ESA ends efforts to recover Sentinel-1B
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-03 15:05
European Space Agency ends efforts to restore operations of Sentinel-1B satellite. Sentinel-1B malfunctioned more than half a year ago. Agency will instead move up the launch of a replacement satellite. A new satellite, Sentinel-1C, is nearly ready for launch.
Momentus deploys additional satellites from Vigoride tug
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-03 10:49
Momentus has deployed additional satellites from its first space tug. The company said Aug. 2 that it deployed four satellites from the Vigoride-3 tug in July. The tug encountered technical problems shortly after its launch in May. The company is moving forward with a second launch later this year.
Biden to sign chips bill in a boost for satellite supply chains
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-02 22:48
Bill would give $52 billion in subsidies to U.S. Chip makers. President Biden is set to sign the bill, dubbed the Chips and Science Act. It aims to boost U.S. Competitiveness in the global semiconductor market. A lack of chips and other spacecraft components has been delaying satellite projects.
Geospatial analysis provider Descartes Labs sold to private equity firm
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-04 12:51
Private equity firm Antarctica Capital has acquired Descartes Labs. Antarctica said it bought a controlling stake in Descartes for an undisclosed sum. Descartes provides analysis from a mix of third-party satellites with a cloud-based platform. Antarctica formed a Canadian optical satellite imagery provider called EarthDaily Analytics.
ULA launches the last SBIRS U.S. Space Force missile warning satellite
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-04 10:49
The SBIRS GEO-6 mission was the sixth and last of the Space Based Infrared System constellation. The satellite is being deployed to a customized geosynchronous transfer orbit. The $1 billion GEO-6 is built on the LM 2100 bus and carries a sensor payload.
Rocket Lab launches classified mission for National Reconnaissance Office
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-04 07:22
Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches National Reconnaissance Office mission. The NROL-199 mission lifted off from the company’s Launch Complex-1 at Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. Rocket Lab said the payload separated from the rocket an hour after liftoff. The payload was deployed to its intended orbit.
First SLS launch remains on schedule for late August
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-03 22:28
NASA officials: Work to prepare SLS and Orion for Artemis 1 mission is "on plan" Crews have been working on both SLS and Orion, ranging from repairs to installing payloads. Technicians powered on Orion for the final time before launch last weekend. Artemis 1 will send uncrewed Orion spacecraft to the moon, where it will fire for a “powered fly-by” of the moon.
Cape Canaveral on the cusp of new records amid blistering launch rate – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-08-03 00:00
U.S. Space Force has been ready to support two launches in a single day for at least a couple of years. The launch day doubleheader would also mark the shortest span between two space launches from Florida’s Space Coast since 1967. ULA and SpaceX, the two launch companies with the biggest presence on the Space Coast, are scheduled to launch rockets Thursday.
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
Rocket Lab launched the 29th Electron mission on August 4 at 05:00 UTC. NROL-199 launched from Launch Complex-1B (LC-1B) at Rocket Lab’s launch facility in New Zealand. In addition to the NROL-199 designation, the mission has been nicknamed “Antipodean Adventure” by Rocket Lab.
International Archives
Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1v rocket today at 20:25 UTC from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The payload was the Kosmos-2558 satellite deployed into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) The payload is a satellite by the Russian Defense Ministry, with an unknown purpose.
Chinese Long March 3B Launches APStar-6C Communications Satellite – Spaceflight101
China launches rare commercial launch of Long March 3B rocket with APStar-6C communications satellite. Long March 3B lifted off from 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.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reaches new Heights in latest Test Flight – Spaceflight101
Blue Origin's reusable New Shepard launch system reached new heights in a test designed to expand the vehicle’s operational envelope by sending it to a peak altitude of 107 Kilometers. Sunday’s flight marked the second for this particular set of hardware, following up on the successful December 2017 mission that debuted “Crew Capsule 2.0”
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 will be 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 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. 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.
Tonga Eruption Blasted Unprecedented Amount of Water Into Stratosphere
Volcanic eruptions rarely inject much water into the stratosphere. The excess water vapor injected by the Tonga volcano could remain in the stratosphere for several years. This extra water vapor could influence atmospheric chemistry, boosting certain chemical reactions that could temporarily worsen depletion of the ozone layer.
Webb Captures Stellar Gymnastics in the Cartwheel Galaxy
The Webb Space Telescope is the world's premier space science observatory. It will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe. Webb gives us a snapshot of the current state of the Cartwheel, but it also provides insight into what happened to this galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future.
NASA’s Mineral Dust Detector Starts Gathering Data
NASA's EMIT mission has provided its first view of Earth. The milestone, called “first light,” took place at 7:51 p.m. PDT. EMIT is focused on mapping the mineral dust composition of Earth’s arid regions.
NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033
The Mars Sample Return campaign is expected to move into its preliminary design phase this October. In this phase, expected to last about 12 months, the program will complete technology development and create engineering prototypes. With planned launch dates for the Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander in fall 2027 and summer 2028, respectively, the samples are expected to arrive on Earth in 2033.
NASA Marks 25 Years Since Pathfinder Touched Down on Mars
NASA's search for life on the Martian surface started in 1976, when the twin Viking landers arrived. Pathfinder’s team harnessed new approaches and technologies to deliver the mission ahead of schedule and at a lower cost than the Viking landers. To take the public along for the journey, the agency harnessed the power of the Internet.
US-European Satellite Will Make World’s First Global Freshwater Survey
SWOT will measure the water height – whether it be in a lake, river, or reservoir – and 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.