SPACEX SETS A DATE TO RETURN TO ORBIT FOLLOWING FALCON 9 EXPLOSION - It's been less than a month since SpaceX saw a test firing before a planned Falcon 9 launch end in a ball of fire before it even got started. Now, the company appears ready to get back on the orbital horse with plans for its next launch set for as soon as November. On September 1, a Falcon 9 set to carry a new satellite meant to be part of Facebook's Internet.org initiative to orbit was standing upright on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral. As it was being fuelled for a static fire test, it suffered an "anomaly." In other words, it was destroyed in a huge explosion that could be seen and heard for miles around. SpaceX put all planned launches on hold and three weeks later, preliminary results from an investigation into the cause of the explosion pointed to a rupture in the cryogenic helium system.    More
(Source: New Atlas - Oct 2)

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK IN SPACE, USING BULKY EVA GLOVES - Tightening a lug nut on the tire of your car in the driveway seems like an easy enough task, but imagine trying to do it while wearing incredibly bulky gloves and working in the vacuum of space. Still sound easy? That is what a day's work entails for astronauts working outside the International Space Station. A simple task that would otherwise take 5 minutes to complete on Earth can take hours in space. I had the opportunity to experience a simulation of what it is like for astronauts working in space. I tested out an EVA (extravehicular activity) glove simulator operated by NASA's Langley Research Center at "Star Trek": Mission New York earlier this month. The EVA glove simulator challenged users to put the top on a plastic bottle and tighten it into place.    More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 2)

NEW-GENERATION WEATHER SATELLITE NEARS NOVEMBER LAUNCH - A weather satellite expected to dramatically improve forecasting of hurricanes and other severe weather is being fueled in Titusville for an early November launch from Cape Canaveral. Meteorologists can hardly contain their excitement about the spacecraft known as GOES-R, scheduled to blast off Nov. 4 on a powerful version of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. “It’s a big deal. It’s a big upgrade from what we’ve had in the past,” said Fred Johnson, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Melbourne. “This should save lives and property.”   More
(Source: Florida Today - Sep 30)

THE UN PLANS TO LAUNCH ITS FIRST SPACE MISSION FIVE YEARS FROM NOW - The United Nations will launch its first-ever space mission aboard Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spaceplane in 2021. The news was announced yesterday at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. The goal of the mission is to give developing nations that don’t have their own space programs the chance to fly payloads in microgravity. The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is accepting proposals "on anything from developing materials that resist corrosion in space to studying climate change and food security," Motherboard reports.    More
(Source: The Verge - Sep 29)

ROBOTIC SATELLITE SERVICING TECH READY FOR ORBITAL TESTS, EXPERTS SAY - Technologies that would service and refuel satellites in orbit are finally ready to move forward after years of technical, regulatory and financial challenges, industry experts said at the AIAA Space conference, held earlier this month. "My assertion is, we're over the hump on all of these [challenges], but that doesn't mean we have a satellite servicing paradigm and infrastructure available today," said Steve Oldham, senior vice president of strategic business development at SSL, a commercial space system design and construction company. He said he anticipates that those missing elements are coming soon and that, when they arrive, there's going to be a "paradigm change." Currently, satellites are abandoned in orbit when they suffer a mechanical failure or run out of fuel.    More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 28)

ROSCOSMOS CONFIRMS PLANS TO REDUCE SPACE STATION CREW - Officials with the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said Sept. 26 they planned to reduce the size of their crew on the International Space Station next year from three to two. The comments, by Roscosmos head Igor Komarov during a press conference at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here, confirmed Russian media reports dating back to August that Russia would reduce its crew to save money. “We checked and found that we can complete all of our programs with two cosmonauts,” Komarov said. “That’s when we decided to optimize our crew to two for the next year.”   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Sep 28)

SATREVOLUTION REVEALS PLANS TO 3D PRINT FIRST PRIVATE POLISH SATELLITE, TO BE IN ORBIT MID-2017 - Over the last few years, Poland has steadily built up a reputation as a 3D printing pioneer. The country is already home to numerous promising startups, with Zortrax decisively leading the way. But the 3D printing nation could be known for a lot more than just desktop 3D printers in the near future, as a new startup is working on a very ambitious 3D printing project that will provide a huge boost to Polish aerospace efforts: the 3D printed Światowid nanosatellite, which would become the first Polish-made commercial and private satellite. According to developers SatRevolution, the satellite could be ready for launch as early as mid-2017.   More
(Source: 3ders.org - Sep 27)

INDIA DECLARES SUCCESS ON PSLV’S MOST COMPLEX MISSION - Eight satellites blasted off Monday on top of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, including an instrument to track tropical cyclones, a pathfinder for a U.S.-owned commercial Earth observation fleet, and multiple spacecraft for Algeria. The 14-story launcher lifted off at 0342 GMT Monday (11:42 p.m. EDT Sunday) from the First Launch Pad the Satish Dhawan Space Center, India’s spaceport on the country’s eastern coastline. The PSLV’s 37th flight carried up an Indian satellite to measure ocean winds and supply data for forecasters around the world to estimate the intensity and location of tropical cyclones, plus seven other payloads for U.S., Algerian, Canadian and Indian organizations.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Sep 26)

TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PSLV'S LONGEST-EVER FLIGHT TOMORROW - On Monday, India’s workhorse PSLV will, for the first time, inject eight different satellites, including weather satellite SCATSAT-1, into two different orbits. Here are the details of the launch and payloads: — The PSLV-C35 will be launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota at 9.12 a.m. tomorrow. The total weight of all the eight satellites is about 675 kg. — The SCATSAT-1 will be released first into a 730 km Polar Sunsynchronous Orbit (SSO) after about 17 minutes and the rest will be injected into a lower orbit of 689 km after around two hours. The flight is PSLV’s longest ever.    More
(Source: The Hindu - Sep 26)

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