Governments to be major customers of future Axiom Space private astronaut missions
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-01 07:05
Axiom Space says customers for its upcoming private astronaut missions are dominated by governments. Company's second mission to the station, tentatively scheduled to launch in May, will be commanded by Peggy Whitson. Axiom Space has not announced customers for missions beyond Ax-2.
Space Development Agency issues draft solicitation for 72 satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-01 15:33
The Space Development Agency is building a layered network of military satellites. The agency already has acquired satellites for Tranche 0 and Tranche 1 of the Transport Layer. The new solicitation is for 72 Tranche 2 Beta satellites. The 72 Beta satellites will be divided into six orbital planes.
OneWeb secures $50 million Canadian satellite capacity deal
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-02 00:04
Galaxy Broadband says it is buying capacity from OneWeb for $50 million. The agreement enables Galaxy to expand into the northern territory of Nunavut. Galaxy became one of OneWeb’s first distribution partners in September 2021. OneWeb launched commercial services in Canada in April and has more than 100 sites.
What future for the Space Launch System?
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-01 15:04
NASA's Space Launch System performed a spectacularly successful first test flight beginning Nov. 16, 2022. The rocket is designed to return humanity to Earth’s moon with a launch architecture that includes minimal assembly or refueling in orbit. The $4 billion-plus annual cost to maintain SLS, the Orion capsule, and their infrastructure is unlikely to decline much when the rocket becomes operational.
First commercial crew astronauts receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Original Publication Date: 2023-02-01 00:40
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. They flew on the Demo-2 Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station in 2020. Vice President Kamala Harris gave the award at a ceremony in Washington. Neither Behnken nor Hurley spoke during the public ceremony.
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)
International Archives
Japan conducts first orbital flight of 2023. Rocket carried classified IGS-7 radar reconnaissance satellite into Sun-synchronous orbit. Launch window lasted just 61 seconds, closing at 01:50:21 UTC. The mission is the first of several planned orbital launches for Japan in 2023.
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.
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. Sentinel-3B is the latest addition to Europe's Copernicus satellite fleet. It will launch on Wednesday.
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. Exact details on the fourth stage of China’s new Long March 11 launcher are not available. It is reportedly built around a YF-50 main engine.
Documentary Series: JPL and the Space Age
JPL and the Space Age is a new series of documentaries about NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The series uses rare archival footage and interviews with many of JPL’s pioneering engineers and scientists. Each episode was written, produced and directed by JPL Fellow and national Emmy Award-winning documentarian Blaine Baggett.
Second Earth-sized World Found in System's Habitable Zone
Astronomers previously discovered three planets in this system, called TOI 700 b, c, and d. Planet e is about 10% smaller than planet d, so the system also shows how additional TESS observations help us find smaller and smaller worlds. TOI 700 is a small, cool M dwarf star located around 100 light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado.