Report calls on NASA to improve coordination of Artemis international partnerships
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-18 12:48
NASA inspector general says agency needs to do a better job coordinating international partnerships. Report found strong international interest in Artemis, which NASA can use to reduce cost of effort. As of October 2022, NASA had signed 54 Artemis-related agreements with other space agencies. OIG report made 10 recommendations to NASA on ways to improve coordination.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches fifth GPS satellite for U.S. Space Force
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-18 12:39
The Falcon 9 launched the Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 SV-06. The GPS constellation of 31 satellites provides positioning, navigation and timing signals. The next GPS satellite due for launch, SV-07, will fly to orbit on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
ClearSpace raises $29 million ahead of first debris removal mission
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-19 09:00
Swiss startup ClearSpace has raised about $29 million to support its first space debris removal mission. ClearSpace has now raised about 130 million euros ($140 million) from commercial and government sources. ClearSpace expects to start booking commercial revenues sometime between 2026 and 2028.
NASA scales back project to send scientists to ISS
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-19 04:00
NASA sought funding in fiscal year 2023 for Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science. CERISS intended to allow scientists to fly on private astronaut missions to ISS. CERISS depended on securing a budget increase for NASA's biological and physical sciences division. Director Craig Kundrot says budget shortfall will affect other programs in his division.
ABL Space Systems blames RS1 launch failure on loss of power
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-19 02:40
ABL Space Systems says a power failure caused the inaugural launch of the RS1 rocket to fail. The company initially said that the launch failed when its nine first stage engine shut down. Data suggests there may have been a fire in the engine bay, the company says. The company did not give a timeline for completing the investigation.
Anuvu gets deal to resell Starlink to maritime customers amid Telesat uncertainty
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-18 22:29
Anuvu said it has permission to resell broadband from SpaceX’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network. Los Angeles-headquartered Anuvu leases capacity from dozens of GEO satellites. SpaceX is increasingly turning to resellers to help expand Starlink’s reach.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket launched at 11:56 local time (06:26 UTC) It delivered the EOS-06 spacecraft into a low Earth orbit. The mission, PSLV C54, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Commercial Archives
SpaceX is preparing to carry out the first Starlink launch of 2023 with a mission that will place 51 satellites into orbit. The Group 2-4 mission, which was delayed from November, is now slated for liftoff at 7:43 AM PST Thursday (15:43 UTC)
International Archives
China has launched two more missions to orbit. First, a Chang Zheng 2C launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) on Thursday at 18:10 UTC. On Friday a Chang Zheng 2D was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC)
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 Europe’s next addition to the Copernicus satellite fleet. Read more here.
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 on Friday. 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 Falcon 9 is lifting a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the International Space Station. This is the first of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year.
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.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System
Lunar Flashlight is the first interplanetary spacecraft to use a new kind of ‘green’ propellant. The mission’s upgraded Iris radio features a new precision navigation capability. Other new and groundbreaking systems, such as the mission’s laser reflectometer, will be tested.
NASA Scientists and Satellites Make Sense of Earth’s Subtle Motions
The Hayward Fault is one of the two most dangerous faults in California. The fault is now past its average of 150 years between earthquakes. Creeping faults are less likely to produce large earthquakes because the motion relieves much of the stress. NASA-Indian Space Research Organization Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) will launch in 2024.
NASA’s TESS Discovers Planetary System’s Second Earth-Size World
Astronomers have identified an Earth-size world, called TOI 700 e, orbiting within the habitable zone of its star. The world is 95% Earth’s size and likely rocky. Astronomers previously discovered three planets in this system, called TOi 700 b, c, and d.
NASA Wants You to Help Study Planets Around Other Stars
Exoplanet Watch is a free program that allows anyone to look for planets outside our solar system. Participants can use their own telescopes or look through data from other telescopes using a computer or smartphone. Exoplanet Watch began in 2018 under NASA’s Universe of Learning program.
NASA Space Missions Pinpoint Sources of CO2 Emissions on Earth
Emissions from large facilities such as power plants and refineries account for about half of global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Bełchatów Power Station, in operation since 1988, is the largest lignite-fired power plant in the world. The Polish government has drafted plans to close the plant by the end of 2036.
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 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 (PDCO)