NASA LAUNCHED SPY SATELLITES ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE A SHOCK - NASA and the U.S. military weave a tangled web. Ostensibly, NASA is run by civilians. Its astronauts aren't active duty service members and NASA officials aren't military either. However, if you examine the history of the space agency, it becomes clear that the reality is more complicated.   More
(Source: Mashable - May 15)

SSL SATELLITE BUILT FOR BULGARIA SAT ARRIVES AT CAPE CANAVERAL FOR FOR FALCON 9 LAUNCH - Space Systems Loral (SSL),a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, has announced that the BulgariaSat-1 satellite, designed and built for Bulgaria Sat, an affiliate of Bulsatcom, which is a leading telecommunications company and the largest provider of pay-TV services in Bulgaria, has arrived at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where it will be launched aboard a space-proven Falcon 9 vehicle provided by SpaceX. BulgariaSat-1 will be Bulgaria's first satellite. SSL is a subsidiary of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd., a global communications and information company.   More
(Source: Space Daily - May 15)

HOW RUSSIA AND CHINA WOULD WAGE WAR AGAINST AMERICA: KILL THE SATELLITES - Russia and China are actively pursuing new weapons and capabilities to counter America’s dominance of space according a U.S. Intelligence Community assessment. Indeed, both nations are considering the development of weapons that could attack U.S. satellites and other space-based assets in orbit. “We assess that Russia and China perceive a need to offset any U.S. military advantage derived from military, civil, or commercial space systems and are increasingly considering attacks against satellite systems as part of their future warfare doctrine,”...   More
(Source: The National Interest Online - May 15)

NASA RULES OUT CREW ON FIRST SLS FLIGHT - NASA managers have ruled out putting a crew on board an Orion capsule atop the agency’s huge Space Launch System rocket for the gargantuan booster’s maiden flight in 2019, citing technical risks and higher costs, up to as much as $900 million, agency officials said Friday. Earlier this year, the Trump administration asked NASA to look into the possibility of either adding a crew to Exploration Mission 1, EM-1 for short, or moving up the launch of EM-2, the flight NASA already earmarked for the SLS booster’s first piloted mission. That flight is targeted for launch in the 2021 timeframe.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 15)

A COSMIC MOTHER'S DAY: TALES FROM ASTRONAUT ANNA FISHER, 1ST MOM IN SPACE - NASA astronaut Anna Lee Fisher, the first mother in space, highlights what is was like to fly on the space shuttle Discovery only months after giving birth to her first daughter. Fisher was one of the first six female astronaut candidates selected for NASA's first class of space shuttle astronauts in January 1978. She later flew as a mission specialist on the second flight of the space shuttle Discovery, STS-51A, in November 1984.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 15)

WHY DOES BELGIUM SHINE SO BRIGHTLY? - Belgium's penchant for extravagant motorway lighting is suddenly in the spotlight thanks to pictures posted by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. The images of Europe taken from the International Space Station (ISS) have notched up tens of thousands of reactions on Facebook. Belgium can be seen glowing more brightly than its neighbours. The country's dense road network enjoys near-total streetlight coverage, with lights kept on throughout the night.   More
(Source: BBC News - May 14)

QB50 CUBESATS TO DEPLOY FROM ISS - The first phase of QB50 CubeSats should be deployed from the International Space Station over three days May 16-18, 2017. Built by university students and research organisations from 23 countries around the world, the QB50 constellation aims to study the lower thermosphere 200-380 km above the Earth. There are 28 QB50 CubeSats on the ISS awaiting deployment and it is understood that 11 will be deployed in this first phase. The beacons should be activated about 30 minutes after deployment.   More
(Source: AMSAT UK - May 13)

ARIANESPACE WILL ORBIT SES 15 ON SOYUZ FOR VS17 MISSION - For its fifth launch of the year, Arianespace will use a Soyuz launcher to orbit SES 15 — the first all-electric Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite for the European operator SES. This will mark Soyuz’ second mission in 2017 to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) from the Guiana Space Center. VS17 will launch from the Soyuz Launch Complex (ELS) in Sinnamary, French Guiana. According to Arianespace, the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) will take place on Wednesday, May 17, in Korou, to authorize the start of operations for the final countdown.   More
(Source: Satellite Today - May 13)

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SENDS SATELLITE INTO SPACE - Orbiting 250 miles above the Earth is the International Space Station, and now, a little piece of Michigan is up there with it. "Most satellites are not this small, most satellites are gigantic," Aaron Ridley, professor at the University of Michigan, says. But good things come in small packages, and when it comes to learning about the weather in the least explored layer of the atmosphere, small is all you need.   More
(Source: Fox 2 Detroit - May 13)

Previous Next