SOYUZ ROCKET DELIVERS A MILITARY SATELLITE - The Russian military personnel in Plesetsk orbited an operational spacecraft for electronic intelligence, known as Lotos-S1 or 14S145. A part of the Liana constellation, the mission lifted off on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket on Dec. 2, 2017, or just four days after another Soyuz-2 rocket lifted an ill-fated mission from Vostochny spaceport. The Lotos-S1 No. 803 mission was previously planned for Oct. 25, 2017, but had to be postponed until the beginning of November and then until November 18, at the earliest, due to problems with the satellite. More (Source: RussianSpaceWeb.com - Dec 3)
SPACEX WILL TRY TO LAUNCH ELON MUSK’S TESLA ROADSTER ON NEW HEAVY-LIFT ROCKET - SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted Friday that his red Tesla Roadster will head for deep space on the maiden flight of the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as next month, and do it to the tune of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” But it won’t make the trip on battery power. SpaceX’s Falcon rockets burn hydrocarbons for fuel, consuming a grade of highly refined kerosene called RP-1. The rockets’ Merlin engines burn the RP-1 kerosene mixed with super-cold liquid oxygen. More (Source: Spaceflight Now - Dec 2)
RUSSIAN MILITARY TO GO AHEAD WITH SOYUZ LAUNCH - The Russian military personnel in Plesetsk prepares to orbit an operational spacecraft for electronic intelligence, known as Lotos-S1 or 14S145. A part of the Liana constellation, the mission lifts off on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket on Dec. 2, 2017, or just four days after another Soyuz-2 rocket lifted an ill-fated mission from Vostochny spaceport. The Lotos-S1 No. 803 mission was previously planned for Oct. 25, 2017, but had to be postponed until the beginning of November and then until November 18, at the earliest, due to problems with the satellite. More (Source: RussianSpaceWeb.com - Dec 2)
ORBITAL ATK SHIPS TARDY AL YAH 3 SATELLITE FOR JANUARY LAUNCH - Satellite manufacturer Orbital ATK on Nov. 28 shipped Yahsat’s long-awaited Al Yah 3 high-throughput satellite to French Guiana for an Ariane 5 launch now scheduled for January. The hybrid satellite, equipped with a chemical propulsion system to reach orbit and electric thrusters for station-keeping once in place, slipped almost a year past its initial completion date, a delay Orbital ATK attributed to Al Yah 3 being the first of its kind. More (Source: SpaceNews - Dec 1)
RUSSIAN WEATHER SATELLITE AND 18 SECONDARY PAYLOADS LOST AFTER ROCKET FAILURE - A new Russian weather observatory and the first prototype for Telesat’s planned network of 100-plus broadband communications satellites in low Earth orbit were among 19 spacecraft lost after a Fregat rocket stage ran into trouble soon after liftoff aboard a Soyuz booster Tuesday. The Fregat rocket pack was supposed to place the 19 satellites into four different orbits Tuesday in a four-hour flight sequence following launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a new spaceport in the Amur region of Russia’s Far East. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 30)
CHINA SAYS IT'S BUILDING A "GHOST IMAGING" SATELLITE TO DETECT STEALTH JETS - Chinese scientists claim they are working towards building an advanced spy satellite that could use something of a physics trick to spot stealth planes from space. This complex "ghost imaging" camera is the latest in a string of reportedly “game changing” developments in China to counter low-observable aircraft, all of which have significant limitations and face serious developmental challenges. On Nov. 26, 2017, the South China Morning Post reported that scientists at multiple research institutions were working on a ghost imaging sensor that would work on a satellite. More (Source: The Drive - Nov 30)
REMOVEDEBRIS: SPACE JUNK MISSION PREPARES FOR LAUNCH - A mission that will test different methods to clean up space junk is getting ready for launch. The RemoveDebris spacecraft will attempt to snare a small satellite with a net and test whether a harpoon is an effective garbage grabber. The probe has been assembled in Surrey and will soon be packed up ready for blast off early next year. Scientists warn that the growing problem of space debris is putting spacecraft and astronauts at risk. More (Source: BBC News - Nov 29)
NORTH KOREA’S LATEST MISSILE TEST WENT MORE THAN 10 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE SPACE STATION - North Korea launched its likely third intercontinental ballistic missile test around 3:17 am local time on Wednesday, signaling an end to a two-month pause in its missile testing that could bring tensions between Washington and Pyongyang back to dangerous levels. The Pentagon confirmed the test went straight up about 2,800 miles into space, which is the highest missile test in North Korean history — going more than ten times higher than the International Space Station. The second-highest test was on July 28 and went up about 2,300 miles. More (Source: Vox - Nov 29)
SPACE STATION CARGO FLIGHT NEXT ON SPACEX’S LAUNCH SCHEDULE - In a reshuffling of SpaceX’s launch schedule, a Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff no earlier than Dec. 8 on a mission to deliver several tons of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station and return to service a Cape Canaveral launch pad damaged in a catastrophic rocket explosion last year. SpaceX will defer the deployment of a mysterious U.S. government payload named Zuma later in the company’s jam-packed manifest after managers postponed the launch from Nov. 15 to resolve concerns raised during testing of a payload shroud for another mission. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 29)
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