A NEW SATELLITE COULD HELP SCIENTISTS UNRAVEL SOME OF EARTH'S MYSTERIES. HERE'S HOW. - Imagine coloring a picture with 200 crayons instead of eight. That’s the difference in light and color that a new satellite bound for orbit will bring to the study of microscopic particles in our atmosphere and waterways, said Jeremy Werdell, a project scientist with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. The satellite – called the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and Ocean Ecosystem, or PACE – will provide critical new information to help better understand the role such particles play in the exchange of carbon dioxide and energy in the atmosphere and ocean, and in our changing climate, scientists said.   More
(Source: USA Today - Jan 30)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST OF PLANNED BACK-TO-BACK FALCON 9 STARLINK MISSIONS - SpaceX is preparing for a busy week to close out the month of January. Two Starlink flights are set to kick things off as the company prepares to launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station for the first time. First up to bat is the Starlink 6-38 mission, which will send 23 more satellites to low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket supporting this mission is set for Sunday, Jan. 28, at 8:10 p.m. EST (0110 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning approximately one hour before liftoff.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 29)

IRAN LAUNCHES 3 SATELLITES INTO SPACE - Iran said Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space, the latest for a program that the West says improves Tehran's ballistic missiles. The state-run IRNA news agency said the launch also saw the successful use of Iran's Simorgh rocket, which has had multiple failures in the past. The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While Iran has not intervened militarily in the conflict, it has faced increased pressure within its theocracy for action after a deadly Islamic State suicide bombing earlier this month and as proxy groups like Yemen's Houthi rebels conduct attacks linked to the war.   More
(Source: VOA News - Jan 29)

CYGNUS READY FOR FIRST LAUNCH ON FALCON 9 - A Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, a combination that required more changes to the rocket than to the spacecraft. NASA announced at a Jan. 26 briefing that it was targeting Jan. 30 at 12:07 p.m. Eastern for the launch of the NG-20 cargo mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. That is a one-day slip from previous plans, which the agency said was to “accommodate launch pad readiness.” If Cygnus launches that day, it will arrive at the International Space Station early Feb. 1.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 28)

WATCH ROCKET LAB LAUNCH 4 PRIVATE SATELLITES, RECOVER BOOSTER EARLY JAN. 31 - Rocket Lab plans to launch four private satellites and recover the returning booster early Wednesday morning (Jan. 31), and you can watch the action live. The company's Electron rocket is scheduled to lift off from New Zealand no earlier than on Wednesday during a 45-minute window that opens at 1:15 a.m. EST (0615 GMT; 7:15 p.m. local New Zealand time).   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 28)

'THERE'S NOTHING MAGICAL THAT HAPPENS IN 2030': NASA EYES POSSIBLE ISS EXTENSION FOR ASTRONAUT MISSIONS - The International Space Station might keep flying past 2030. A senior NASA official said there is "no big concern" about the health of the International Space Station (ISS) that would require an operational stop six years from now, when the current agreement expires between most of the ISS partners. "There's nothing magical that happens in 2030," Steve Stich, the manager of the commercial crew program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, said during a livestreamed briefing at the center on Thursday (Jan. 25) about the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 astronaut mission to the ISS.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 27)

SATELLITES AND THE SPECTER OF IOT ATTACKS - In the vast expanse of space, satellites orbit silently, serving as the connected backbone of our modern world. A fast-proliferating network of satellites forms the critical infrastructure that supports global communication, navigation, weather forecasting, defensive operations and more. Today’s global space economy is huge, forecasted to total more than $600 billion annually in 2024. Internet of Things (IoT) components are integral to next-generation satellites. Designed to optimize efficiency and enhance functionality, IoT satellite devices and systems provide better communication, data transmission, onboard data processing, power management and more.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 27)

NASA’S STARLINER SPACECRAFT WILL FLY TWO ASTRONAUTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION THIS SPRING - Two astronauts could be hightailing it to the International Space Station (ISS) in less than three months. NASA says the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will embark on its first crewed test flight to the ISS this April. The space agency has made significant progress in resolving technical issues identified during the flight certification process, according to a statement shared Wednesday.   More
(Source: Yahoo - Jan 26)

CHINESE COMPANY LAUNCHES 5 REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITES TO ORBIT - China's commercial space activities continue to grow, with a solid rocket putting five privately built satellites into orbit. The third Kinetica-1 solid rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:03 p.m. EST on Monday (Jan. 22; 0403 GMT and 12:03 p.m. Beijing time on Jan. 23). Aboard were five Taijing satellites, all designed and built by Beijing-based private satellite maker Minospace.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 26)

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