Orion splashes down to end Artemis 1
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-11 17:50
Orion spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Baja California at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Dec. 11. The splashdown took place near recovery forces led by the USS Portland. “This has been an extraordinarily successful mission,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
United Nations General Assembly approves ASAT test ban resolution
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 10:50
The resolution calls on countries to halt destructive testing of direct-ascent ASAT weapons. A total of 155 nations voted in favor of the resolution, with 9 voting against it and 9 others abstaining. The resolution is non-binding in the sense that it does not require countries to halt such tests.
Space Force faces key questions ahead of next launch services procurement - SpaceNews
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-12 22:00
The U.S. Space Force is in the process of defining the framework for Phase 3 of the National Security Space Launch program. Right now the program’s requirements are being met by two providers: United Launch Alliance (ULA) and SpaceX. The commercial launch market is undergoing a revolution, with providers finding increasing demand outpacing supply.
ThinkOrbital designing platform for in-space manufacturing, debris removal
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-12 21:40
ThinkOrbital is designing an orbital platform aimed at commercial businesses, military and government agencies. The company’s spherical habitat would be assembled in space using a robotic arm. ThinkOrbital is teaming up with another startup, K2 Space, for the next phase of Orbital Prime which could be worth up to $1.5 million.
Technical issue likely to blame for Iranian news channel outage, says Eutelsat
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-12 20:46
Eutelsat says technical issue likely knocked Iran's Press TV temporarily off the air. French satellite operator calls on partners to stop broadcasting the news channel. Press TV initially said Eutelsat had "taken Press TV off air" Eutelsat sent out official request to immediately cease broadcasting Press TV.
Artemis 1 success earns widespread praise
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-12 10:37
Artemis 1 mission wraps up 25 and a half days after its liftoff. Capsule splashes down in Pacific Ocean west of Baja California. White House, members of Congress, industry praise Artemis 1 mission. Artemis program has suffered extensive delays due to problems with SLS and Orion.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches new ocean monitoring satellite. PSLV C54 rocket lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:56 local time (06:26 UTC) EOS-06 spacecraft will be placed into a low Earth orbit. It will provide data on the ocean's surface.
Commercial Archives
SpaceX has used its Falcon 9 rocket to send a privately funded mission toward the surface of the moon. HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) on Dec. 11.
International Archives
China has had a busy few days with four orbital launches. The Shiyan-20A satellite was launched aboard a Chang Zheng 4C rocket. China has seen the debut of one new rocket and the first successful flight of another. The first successful flight of the Chang Zheng 4C was launched on Monday.
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 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.
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.
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 in a nominal mission conducts the orbital circularization after the three CZ-11 stages.
Latest International Water Satellite Packs an Engineering Punch
KaRIn will measure the height of water in the ocean, “seeing” features like currents and eddies that are less than 13 miles (20 kilometers) across. It will also collect data on lakes and reservoirs larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across.
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Has Launched – Follow the Mission in Real Time
Lunar Flashlight will use lasers to look for water ice on the Moon's surface. The spacecraft's avatar is an exact model of the real thing, down to its solar arrays, science instrument, and thrusters. With the drag of a finger or mouse, users can change their perspective of the SmallSat and see where it is.
Practice Makes Perfect for Student Inventions at JPL Competition
The Invention Challenge returned to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Friday. Teams created devices that launched bouncy rubber balls 5 ¼ inches (13 centimeters) in diameter. Hammers and mallets, giant rubber bands and bungee cords, PVC piping and lots of wood went into the designs.
Water-Tracking SWOT Satellite Encapsulated in Rocket Payload Fairing
The SWOT satellite, or the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, is now encapsulated in its payload fairing. The fairing protects the satellite from aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Once in orbit, SWOT will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth’s surface.
Water Mission to Gauge Alaskan Rivers on Front Lines of Climate Change
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and CNES, with contributions from the CSA and the UK Space Agency. “SWOT is going to allow us to see what’s going on in Alaska hydrologically in ways that we haven’t before,” says Tamlin Pavelsky, NASA’s SWOT freshwater science lead.
NASA Press Events at 2022 Fall AGU Meeting
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter began the era of powered-controlled flight on Mars on April 19, 2021. OSIRIS-REx is on track to deliver a sizable sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. The team will discuss the importance of this sample and what we hope to learn from it.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Gets the Dirt on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover snagged two new samples from the Martian surface on Dec. 2 and 6. One of these two samples will be considered for deposit on the Martian surface sometime this month. Scientists want to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to search for signs of ancient microbial life.