EXPLORING 'VERY LOW EARTH ORBIT': THE WORLD'S 1ST AIR-BREATHING SATELLITE THRUSTER COULD SOON GET A TEST RUN - A new way to move around Earth's outer atmosphere could soon get a field test. The Spanish company Kreios Space plans to launch into orbit the world's first satellite that uses scooped-up air to push it forward, the company announced on Tuesday (Aug. 4). The technology Kreios Space has been developing is called air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP). It relies on air sourced from Earth's atmosphere, which is then heated up, ionized and expelled to generate thrust. More (Source: Space.com - Aug 10)
NASA HAS CONTRACTED A PURPOSE-BUILT SPACECRAFT TO PUSH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OUT OF ORBIT IN LATE 2030 - There is an uncomfortable practical question inside every permanent-looking human project: who turns off the lights? For the International Space Station, the answer is now being built. NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, a heavily modified Cargo Dragon that will eventually dock with the station and supply the final push that takes it out of orbit. The current plan is for a controlled re-entry in late 2030, after the final crew has departed. More (Source: Space Daily - Aug 10)
SPACEX WEST COAST LAUNCH SURGE CONTINUES WITH STARLINK MISSION - SpaceX’s West Coast surge in Starlink launches continued Saturday with another batch of satellites for its internet service going into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff of the Starlink 17-38 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California happened at 9:35 a.m. PDT (12:35 p.m. EDT / 1635 UTC). It was SpaceX’s 50th launch from the West Coast this year as it ramps up launches there while the flight rate from the East Coast has fallen as the company focuses on ramping up Starship preparations. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 9)
PLANNED SATELLITE MEGACONSTELLATIONS COULD GENERATE RUNAWAY SPACE DEBRIS - Sixteen thousand satellites currently whiz above our heads on a 3D space superhighway. To the consternation of astronomers and dark-sky lovers, that number may increase 10-fold within the next decade as operators launch internet and telecoms satellites en masse. If SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gets his way, the number could breach 1 million not long after. More (Source: Science - Aug 8)
ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES JAPANESE EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITE AFTER 5-WEEK DELAY - A Japanese Earth-observing satellite got to orbit early this morning (Aug. 6), five weeks later than originally planned. The spacecraft — a radar satellite that will be operated by the Tokyo-based company iQPS — lifted off atop a Rocket Lab Electron vehicle from New Zealand today at 5:18 a.m. EDT (0918 GMT; 9:18 p.m. local time). More (Source: Space.com - Aug 7)
SOUTH KOREAN SATELLITE CAPTURES BEFORE AND AFTER VIEWS OF SPACEX ROCKET’S MOON CRASH - A South Korean satellite has captured the first pictures of the moon’s fresh crash scene caused by a stray SpaceX rocket. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Danuri spacecraft flew over the impact site soon after the Falcon 9 upper stage inadvertently plowed into the moon on Wednesday. Danuri made multiple passes, snapping photos from lunar orbit that were released by the space agency Thursday. More (Source: AP News - Aug 7)
SPACEWALK BEGINS FOR SOLAR ARRAY MODIFICATIONS - NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon began a spacewalk at 8:33 a.m. EDT outside the International Space Station to prepare the 3B power channel for the future installation of new roll-out solar arrays. Once installed, the arrays will provide additional power to support critical station operations, including its safe and controlled deorbit. More (Source: NASA - Aug 7)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 3 AST SPACEMOBILE BLUEBIRD SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX launched the latest trio of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the predawn hours of Wednesday morning. The Falcon 9 rocket carried satellites numbered 11, 12, and 13 in to orbit. The mission came about a month-and-a-half after SpaceX launched the BlueBird 8-10 mission. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 3:49 a.m. EDT (0749 UTC). The rocket flew on a northeasterly trajectory upon leaving the pad. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Aug 6)
A SPACEX ROCKET IS ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THE MOON - Part of a SpaceX rocket used to launch a pair of robotic commercial lunar landers is expected to crash into the moon early Wednesday morning. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on January 15, 2025, carrying the Blue Ghost lander developed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace, as well as Tokyo-based Ispace’s Resilience lander. Blue Ghost successfully soft-landed on the moon in March 2025, while Resilience failed to land safely a few months later. More (Source: CNN - Aug 5)
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