China’s mystery spaceplane releases object into orbit
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-02 13:27
China's spaceplane has released an object into orbit, according to tracking data from the U.S. Space Force. China carried out the second launch of its “reusable experimental spacecraft” from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert atop a Long March 2F rocket Aug. 4. The spacecraft has now been in orbit for 90 days.
Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on upcoming Electron launch
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-02 11:45
Rocket Lab says it will make a second mid-air recovery attempt of an Electron booster. The launch is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 1:15 p.m. Eastern from New Zealand. It will be the second attempt to recover the Electron’s first stage, descending under a parachute.
NRO to sign deals with commercial providers of hyperspectral imaging
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-03 22:02
The next round of contracts will be for hyperspectral satellite data. Hyperspectral sensors provide data across a multitude of spectral bands. The NRO has for years expressed interest in using the data. The release of the RFP is expected before the end of this year.
Civilian space traffic management office coming along, but ‘don’t expect magic’
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-03 21:15
Office of Space Commerce is working to build out an infrastructure to handle the demands of tracking satellites. Office's primary job is to advocate for the U.S. Space industry and oversee commercial remote-sensing regulations. Most of the office’s efforts are now focused on implementing a 2018 policy directive. OSC will not manage space traffic but rather provide information to help prevent collisions.
First Starliner crewed flight further delayed
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-03 20:39
NASA says first flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle delayed. Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, with astronauts on board, now scheduled for April 2023. NASA said the new date avoids a conflict with the SpaceX Crew-6 mission.
FCC proposes new bureau for space activities
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-03 15:04
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announces plans to reorganize the agency. She wants to create a bureau devoted to the agency's increasing work with space systems. Rosenworcel says she sought to create the Space Bureau to deal with the commission's existing space activities.
Live coverage: SpaceX launches TV broadcasting satellite for Eutelsat – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-02 00:00
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 1:22 a.m. EDT (0522 GMT) Thursday from Cape Canaveral with Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13G television broadcasting satellite. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed on a downrange drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters from the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 90% probability of favorable weather for liftoff.
SpaceX teams in Florida prep for second launch in as many days – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-02 00:00
Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13G communications satellite folded up for launch on top of the Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket will fire into space on a trajectory east from Florida’s Space Coast. The rocket’s first stage — designated B1067 — will return to landing on SpaceX’s drone ship “Just Read the Instructions”
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb launches 36 satellites aboard India's GSLV Mk.III rocket. Mission marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV rocket. Launch took place at 12:07 AM local time (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22) The launch is part of OneWeb's deployment of its satellite constellation.
Commercial Archives
SpaceX has conducted its 51st launch of 2022 with Eutelsat’s Hotbird-13G telecommunication satellite. The Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) The launch was delayed to the end of the 116-minute long window at 1:22 AM EDT (05:22 UTC) on Nov. 3.
International Archives
The first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is planned to make the 6.7 km trip from High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) back out to Launch Complex 39B on Friday morning. The move follows a five-week stay in the VAB to shelter from Hurricane Ian and allow teams to prepare the vehicle for its next launch attempt.
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 took to the skies over Florida’s Cape Canaveral Monday afternoon. The Falcon 9 lifted a flight-proven Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware. 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. The rocket will carry a Russian Rockot booster with a 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.
NASA to Discuss Psyche Independent Review Board Results
NASA will host a community town hall at 12 p.m. EDT (9 a.m. PDT) on Friday, Nov. 4. Members of the science community, academia, media, and public, are invited to join the discussion online. Following the town hall, NASA will host a media call.
NASA Prepares to Say ‘Farewell’ to InSight Spacecraft
InSight’s seismometer has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes since the lander touched down in November 2018. The lander data has yielded details about Mars’ interior layers, its liquid core, the surprisingly variable remnants beneath the surface.
NASA Solar System Ambassadors: Sharing the Science for 25 Years
NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors Program is celebrating its 25th anniversary in fall 2022. The program is funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and is managed by NASA’’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. In the spirit of a genuine grassroots endeavor, the Solar System Ambassadors program was originally called the Galileo Ambassador Program.
Haunting Portrait: NASA’s Webb Reveals Dust, Structure in Pillars of Creation
The Pillars of Creation is set within the vast Eagle Nebula, which lies 6,500 light-years away. The scene was first captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 and revisited in 2014. As a result of the new MIRI image, astronomers now have higher-resolution data in mid-infrared light than ever before.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Ready to Search for the Moon’s Water Ice
Lunar Flashlight will be the first mission to use a four-laser reflectometer to look for water ice on the Moon. It’s thought that molecules of water come from comet and asteroid material impacting the lunar surface. Over time, the molecules may have accumulated as a layer of ice inside “cold traps”
NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid Mission
Psyche missed its planned 2022 launch period as a result of mission development problems. An internal review led to an internal review of whether the mission would be able to overcome these issues. The independent review board is still finalizing its report, which, along with NASA’s response, will be shared publicly.
NASA and ESA Agree on Next Steps to Return Mars Samples to Earth
NASA and its partner ESA will proceed with the creation of a sample tube depot on Mars. The sample depot, or cache, will be at “Three Forks,’ an area located near the base of an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater. This cache will contain samples from carefully selected rocks on the surface of Mars.