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. Next Artemis 1 launch attempt scheduled for 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.
Space Force lays out timeline for 2023 rapid-response launch experiment
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-06 10:48
The U.S. Space Force awarded a contract last month to Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space. This will be Space Safari’s second attempt to demonstrate “tactically responsive space. Congress has insisted the Space Force should have in case U.S. Satellites are shot down.
Psyche review finds institutional problems at JPL
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-05 21:59
An independent review of problems that delayed the launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission uncovered institutional issues at JPL. The mission suffered delays in development and testing of its flight software. The board linked those problems to more fundamental issues with the management at JPL. NASA said it’s implementing recommendations specific to Psyche, including increasing staffing on the mission.
Northrop Grumman ready for space station resupply mission – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-05 00:00
Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket is set to begin a resupply mission to the International Space Station. The rocket's current configuration will be retired next year to allow Northrop Grumman to develop a U.S.-made booster for future space station cargo flights. The official launch weather forecast calls for an 80% chance of favorable conditions for launch before sunrise.
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb launches 36 satellites aboard India's GSLV Mk.III rocket. Mission marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV. Launch took place at 12:07 AM local time on Sunday, Oct. 23 (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22)
Commercial Archives
Northrop Grumman was preparing to launch the second to last Antares 230+ rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia for the NG-18 mission to the International Space Station. A fire alarm in Cygnus’ mission control center initially pushed the launch to 5:55 AM EST, the end of the window, before eventually scrubbing the launch for the day. Teams have set up for 24-hour recycle and will try again to launch NG-18 within a 5-minute window that opens at 5:27 AM EST (10:27 UTC) on Monday, Nov. 7.
International Archives
China successfully launched the Zhongxing-19 mission on a Chang Zheng 3B/E rocket today. The rocket took off at 11:50 UTC from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China and launched into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) This launch is a replacement payload for the previously malfunctioned Zhongxing 18 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
A SpaceX Falcon 9 took 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.
News – Spaceflight101
Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet is gearing up for the arrival of its next addition on Wednesday. A Russian Rockot booster is set to blast off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 17:57 UTC with the Sentinel-3B multi-function satellite.
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
Psyche mission missed its planned 2022 launch opportunity. Review board found imbalance between workload and available workforce at JPL. NASA will work closely with JPL management over the coming months to address the challenges raised in the report. Board will meet again in spring 2023 to assess progress.
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.
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 says its 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 of whether the mission would be able to overcome these issues to successfully launch in 2023.