PROGRESS CARGO FREIGHTER DOCKS WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A Russian Progress supply ship sailed to an automated docking Friday with the International Space Station two days after departing the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, delivering approximately three tons of fuel, spare parts and water to the orbiting outpost and its three-person crew. Docking of the Progress MS-06 cargo craft to the station’s Zvezda service module occurred 1137 GMT (7:37 a.m. EDT) after a radar-guided autopilot approach as the vehicles soared 258 miles (415 kilometers) over the Philippine Sea.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 17)

ISRO SET TO LAUNCH BACK-UP SATELLITE - In an attempt to keep India’s regional navigation satellite system fully operational, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch a back-up for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation, that has been hobbled by the failure of the atomic clocks on board. The PSLV C39 mission, scheduled for late July or early August, will carry the new satellite named IRNSS-1H into orbit, K. Sivan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, told The Hindu.   More
(Source: The Hindu - Jun 17)

AALTO-2 NO LONGER RESPONDS TO COMMANDS - Astronauts at the International Space Station released Aalto-2 into orbit on 25 May. The first satellite signal was detected from Japan on the same day, and later that evening the satellite had already made contact with the Otaniemi ground station. During the first days, the satellite team confirmed that Aalto-2's antennae and sensors had opened and the energy system charged its batteries. Since Aalto-2 follows the path of the International Space Station, there is only about 10 minutes of control time from Otaniemi each day. Four days after the release, disturbances began to appear in the satellite's signal.   More
(Source: Phys.org - Jun 16)

RUSSIAN ROCKET SPARKS DEADLY FIRE: HOW IT HAPPENED - After a successful launch of Russia's Progress cargo spacecraft headed to the International Space Station, falling fragments caused a fire on Kazakhstan's steppes, killing one and injuring another who tried to extinguish the fire. The uncrewed Progress spacecraft launched toward the International Space Station yesterday (June 14) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where the craft deployed its solar arrays and began its long series of orbits to rendezvous with the space station.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jun 16)

CHINA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES X-RAY SATELLITE - China’s first astronomical satellite, an x-ray telescope that will search the sky for black holes, neutron stars, and other extremely energetic phenomena, raced into orbit today after a morning launch from the Gobi Desert. The 2.5-ton Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), dubbed Insight according to the official Xinhua news agency, was carried aloft by a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The newest of several x-ray telescope in space, the HXMT will observe some of the most turbulent processes in the universe.    More
(Source: Science Magazine - Jun 16)

A SPY SATELLITE BUZZED THE SPACE STATION THIS MONTH, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY - About six weeks ago, SpaceX launched a spy satellite into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. As is normal for National Reconnaissance Office launches, not much information was divulged about the satellite's final orbit or its specific purpose in space. However, a dedicated group of ground-based observers continued to track the satellite after it reached outer space.   More
(Source: Ars Technica - Jun 15)

ROBOTIC RUSSIAN RESUPPLY FREIGHTER ON THE WAY TO SPACE STATION - A Russian Progress supply ship packed with several tons of crew provisions and fuel lifted off Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a two-day trip to the International Space Station. The Progress MS-06 cargo and refueling freighter launched at 0920:13 GMT (5:20:13 a.m. EDT), or 3:20 p.m. local time at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The unpiloted cargo craft rode into orbit on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, a modernized version of Russia’s venerable booster.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 15)

'SATELLITE CATCHER' WILL USE MAGNETS TO CLEAN UP SPACE JUNK - Japan's Space Sweepers are taking it upon themselves to do a little spring cleaning in space. One hundred and seventy million pieces of space debris currently orbit the Earth, according to estimates from the European Space Agency (ESA). Defunct satellites and other man-made objects rocket around the atmosphere at eight kilometers per second -- 10 times faster than a bullet. Some chunks are as big as a truck, others smaller than a dime. But even the tiniest piece of cosmic junk poses an enormous threat to other satellites and spacecraft.    More
(Source: CNN - Jun 14)

NASA IS SENDING A ROBOTIC FUELING STATION TO SPACE - Landsat-7 is in trouble. Some 438 miles above, the minivan-sized craft zips around Earth every 16 days. And for over 18 years, the satellite has captured pictures of our ever-changing planet. But Landsat-7 is running out of fuel. If it were an Earth-bound craft, this wouldn’t be an issue. We refuel everything—planes, trains and automobiles. But up in space, it’s a different story.    More
(Source: Smithsonian - Jun 14)

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