Streamlined and ready for Africa’s growth markets: Q&A with Avanti Communications CEO Kyle Whitehill
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-25 07:11
Avanti Communications is ready to expand across Africa. Investors agreed in April to swap debt for equity in a deal that slashed Avanti’s $810 million debt burden by two-thirds. Avanti incurred the debt to build out its fleet of five geostationary satellites.
Second module docks at China’s space station, large rocket stage tracked in orbit
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-24 20:10
China adds a new experiment module to its space station Sunday, following a high-profile launch. Wentian used its own propulsion system to match orbit with Tianhe, the core module of China’s under-construction space station. Both Wentian and Mengtian will be transpositioned to lateral docking ports, completing the planned T-shaped Tiangong space station.
Roman Space Telescope top challenge for new NASA astrophysics director
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-24 14:59
Mark Clampin will take over as director of NASA’s astrophysics division. He succeeds Paul Hertz, who announced last year his intent to step down. Clampin is currently director of the science and exploration directorate at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
New science lab for China’s space station launches on Long March 5B rocket – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-24 00:00
Long March 5B rocket lifts off from Wenchang space center on Hainan Island, China. 25-ton Wentian science module on course for docking at the orbiting outpost. Wentian lab module will unfurl solar panels to a span of about 180 feet (55 meters) tip-to-tip.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launched its 55th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) – in its Core Alone (CA) configuration – carrying nine payloads to a low Earth orbit (LEO) These included POEM, to demonstrate using the fourth stage as a hosted payload bus. PSLV-C53 launched from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on June 30, 2022.
Commercial Archives
SpaceX launches 53 satellites for the Starlink internet constellation. The satellites were deployed into an initial orbit of about 230 by 340 kilometers in altitude. The satellites separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle slightly more than 15 minutes after liftoff. The satellites are each with a mass of approximately 300 kilograms.
International Archives
China has launched the Wentian Laboratory Cabin Module on Sunday, July 24 at 06:22 UTC. The module is one of two planned for launch this year to China’s Tiangong space station. The second is the Mengtian module which is slated to launch in October. Both will dock to the Tianhe core module of the station, which was launched in April 2021.
Chinese Long March 3B Launches APStar-6C Communications Satellite – Spaceflight101
China launches APStar-6C communications satellite for APT Satellite Holdings. Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:06 UTC on a mission of under half an hour to lift the spacecraft into an elliptical Geostationary Transfer Orbit. Replacing APStar-6, launched in 2005, the APStar-6c satellite will deliver VSAT services, video distribution, Direct-to-Home television and high-throughput cellular backhaul.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reaches new Heights in latest Test Flight – Spaceflight101
Blue Origin's reusable New Shepard launch system reached new heights in a test designed to expand the vehicle’s operational envelope by sending it to a peak altitude of 107 Kilometers. Sunday’s flight marked the second for this particular set of hardware, following up on the successful December 2017 mission that debuted “Crew Capsule 2.0”
News – Spaceflight101
Russia's Rockot booster set to blast off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 17:57 UTC with the Sentinel-3B multi-function satellite. Sentinel-3B is a multi-function satellite with a variety of different payloads. It is part of Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet.
ISS Updates – Spaceflight101 – International Space Station
A veteran NASA spacewalker and an EVA rookie from Japan ended their week with nearly six hours of work outside the International Space Station. The restoration of the Station’s Mobile Servicing System started last year and continued in January to provide Canadarm2 with a new pair of grappling hands.
Featured – Spaceflight101
SpaceX Falcon 9 takes to the skies over Florida’s Cape Canaveral Monday afternoon. Falcon 9 lifts a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year.
Re-Entry: Long March 11 Rocket Body – Spaceflight101
The CZ-11 fourth stage used leftover propellant for a partial de-orbit maneuver, lowering its perigee to 120 Kilometers to significantly accelerate its orbital decay. It is reportedly built around a YF-50 main engine and conducts the orbital circularization after the three CZ-11 stages finish their job.
US-European Satellite Will Make World’s First Global Freshwater Survey
SWOT will measure the water height – whether it be in a lake, river, or reservoir – and also measure its extent, or surface area. That crucial information will enable scientists to calculate how much water moves through freshwater bodies. Once in orbit, SWOT will be sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data a day.
NASA, ESA to Discuss Mars Sample Return Mission
NASA and the ESA recently held a systems requirement review as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign’s conceptual design phase. The briefing will present the architecture proposal that is expected to be finalized in September 2022. The Mars Sample Return campaign may revolutionize humanity’s understanding of Mars.
NASA, SpaceX Launch Climate Science Research, More to Space Station
Microgravity causes changes in human immune cells that happen faster than the actual process of aging on Earth. Tissue chips are small devices that contain human cells in a 3D structure. Cell-free technology is a platform for producing protein without specialized equipment of living cells that need to be cultured.
NASA’s New Mineral Dust Detector Readies for Launch
EMIT will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions. Desert regions produce most of the mineral dust that makes its way into the atmosphere. The imaging spectrometer will also provide information on the color and composition of dust sources globally for the first time.
NASA Reveals Webb Telescope’s First Images of Unseen Universe
Full set of the telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data, which uncover a collection of cosmic features elusive until now, released Tuesday. “This is a singular and historic moment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “We are elated to celebrate this extraordinary day with the world,” said Greg Robinson, Webb program director at NASA Headquarters.
President Biden Reveals First Image From NASA’s Webb Telescope
President Joe Biden released the first full-color image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Monday during a public event at the White House in Washington. “These images are going to remind the world that America can do big things, and remind the American people – especially our children – that there’s nothing beyond our capacity,” said President Biden.
NASA’s Perseverance Scouts Mars Sample Return Campaign Landing Sites
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is conducting its science campaign, taking samples at Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta. The rover is looking for locations where the planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign can land spacecraft and collect sample tubes. Mars Sample Return is a historic endeavor that would retrieve and deliver samples of that faraway terrain.