ATLAS 5 VALVE REPAIR WILL DELAY STARLINER’S FIRST CREWED MISSION TO MAY 17 AT THE EARLIEST - Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is going to have a wait a bit longer before its first astronaut mission can take place. Following the decision to scrub the Crew Flight Test mission about two hours prior to liftoff, teams with United Launch Alliance (ULA), Boeing and NASA concluded that more work was needed to prepare the Atlas 5 to launch. In order to do that, the rocket will need to be rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex 41. The anticipated timeline for the work will push the launch back to no earlier than May 17, according to NASA. The new liftoff time is now 6:16 p.m. EDT (2016 UTC). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 8)
STARLINER LAUNCH SCRUBBED BY TROUBLE WITH A VALVE IN THE ATLAS 5’S CENTAUR UPPER STAGE - In a blog post early Tuesday, NASA said launch of Boeing’s Starliner astronaut ferry ship will be delayed until at least Friday “to complete data analysis on a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas 54 rocket‘s Centaur upper stage and determine whether it is necessary to replace the valve.” If the analysis concludes it’s safe to launch the Atlas 5 as is, NASA, Boeing and Atlas 5-builder United Launch Alliance could recycle for a second attempt at 9 p.m. EDT Friday. If the valve has to be replaced, the rocket would have to be hauled back to ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility for repairs, delaying another launch attempt to Sunday or later next week. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 7)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 23 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA - SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites today (May 6), the company's 46th orbital mission of the year already. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 2:14 p.m. EDT (1814 GMT), carrying 23 Starlink craft toward low Earth orbit (LEO). The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes later as planned, touching down on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. More (Source: Space.com - May 7)
EARTHCARE SATELLITE SET FOR LAUNCH - Recently, ESA's EarthCARE satellite was removed from its transport container at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, beginning an intensive period of preparation for its upcoming launch. The team conducted detailed inspections and testing to ensure the satellite was in optimal condition for its mission. Ensuring the cleanliness of EarthCARE was a critical step in optimizing the performance of its four main instruments. These instruments are designed to advance our understanding of the interactions between clouds, aerosols, solar energy, and outgoing radiation, which are crucial for regulating the Earth's climate. More (Source: Space Daily - May 6)
NORTH KOREA APPEARS TO TEST ROCKET ENGINE AMID PREPARATION FOR SATELLITE LAUNCH - North Korea appears to have tested a rocket engine in recent weeks at the country’s main space launch complex, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, as Pyongyang continues to prepare its first satellite launch of the year. Planet Labs satellite imagery shows what appears to be vegetation die-off under the vertical engine test stand at the Sohae Satellite Launching Grounds between April 21 and 26, likely caused by intense heat and exposure to chemicals emitted during a lengthy engine burn. More (Source: NK News - May 4)
THE BOEING STARLINER LAUNCHES SOON, WITH A CREW, AND ITS SUCCESS WOULD BE A BIG DEAL - If all goes well late on May 6, 2024, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will blast off into space on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Launching from the Kennedy Space Center, this last crucial test for Starliner will test out the new spacecraft and take the pair to the International Space Station for about a week. Part of NASA’s commercial crew program, this long-delayed mission will represent the vehicle’s first crewed launch. If successful, it will give NASA – and in the future, space tourists – more options for getting to low Earth orbit. More (Source: Astronomy Magazine - May 4)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 30TH STARLINK MISSION OF 2024 ON FALCON 9 FLIGHT FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on its 30th Starlink flight of the year. The mission added 23 more satellites to the mega constellation. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-55 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) happened at 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron at the Cape forecast about 85 percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff with some consideration for clouds in the area. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 3)
SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCHES 2 SATELLITES ON RECORD-TYING 20TH FLIGHT - SpaceX just tied its rocket-reuse record for the second time in less than a week. A Falcon 9 rocket launched two Earth-observation satellites for the company Maxar today (May 2) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 2:36 p.m. EDT (1836 GMT; 11:36 a.m. local California time). It was the 20th mission for this rocket's first stage, tying a record that one Falcon 9 set last month and another one equaled on Saturday night (April 27). More (Source: - May 3)
NASA WORKS TO GIVE SATELLITE SWARMS A HIVE MIND - Swarms of small satellites could communicate amongst themselves like a hive mind, using machine learning algorithms, could revolutionize scientists’ understanding of weather and climate changes. Swarms of small satellites could communicate amongst themselves to collect data on important weather patterns at different times of the day or year, and from multiple angles. Such swarms, using machine learning algorithms, could revolutionize scientists’ understanding of weather and climate changes. More (Source: NASA - May 3)
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