Space Force opens door to Blue Origin with new cooperative agreement
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-20 11:10
The cooperative research and development agreement does not include any government funding. New Glenn is still in development and Blue Origin has no target date for the first launch. With this new CRADA, the Space Force is signaling it wants to see Blue Origin challenge ULA and SpaceX.
Orion ready for lunar flyby maneuver
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-20 02:52
NASA has approved plans to proceed with the next critical milestone in the Artemis 1 mission. The outbound powered flyby (OPF) maneuver will send Orion out towards a distant retrograde orbit. The burn, slated to last two and a half minutes, is scheduled for 7:44 a.m. Eastern Nov. 21.
SpaceX to launch last new cargo Dragon spacecraft
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-19 17:59
SpaceX Dragon launching soon to the International Space Station is the last cargo version of the spacecraft the company expects to build. SpaceX plans to build a fifth and likely final Crew Dragon. The new Crew Dragon should be ready for a first flight “in the 2024 timeframe”
White House, Congress praise long-delayed first SLS launch
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 22:38
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted congratulatory remarks about the launch. The launch also got a warm reception by leaders of congressional committees with oversight of NASA. However, the praise of the launch rarely, if ever, mentioned the Artemis program has faced. The vehicle was originally intended to make its first flight by the end of 2016.
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb has resumed deployment of its satellite constellation with the launch of 36 satellites aboard India’s GSLV Mk.III rocket. The mission – which marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV – lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Commercial Archives
ABL Space Systems (ABL) is 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 (TSS) Roscosmos rounded out the hat trick later on Nov. 17 back at the ISS.
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
A SpaceX Falcon 9 took to the skies over Florida’s Cape Canaveral Monday afternoon. The Falcon 9 lifted a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware. It was the first of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year.
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 rocket will carry the multi-function Sentinel-3B satellite into orbit. It is the latest addition to Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet.
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.
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 from 1993 to 2020 show sea level rise along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts are substantially higher than for the Northeast and West coasts. Future sea level rise will be in the higher range of estimates for all regions, scientists say.
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. To make sure the DSN can keep up with demand, it is undergoing a series of improvements to increase capacity.
5 Things to Know About How SWOT Will Look at the World’s Water
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will measure the height of water in Earth’s freshwater bodies and the ocean. SWOT will help researchers track Earth’s water budget – where the water is today, where it’s coming from, and where it's going to be tomorrow.
NASA to Brief Media on First Earth Water-Monitoring Satellite Mission
NASA will host a virtual media briefing to discuss the upcoming launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. The briefing will livestream on NASA Television, Facebook and YouTube, as well as the agency’s app and on its website. Questions can be asked on social media during the briefing using #AskNASA.
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. But the primary driver of losses was coastal and river engineering.
As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review
NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) shared a response Friday to the results of an independent review board convened to determine why the Psyche mission missed its planned 2022 launch opportunity. The review board – convened at the request of NASA and JPL – found a significant factor in the delay was an imbalance between the workload and the available workforce at JPL.