earth and are stuck waiting aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to several mechanical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Starliner launched on June 5 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with flight commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and flight pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams onboard, arriving at the ISS one day later. More (Source: ABC News - Jun 27)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FINAL NOAA GOES WEATHER SATELLITE ON FALCON HEAVY ROCKET - The finale in a series of critical weather satellites for the United States surmounted some weather challenges as it began its journey to join its three fellow satellites on orbit. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-U (GOES-U) satellite is designed to provide critical weather, climate and solar data to meteorologists and other parties to enhance the safety of people and property. The spacecraft, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was launched to a geosynchronous transfer orbit onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 26)
NASA CANCELS ISS SPACEWALK DUE TO SPACESUIT COOLANT LEAK - NASA cancelled a spacewalk at the International Space Station today (June 24) following a spacesuit coolant leak in the hatch. NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt were told by Mission Control at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT) to stop the planned 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The pair had already switched over to the internal power in their suits at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), meaning the spacewalk had technically started. Following the cancellation, astronauts opened the hatch into the ISS at 9:51 a.m. EDT (1351 GMT), officially ending the spacewalk. More (Source: Space.com - Jun 26)
FIREFLY TO LAUNCH ALPHA FROM WALLOPS - Firefly Aerospace announced June 24 it plans to launch its Alpha rocket from the same pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, used by the Antares rocket, rather than from Cape Canaveral as previously planned. The company said that it would use Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island for Alpha launches, starting as soon as 2025. The launch pad, built for the Antares rocket, will continue to be used for the revised Antares 330 Northrop Grumman is developing in collaboration with Firefly as well as the larger Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) the companies are building. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jun 25)
POWERFUL GOES-U WEATHER SATELLITE CLEARED FOR JUNE 25 LAUNCH ON SPACEX FALCON HEAVY ROCKET - The green lights continue to shine leading up to the launch of a powerful U.S. weather satellite. GOES-U, the fourth and final member of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-R series of next-gen weather satellites, has been cleared for its planned Tuesday (June 25) liftoff following an in-depth readiness review on Monday (June 24). More (Source: Space.com - Jun 25)
IRAN TO CONDUCT TWO MAJOR SATELLITE LAUNCHES IN COMING WEEKS - Iran is set to conduct two significant satellite launches in the coming weeks, according to Hassan Salariyeh, the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA). Salariyeh announced on Saturday that the launches are scheduled to occur before July 21, as reported by the official IRNA news agency. Salariyeh noted that the ISA is currently performing compatibility tests between the satellites and the launch rockets. More (Source: Eurasia Review - Jun 24)
SPACEX MARKS RECORD 20TH FLIGHT WITH FALCON 9 PAYLOAD FAIRING HALF ON STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX completed the launch of its first Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in more than two weeks on Saturday. The last time the company attempted to launch the Starlink 10-2 mission, it encountered a rare scrub as the Falcon 9’s first stage Merlin engines began firing. Liftoff of the rescheduled flight happened at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 UTC), the opening of a nearly four-hour window, from Space Launch Complex 40. The mission also marked the first time SpaceX launched one of its payload fairings for a 20th time. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 24)
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