WITNESS THE FIREPOWER OF THIS FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL WEATHER SATELLITE - In November, the most expensive and advanced weather satellite ever built in the United States launched, and it then spent several weeks reaching a geosynchronous orbit nearly 36,000km from Earth. After some initial diagnostics, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration turned the GOES-16 satellite (GOES stands for "Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite") on and began taking photos of Earth. On Monday, the agency released the first images taken by GOES-16—and do they ever deliver the goods.   More
(Source: Ars Technics - Jan 24)

BRAZILIAN SMALLSAT NUDGED OUT OF ISS - A satellite built by students of a Brazilian middle school was launched into space from the International Space Station on Monday, January 16. The Tancredo-1 satellite, developed by the students of Tancredo de Almeida Neves Municipal School in the city of Ubatuba, measures only 13 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 700 grams. Launched into orbit about 400 kilometers above the Earth, the satellite will help study how plasma forms in the atmosphere.   More
(Source: SatNews Publishers - Jan 24)

CHINA’S GROWING AMBITIONS IN SPACE - In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said that the United States stands “ready to unlock the mysteries of space,” but given that he has yet to outline his NASA policy, it may be months before the country learns what that means. Meanwhile, China is moving boldly ahead with its own space-exploration efforts, and with little ambiguity about its mission. The country recently announced it would conduct about 30 launches this year. The target, if met, would be a record for China. The country conducted 21 successful orbital-launch missions in 2016, and 19 the year before that. The output puts China in a close second behind the United States, which saw 22 successful launches, and ahead of Russia, which conducted 16.   More
(Source: The Atlantic - Jan 24)

EUROPE'S SPACE AGENCY PLANS TO LAUNCH A SPACE-WEATHER SATELLITE - A few years from now, we might have the power to make more accurate space weather forecasts thanks to an ESA satellite. The European Space Agency plans to launch a solar-monitoring space weather probe in 2023 to keep an eye out for Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), and it's hoping to send it to a stable orbit called the Lagrange point 5. That location will give the satellite a unique side-on view of the surface of the sun that's bound to face Earth in four to five days. CMEs are enormous and powerful eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona, which can cause widescale blackouts. By getting a glimpse of possible CMEs, astronomers could raise a warning much earlier than we're used to and help power grid companies prepare. It's pretty hard to predict them, though, so astronomers still won't be able to say when exactly one will erupt even with the probe in place.   More
(Source: Engadget - Jan 23)

SATELLITE THAT WILL FLY ON USED SPACEX FALCON 9 MOVED TO CAPE - The satellite expected to be the first to fly on a used — or “flight proven” — Falcon 9 rocket was transported from France to Cape Canaveral last week. Manufacturer Airbus Defense and Space shipped the SES-10 communications satellite for Luxembourg-based SES. SES has entrusted SpaceX with challenging missions before. In December 2013, an SES satellite was the first flown by a Falcon 9 to a geosynchronous orbit high over the equator.   More
(Source: Florida Today - Jan 22)

ATLAS 5 ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERS VITAL NATIONAL ASSET INTO SPACE - A new infrared reconnaissance satellite for one of the United States’ highest priority space programs — making early detection of enemy missile launches — was successfully delivered into orbit Friday by an Atlas 5 rocket. The United Launch Alliance booster, flying its its basic two-stage varient, gracefully climbed from Complex 41 at 7:42 p.m. EST (0042 GMT) with the third Space Base Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite, or SBIRS GEO Flight 3. It capped the fastest-ever launch campaign for the Atlas 5 at just 13 days from the start of stacking until rollout. And, after a one-day delay by a sensor problem and aircraft wandering into restricted airspace, Friday’s seven-hour countdown progressed flawlessly throughout final testing and cryogenic fueling.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 21)

FROM SCHOOL TO SPACE: SATELLITE BUILT BY BRAZILIAN STUDENTS LAUNCHED IN ORBIT - A satellite built by students of a Brazilian middle school was launched into space from aboard the International Space Station on Monday, January 16. The Tancredo-1 satellite, developed by the students of Tancredo de Almeida Neves Municipal School in the city of Ubatuba, measures only 13 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 700 grams. Launched into orbit about 400 kilometers above the Earth, the satellite will help study how plasma forms in the atmosphere.   More
(Source: Sputnik International - Jan 20)

‘MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED’: CHINESE ‘HACK-PROOF’ QUANTUM COMMUNICATION SATELLITE PUT INTO SERVICE - The world’s first quantum communication satellite is now officially operational following months of in-orbit testing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced, saying that performance of the device is “much better” than was initially expected. Trends Space exploration The 600+kg Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), nicknamed Micius after the ancient Chinese philosopher and scientist, was sent into orbit by China in August, in a bid to develop “hack-proof” communications in an age of ever-increasing cyber espionage.   More
(Source: RT - Jan 20)

ATLAS V LAUNCH OF A MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE DELAYED UNTIL FRIDAY - The number of ballistic missiles increased by more than 1,200 over the past five years, according to the Missile Defense Agency, and more than 5,900 are based outside the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations, Russia and China. United Launch Alliance’s 194-foot Atlas V rocket rolled to its Launch Complex 41 pad Wednesday morning with the third satellite in the Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS. The system is modernizing and replacing the legacy Defense Support Program, which began launching in 1970.   More
(Source: USA Today - Jan 20)

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