FCC proposes new bureau for space activities
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-03 15:04
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announces plans to reorganize agency. She wants to create a bureau devoted to the commission's increasing work with space systems. Rosenworcel: reorganization would give satellite licensing and regulatory work greater prominence. Announcement comes as some in the industry watch with caution steps by the FCC.
SLS returns to the pad for next Artemis launch attempt
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-05 03:05
SLS and Orion arrived at Launch Complex 39B at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Nov. 4. The rollout was the fourth for the vehicle since March. NASA plans to conduct the next Artemis 1 launch attempt Nov. 14, with liftoff scheduled at 12:07 a.m.
Rocket Lab launches Swedish satellite, fails to catch booster
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-04 19:53
Rocket Lab successfully launched a Swedish atmospheric science satellite on an Electron rocket. But a telemetry problem kept the company from attempting a mid-air recovery of the rocket's booster. The company said it would instead recover the stage from the ocean, as on several previous launches.
Virgin Galactic delays introduction of second suborbital spaceship
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-04 11:39
Virgin Galactic says it will not have its second suborbital spaceplane in service in 2023. The company has been devoting more resources to the design of the Delta-class spaceplanes. The company says it remains on schedule to resume commercial flights of VSS Unity in 2023.
Long March 5B rocket reenters over Pacific Ocean after forcing airspace closures in Europe
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-04 10:59
The Long March 5B rocket stage made an uncontrolled reentry into the atmosphere Friday. The roughly 21-metric-ton dry mass rocket stage reentered over the south-central Pacific Ocean. The reentry event had been tracked by U.S. And European authorities. A section of airspace over northern Spain was closed early Friday based on predictions.
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb launches 36 satellites aboard India's GSLV Mk.III rocket. Mission marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV rocket. Launch takes place at 12:07 AM local time on Sunday, Oct. 23 (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22)
Commercial Archives
Rocket Lab's 32nd mission, "Catch Me If You Can," Took off on Nov. 5, 2022. The California-based launch services company made its first attempt at first-stage recovery and reuse during its 26th mission. No mid-air catch was achieved due to a telemetry drop out during Stage 1 reentry.
International Archives
The first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket made the 6.7 km trip from High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) back out to Launch Complex 39B Thursday night into Friday morning. The move follows a five-week stay in the VAB to shelter from Hurricane Ian and allow teams to prepare the vehicle for its next launch attempt.
News – Spaceflight101
Russia's Rockot booster is set to blast off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 17:57 UTC with the Sentinel-3B multi-function satellite. Sentinel-3B is Europe's next addition to the Copernicus satellite fleet. It is due to launch on Wednesday with a Russian Rockot booster.
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. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year. The Dragon spacecraft will deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the orbiting laboratory.
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.
As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review
NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory share response to Psyche review board report. Independent review board convened to determine why Psyche missed its planned 2022 launch opportunity. Review board found imbalance between workload and available workforce at JPL. Board recommended increasing staffing, establishing open communications and an improved reporting system.
NASA to Discuss Psyche Independent Review Board Results
NASA will host a community town hall at 12 p.m. EDT (9 a.m. PDT) on Friday, Nov. 4. Members of the science community, academia, media, and public, are invited to join the discussion online. Following the town hall, NASA will host a media call.
NASA Prepares to Say ‘Farewell’ to InSight Spacecraft
InSight’s seismometer has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes since the lander touched down in November 2018. The lander data has yielded details about Mars’ interior layers, its liquid core, the surprisingly variable remnants beneath the surface of its mostly extinct magnetic field.
NASA Solar System Ambassadors: Sharing the Science for 25 Years
NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors Program is celebrating its 25th anniversary in fall 2022. The program is funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and is managed by NASA’’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. In the spirit of a genuine grassroots endeavor, the Solar System Ambassadors program was originally called the Galileo Ambassador Program.
Haunting Portrait: NASA’s Webb Reveals Dust, Structure in Pillars of Creation
The Pillars of Creation are set within the vast Eagle Nebula, which lies 6,500 light-years away. This scene was first captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 and revisited in 2014. As a result of the new MIRI image, astronomers now have higher-resolution data in mid-infrared light than ever before.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Ready to Search for the Moon’s Water Ice
Lunar Flashlight will be the first mission to use a four-laser reflectometer to look for water ice on the Moon. The reflectometer works by using near-infrared wavelengths that are readily absorbed by water to identify ice on the surface. It’s thought that molecules of water come from comet and asteroid material impacting the lunar surface, and from solar wind interactions with the lunar regolith.
NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid Mission
NASA's Psyche mission will go forward, targeting a launch period opening on Oct. 10, 2023. Earlier this year, Psyche missed its planned 2022 launch period as a result of mission development problems. An internal review led to an internal review of whether the mission would be able to overcome these issues.