Promoting, protecting and defending freedom’s expansion in space - SpaceNews
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-28 22:19
U.S. Expansion into the high frontier of space has proven to be critically important to global security and economic growth. Commercial space assets are an essential element of U.S. National defense plans and operations. Euroconsult global 2021 forecast projected 17,000 satellites being built and launched by 2030.
Thales Alenia Space studying reusable spacecraft for in-orbit manufacturing
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-28 14:29
Uncrewed rather than crewed spacecraft will be key to emerging in-orbit manufacturing industry. European venture tasked with developing vehicle called REV1 for missions starting in late 2025. Space Cargo Unlimited says uncrewed system could be more flexible and cheaper. Target markets include biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturers.
NASA made sole-source award for space station spacesuit
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-28 13:30
NASA awarded a $97.2 million task order to Collins Aerospace to develop a spacesuit. The suit will replace the aging Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suits. NASA awarded the task order as part of its Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services, or xEVAS.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket carried 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 launched a batch of 54 Starlink internet satellites – Starlink Group 5-1 – into low Earth orbit (LEO) this Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. Liftoff occurred at 4:34 AM EST (09:34 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida.
International Archives
Russia plans to launch its first probe to the Moon since 1976 in 2022. The new Soyuz GVK resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station will also be launched. 2022 proved to be a slow year for the Russian launch cadence, with one Proton-M launch, two launches of the new Angara rocket, and 19 Soyuz rocket launches.
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. Falcon 9 lifts a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware. 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. Read more
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.
Watch the Latest Water Satellite Unfold Itself in Space
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite launched into Earth orbit on Friday, Dec. 16. The solar arrays fully deployed shortly after launch, taking about 10 minutes. The mission monitors and controls the satellite using telemetry data, but it also equipped spacecraft with four customized commercial cameras.
Construction Begins on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter
NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor is transitioning into the final design-and-fabrication phase. The mission supports the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 directed NASA to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 140 meters (460 feet) across.
Moon Water Imager Integrated With NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer
Lunar Trailblazer, NASA’s mission to understand lunar water and the Moon’s water cycle, is one step closer to launching next year. Earlier this month, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California delivered a key science instrument to Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado. The instrument, called the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper, is one of two on Lunar Trailblazer.
NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars
The surface of Mars is covered in snow, ice, and frost in winter. The coldest temperatures occur at the planet's poles, where it gets as low as minus 190 degrees Fahrenheit. No region of Mars gets more than a few feet of snow, most of which falls over extremely flat areas.
Juno Spacecraft Recovering Memory After 47th Flyby of Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft completed its 47th close pass of Jupiter on Dec. 14. Afterward, as the solar-powered orbiter was sending its science data to mission controllers from its onboard computer, the downlink was disrupted. The issue was most likely caused by a radiation spike as Juno flew through a radiation-intensive portion of Jupiter’s magnetosphere.
NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science
NASA's InSight mission has ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts. NASA had previously decided to declare the mission over if the lander missed two communication attempts.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is depositing samples on the Red Planet. The depot marks a historic early step in the Mars Sample Return campaign. Over the next two months, the rover will deposit a total of 10 tubes at the location, called “Three Forks.