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.
UK launches consultation on Virgin Orbit launch
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-22 21:06
U.K. Space regulator seeking comments on environmental assessment. Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall providing intended launch site. Virgin Orbit has proposed to undertake two horizontal launches per year until 2030. Virgin Orbit also needs a license from the U.K. Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
SCOUT wins defense contract to demonstrate utility of commercial data from sensors in space
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-22 19:40
Startup SCOUT Space won a contract to augment military systems with commercial data. The $750,000 award allows the company to continue software-development work. SCOUT wants to demonstrate that commercial data collected by sensors in space combined with data from traditional ground sensors can improve the accuracy of space debris tracking.
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. Long March 5B launcher’s lift capability to low Earth orbit is around 55,000 pounds. Wentian module, with a launch weight near 50,000 pounds (23 metric tons), will dock with the Tianhe core module on China’s Tiangong station later Sunday.
SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket for Sunday launch from Florida – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-23 00:00
SpaceX test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Saturday in preparation for liftoff Sunday with the company’s next batch of 53 Starlink internet satellites. The Merlin engines fired for approximately 7 seconds at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) Saturday while hydraulic hold-down clamps kept the Falcon 9 firmly on the ground. The engines throttled up to generate 1.7 million pounds of thrust, briefly sending a plume of exhaust out of the flame trench.
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 is set to launch the Starlink 4-25 mission Sunday. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry another 53 satellites for the Starlink internet constellation. The satellites will be deployed into an initial orbit of about 230 by 340 kilometers in altitude at an inclination of 53.2 degrees.
International Archives
Wentian Laboratory Cabin Module launched 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 conducted a rare commercial launch of a Long March 3B rocket with the APStar-6C communications satellite for APT Satellite Holdings. Long March 3B 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. Confirmation of launch success was provided by APT Satellite around 40 minutes after liftoff when the satellite had been separated into its target orbit.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reaches new Heights in latest Test Flight – Spaceflight101
Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket reached a new altitude of 107 Kilometers on Sunday. The flight was the eighth in Blue Origin's New Shepard flight test program. Sunday’s mission was the second for the “Crew Capsule 2.0” “Mannequin Skywalker’ – an instrumented test dummy to collect data on the environment human crew members would experience.
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. 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.
US-European Satellite Will Make World’s First Global Freshwater Survey
SWOT will measure the water height of a lake, river, or reservoir. It will 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 resemble this condition but happen faster than the actual process of aging on Earth. Cell-free technology could provide a simple, portable, and low-cost tool for medical diagnostics, on-demand production of medicine and vaccines, and environmental monitoring on future space missions.
NASA’s New Mineral Dust Detector Readies for Launch
EMIT will map the world’s mineral dust source regions. The imaging spectrometer will also provide information on the color and composition of dust sources globally for the first time. This data will help scientists understand which kinds of dust dominate each region and advance their understanding of dust’s impact on climate.
NASA Reveals Webb Telescope’s First Images of Unseen Universe
The full set of the telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data are available at: nasa.gov/webbfirstimages. “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.