Falcon 9 launches ispace lander and NASA cubesat to the moon
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-11 09:45
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches a Japanese lander mission to the moon. The rocket's second stage deployed the HAKUTO-R M1 spacecraft 47 minutes after liftoff. The launch marks the start of a new wave of commercial lunar missions. Two U.S. Companies are planning launches of their first lunar landers in early 2023.
Europe celebrates performance of Orion service module
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-10 15:38
Artemis 1 mission is set to conclude Dec. 11 with the reentry and splashdown of the Orion crew capsule. The European Service Module has provided power, propulsion and other services for the spacecraft since its Nov. 16 launch. Some in Europe advocate for ESA to develop its own human spaceflight capability.
Antenna maker Anywaves plots aggressive US expansion
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-09 22:50
French satellite antenna maker Anywaves said Dec. 8 it has raised around $3 million. Anywaves CEO Nicolas Capet said the funds from French investor Ylliade Groupe enable the company to accelerate sales and marketing efforts in the U.S. The majority of customers, about 80%, are based in Europe and the remaining 10% are from other countries including Australia and India.
House committee leaders introduce bipartisan bills to update satellite rules
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-09 19:44
Bipartisan legislation aims to modernize FCC for rapidly changing space industry. Bill would update regulations covering foreign ownership, space sustainability, license processing. The proposed rules include giving the FCC defined deadlines for processing satellite license applications. The legislation has to clear many hurdles before reaching the President for consideration.
Orion moonship closes in for Sunday re-entry and splashdown – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-10 00:00
Artemis 1 spacecraft is closing in on a 25,000-mph re-entry Sunday. The Artemis 1 mission, expected at 12:39 p.m., will come 50 years to the day after the final Apollo moon landing in 1972. Testing the Orion capsule’s 16.5-foot-wide Apollo-derived Avcoat heat shield is the top priority of the Artemis 1 mission.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight hitching ride to moon on SpaceX rocket – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-10 00:00
Lunar Flashlight is a small briefcase-size CubeSat that could break new ground in the search for water ice on the moon. The 31-pound (14-kilogram) CubeSat will deploy from the Falcon 9 rocket about seven minutes after the Hakuto-R moon lander. Lunar Flashlight will try to confirm the presence of ice at the surface.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket delivered 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 launches privately funded mission toward the surface of the moon. HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) at 2:38 AM EST (07:38 UTC) on Dec. 11.
International Archives
SpaceX has used its Falcon 9 rocket to send a privately funded mission toward the surface of the moon. HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) on Dec. 11.
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 lifts off with Dragon spacecraft on first of at least six cargo ships inbound to the ISS this year. The Dragon spacecraft will deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the orbiting laboratory. The Falcon 9 is still covered in soot from a previous supply run to the ISS.
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. The launch is scheduled to take place at 17:57 GMT on Wednesday. Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/satellite-news/2013/09/20/russia-rockot-booster-set to-blast-off-from-plesetsk-cosmodrome.html#storylink=cpy.
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 in a nominal mission conducts the orbital circularization after the three CZ-11 stages finish their job.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Has Launched – Follow the Mission in Real Time
Lunar Flashlight will use lasers to look for water ice on the lunar surface. The spacecraft’s avatar is an exact model of the real thing, down to its four solar arrays, science instrument, and thrusters. Users can change their perspective of the SmallSat and see where it is in space, whether on its long trek to lunar orbit or when it’s zooming above the lunar surface.
Practice Makes Perfect for Student Inventions at JPL Competition
The Invention Challenge returns to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Students and professional engineers compete with their homemade machines. This year's contest was dubbed the ‘Sticky Wicket Contest’ A single type of device – made by students at one school – emerged victorious.
Water-Tracking SWOT Satellite Encapsulated in Rocket Payload Fairing
The SWOT satellite is now encapsulated in its payload fairing in preparation for launch. The fairing protects the satellite from aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Once in orbit, SWOT will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth’s surface.
Water Mission to Gauge Alaskan Rivers on Front Lines of Climate Change
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and CNES, with contributions from the CSA and the UK Space Agency. “SWOT is going to allow us to see what’s going on in Alaska hydrologically in ways that we haven’t before,” says Tamlin Pavelsky, NASA’s SWOT freshwater science lead.
NASA Press Events at 2022 Fall AGU Meeting
NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, is on track to deliver a sizable sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. Media Round Table: Arrival Preview: NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Return Mission. Join experts at the NASA booth to hear hyperwall talks about Planetary Science.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Gets the Dirt on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover snagged two new samples from the Martian surface on Dec. 2 and 6. One of these two samples will be considered for deposit on the Martian surface sometime this month. Scientists want to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to search for signs of ancient microbial life.
NASA Sets Coverage for SWOT Water Survey Mission Launch
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. Live launch coverage will begin at 6 a.m. EST (3 a.m. PST) on NASA Television, YouTube, Twitter, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. SWOT will survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface for the first time, measuring the height of the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes.