Japan agrees to space station extension and Gateway contributions
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 12:30
Japan will provide components for several modules and a cargo resupply mission. NASA, in turn, will fly a Japanese astronaut to the Gateway on a future Artemis mission. Japan will still seeking to land a Japanese astronaut on the moon as the first non-American astronaut.
Tory Bruno: DoD should ‘block buy’ heavy launch services as supply is tight
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-17 23:49
U.S. Space Force should preemptively buy heavy launch services, says U.S. Launch Alliance CEO. Rise in commercial demand and Russian Soyuz rocket’s sudden exit from the global stage have created a “perfect storm” Amazon in April announced it procured 83 launches on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur.
Precious Payload partners with Arkisys, Rocket Factory Augsburg to market payload slots and launches
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-17 17:54
Precious Payload announces partnerships with Rocket Factory Augsburg and Arkisys. Precious Payload allows payload developers to browse potential commercial launches. RFA is working towards integrated systems testing of its upper stage and Helix engine. First orbital test flight of its RFA One rocket scheduled to follow at the end of 2023.
White House, Congress praise long-delayed first SLS launch
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 22:38
The SLS successfully launched Nov. 16 on the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted congratulatory remarks. The launch also got a warm reception by leaders of congressional committees with oversight of NASA. The praise of the launch rarely, if ever, mentioned the challenges the Artemis program has faced.
AST SpaceMobile searching for funds to accelerate constellation
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 21:08
ASST SpaceMobile is seeking more funds to accelerate a direct-to-smartphone constellation. The company's BlueWalker-3 prototype satellite will miss a Nov. 22 deadline for securing frequencies. The Texas-based company is exploring funding options to speed up satellite deployments.
Europe reaches funding deal for sovereign broadband constellation
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 15:56
European Parliament and member states agree on a deal to contribute 2.4 billion euros. The financing would come from funding previously earmarked for other European programs. Private sector expected to provide the remaining 3.6 billion euros via public-private partnerships. Initial services are slated to begin in 2024 ahead of full operational capability by 2027.
SLS and Artemis warrant continued robust support - SpaceNews
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 15:34
Rep. Robert A. Aderholt (R-S.C) says the launch of the Space Launch System marks the beginning of this new era space race in which the stakes have never been higher. As U.S. Adversaries seek to militarize space, SLS’s heavy-lift capability makes it a unique entity for NASA and national security, he says.
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb launches 36 satellites aboard India's GSLV Mk.III rocket. Mission marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV rocket. Launch took place at 12:07 AM local time on Sunday, Oct. 23 (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22)
Commercial Archives
ABL Space Systems preparing to launch the debut flight of the RS1 launch vehicle. The latest attempt made on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The daily three-hour launch window opens at 1:00 PM AKST (22:00 UTC) Onboard are two CubeSats built by OmniTeq, previously L2 Aerospace.
International Archives
NASA, Roscosmos, and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) performed spacewalks outside humankind’s two permanently-crewed space stations. NASA conducted its Extravehicular Activity, or EVA, on Tuesday, Nov. 15 on the International Space Station (ISS), with China following on Nov. 17 outside their Tiangong Space Station. Roscosmos rounded out the hat trick later on Nov. 17 back at the ISS.
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. The launch is scheduled to take place at 17:57 GMT on Wednesday. The rocket will carry a Russian Rockot booster with a Sentinel-3B satellite.
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 on Friday. 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. The flight-proven Dragon spacecraft will deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the International Space Station. It is the 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.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Investigates Intriguing Martian Bedrock
After it collects a sample from Yori Pass, Perseverance will drive 745 feet (227 meters) southeast to a mega sand ripple. Located in the middle of a small dune field, the ripple will be where the rover collects its first samples of regolith, or crushed rock and dust.
NASA Study: Rising Sea Level Could Exceed Estimates for U.S. Coasts
Satellite measurements of sea surface height were compared with NOAA tide gauge records dating as far back as 1920. The researchers noted that the accelerating rate of sea level rise detected in satellite measurements from 1993 to 2020. The trends along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts are substantially higher than for the Northeast and West coasts.
How NASA’s Deep Space Network Supports the Agency’s Missions
Deep Space Network (DSN) will support a constant flow of data with Artemis I’s uncrewed Orion capsule beyond low-Earth orbit after launch. DSN will work in tandem with NASA’s Near Space Network, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
5 Things to Know About How SWOT Will Look at the World’s Water
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will launch on Dec. 12. SWOT will survey water on more than 90% of the planet’s surface. The satellite will measure the height of water in Earth’s freshwater bodies and the ocean. SWOT will help researchers track Earth’s water budget.
NASA to Brief Media on First Earth Water-Monitoring Satellite Mission
NASA will host a virtual media briefing at 10:30 a.m. EST (7:30 a.M. PST) Nov. 14, at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The briefing will discuss the upcoming launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. SWOT will be the first satellite mission to observe nearly all water on Earth’s surface.
Satellites Help Scientists Track Dramatic Wetlands Loss in Louisiana
NASA-funded researchers quantified those wetlands losses at nearly 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) per year since the early 1980s. Some of those wetlands were submerged by rising seas; others were disrupted by oil and gas infrastructure and hurricanes. The primary driver of losses was coastal and river engineering, which can have positive or negative effects depending on how it is implemented.
As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review
NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory share response to Psyche review board's findings. Review board found imbalance between workload and available workforce at JPL. Board recommended increasing staffing, establishing open communications and an improved reporting system. Board will meet again in spring 2023 to assess progress.