Maxar Technologies acquired by private equity firm in $6.4 billion deal
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 12:51
Maxar Technologies is being acquired by the private equity firm Advent International. Advent International, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a global firm with $89 billion in assets. The acquisition is expected to be completed in mid-2023. Maxar gained global attention with its high-resolution satellite images of the Ukraine war.
Wallops officials look for growth in launch activity with Rocket Lab
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 00:05
Rocket Lab's first Electron launch from Wallops Island has slipped two days to Dec. 18. A backup launch opportunity is available Dec. 19. The introduction of the Electron was delayed by two years because of problems developing and certifying a NASA autonomous flight termination system. “Interest is high,” said Ted Mercer, chief executive and executive director of Virginia Space.
SpaceX launches first pair of O3b mPower satellites
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-17 03:17
SpaceX launches first O3b mPower satellites for SES' next-generation broadband constellation. Boeing-built satellites promise 10 times more throughput than predecessors in medium Earth orbit. SES operates 20 first-generation O3b satellites in MEO, which offer lower latency.
White House revamps membership of National Space Council advisory group
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 20:57
The National Space Council announced the new membership of an advisory group. The new roster reflects a new emphasis on climate change and workforce issues. The board will be chaired by Lester Lyles, a retired U.S. Air Force general. Of the 27 members who were previously appointed to the UAG, only seven were retained.
Falcon 9 launches ocean science mission for NASA and CNES
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 12:50
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket’s upper stage released the payload, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft. SWOT is a joint mission of NASA and the French space agency CNES.
China completes seventh space launch inside 10 days
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 09:06
China launches a Long March 11 solid rocket from Xichang early Friday. Launch completes a campaign of seven orbit launch attempts in just over a week. China has launched 62 times this year and already surpassed its national record of launches in a calendar year, set in 2021.
Live coverage: SpaceX launches U.S.-French environmental satellite – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-16 00:00
Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Launch is for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, satellite for NASA and the French space agency CNES. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket carried the EOS-06 spacecraft into a low Earth orbit. The mission, PSLV C54, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:56 local time (06:26 UTC)
Commercial Archives
SpaceX has launched the first of a pair of Falcon 9 missions. The first mission carried the first two satellites for a new constellation known as O3b mPOWER to orbit. This is set to be followed by a different Falcon 9 sending 54 more Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit.
International Archives
Four launches were conducted from China this week. On Wednesday, the Yaogan 36 mission launched on a Chang Zheng 2D from Xichang. On Friday, the launch of Shiyan 21 atop a Chang Zheng 11 rocket was conducted. This includes the failed ZhuQue-2 methane rocket demo flight on Wednesday.
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 lifts off from Cape Canaveral for first of six cargo runs to ISS this year. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year. Dragon spacecraft will deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware.
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. Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet is gearing up for the arrival of its next addition on Wednesday with a Russian Rockot booster.
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.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Begin Building Martian Sample Depot
Perseverance’s prime mission will conclude on Jan. 6, 2023 – one Mars year (about 687 Earth days) after its Feb. 18, 2021, landing. Called the Delta Top Campaign, this new science phase will begin when Perseverance finishes its ascent of the delta’s steep embankment. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate.
Two Exoplanets May Be Mostly Water, NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Find
Researchers at the University of Montreal have found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a red dwarf star are “water worlds” where water makes up a large fraction of the entire planet. These worlds, located in a planetary system 218 light-years away in the constellation Lyra, are unlike any planets found in our solar system.
NASA’s Juno Exploring Jovian Moons During Extended Mission
NASA’s Juno mission is scheduled to obtain images of the Jovian moon Io on Dec. 15. The solar-powered spacecraft performed a close flyby of Ganymede in 2021 and of Europa earlier this year. Juno sensors are designed to study Jupiter, but we’ve been thrilled at how well they can perform double duty by observing Jupiter’s moons.
NASA Sensors to Help Detect Methane Emitted by Landfills
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, the source of roughly a quarter to a third of global warming caused by humans. Methane produced by the waste sector contributes an estimated 20% of human-caused methane emissions. The project will conduct an initial remote-sensing survey in 2023 of more than 1,000 managed landfills across the United States and Canada.
Latest International Water Satellite Packs an Engineering Punch
KaRIn will measure the height of water in the ocean, “seeing” features like currents and eddies that are less than 13 miles (20 kilometers) across. It will also collect data on lakes and reservoirs larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Has Launched – Follow the Mission in Real Time
Lunar Flashlight will use a reflectometer equipped with four lasers that emit near-infrared light in wavelengths readily absorbed by surface water ice. The greater the absorption, the more ice there may be. The spacecraft’s avatar is an exact model of the real thing, down to its four solar arrays, science instrument, and thrusters.
Practice Makes Perfect for Student Inventions at JPL Competition
The Invention Challenge was held at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday. Teams created devices that launched bouncy rubber balls 5 ¼ inches (13 centimeters) in diameter at five croquet-inspired targets. Hammers and mallets, giant rubber bands and bungee cords, PVC piping and lots of wood went into the designs.