SpaceX begins 2023 with Transporter-6 launch
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 16:54
SpaceX launches 110 smallsats on the Transporter-6 dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. The rocket’s first stage landed back at the Cape’s Landing Zone 1 eight and a half minutes after liftoff. The largest single customer on the launch, in terms of number of satellites, was Planet.
NorthStar raises $35 million for debris-tracking satellites
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-05 11:01
Canada's NorthStar Earth and Space says it has raised $35 million. NorthStar aims to use proceeds to accelerate plans for constellation of 24 satellites. Company hopes to track objects as small as one centimeter in LEO. Spire Global is building the first three satellites for NorthStar for 2023 launch.
Raytheon selects Lockheed Martin bus for U.S. Space Force missile-tracking satellite
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-04 22:35
The U.S. Space Systems Command selected two satellite designs. Both companies’ proposals last year cleared Space Force design reviews. The Pentagon is adding a layer of MEO satellites to the nation’s missile-defense architecture. The goal is to deliver the satellite for a 2026 launch.
Airbus joins Starlab commercial space station project
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-04 22:33
Airbus Defence and Space joins commercial space station project led by Voyager Space. The move could potentially make it easier for European governments to use the station. Voyager Space won one of three NASA Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development awards. Airbus will provide “technical design support and expertise” for Starlab.
China is expanding its Wenchang spaceport to host commercial and crewed moon launches
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-04 11:51
China is expanding the use of its coastal Wenchang spaceport. The spaceport will facilitate commercial launches and the growth of China’s commercial space sector. It will also launch a new-generational crew launch vehicle and the Long March 9 rocket. The development is an apparent part of long term plans for China to upgrade its overall space capabilities.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket delivered 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 the Transporter-6 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission lifted off at 9:56 AM EST (14:56 UTC) on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. The weather forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron showed a 90% chance of acceptable weather on Tuesday.
International Archives
China has completed its most successful spaceflight year yet. Remote sensing satellites were a common sight on Chinese rockets in 2022. It was also a year of commercial launches and significant expansions of the Tiangong Space Station. The Gaofen launch especially is an exemplar of their past year in spaceflight.
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. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year. Science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to be delivered to the orbiting laboratory.
News – Spaceflight101
Russia's Rockot booster 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. The satellite is part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus programme.
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 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 to record the action.
Construction Begins on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) recently passed a rigorous technical and programmatic review. Now the mission is transitioning into the final design-and-fabrication phase. The mission supports the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
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
Winter on Mars can be as cold as minus 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The Red Planet's elliptical orbit means it takes many more months for winter to come around. No region of Mars gets more than a few feet of snow, most of which falls over extremely flat areas. A single Mars year is around two Earth years.
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. The last time InSight communicated with Earth was Dec. 15.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface
A titanium tube containing a rock sample is resting on the Red Planet’s surface after being placed there on Dec. 21. Over the next two months, the rover will deposit a total of 10 tubes at the location, called “Three Forks. The depot marks a historic early step in the Mars Sample Return campaign.