Space Perspective acquires ship for ocean-based balloon launch platform
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-15 11:07
Space Perspective is buying a ship it plans to use as an oceangoing launch platform for its balloons. Florida-based company announced Nov. 15 it acquired a ship called MS Voyager. Space Perspective already planned to have its Spaceship Neptune capsule splash down in the ocean.
NASA continues with Artemis 1 launch attempt after evaluating hurricane damage
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-15 07:21
NASA says loose caulk on Orion spacecraft did not pose a significant risk. Weather forecasts project a 90% chance of acceptable conditions for the planned launch. Issue involved loose material called room temperature vulcanizing silicone. About three meters of RTV came loose during Hurricane Nicole.
ClearSpace announces life extension collaboration with Intelsat
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-14 23:56
ClearSpace plans mission to extend the life of an Intelsat satellite before it runs out of fuel. Intelsat declined to comment on the specifics of its collaboration with ClearSpace. Intelsat is currently the only satellite operator that has employed commercial life extension services.
Terran Orbital sees staff departures as it turns focus to military satellites
Original Publication Date: 2022-11-14 23:21
Three executives resigned over disagreements with Terran Orbital’s management on the direction of the company. CEO Marc Bell said the executives resigned over disagreements over the company’s decision to focus primarily on the national security satellite market. “They wanted to build cubesats. They don’t want to build military satellites and protect national interests,” Bell said.
NASASpaceFlight.com
OneWeb launches 36 satellites aboard India's GSLV Mk.III rocket. Mission marks the first commercial launch for the GSLV. Launch took place at 12:07 AM local time (18:37 UTC on Saturday, Oct. 22) OneWeb has resumed deployment of its satellite constellation.
Commercial Archives
ABL Space Systems (ABL) is preparing to launch the debut flight of the RS1 launch vehicle. The three-hour launch window opens at 1:00 PM AKST (22:00 UTC) Onboard are two CubeSats built by OmniTeq, previously L2 Aerospace.
International Archives
China successfully launched the Tianzhou-5 mission to the Tiangong Space Station for cargo resupply. The mission launched at 02:03 UTC on Friday, Nov. 11 on a Chang Zheng 7 (Long March 7 in English) The launch was conducted from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, in China.
ISS Updates – Spaceflight101 – International Space Station
NASA's veteran and rookie spacewalker worked for nearly six hours outside the International Space Station on Friday to finish the restoration of the Station’s Mobile Servicing System. The restoration of the Mobile Servicing System started last year and continued in January to provide Canadarm2 with a new pair of grappling hands.
Featured – Spaceflight101
A SpaceX Falcon 9 took to the skies over Florida’s Cape Canaveral Monday afternoon. It was lifting 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 and a Sentinel-3B satellite. The rocket is expected to arrive in space 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.
NASA to Brief Media on First Earth Water-Monitoring Satellite Mission
NASA will host a virtual media briefing to discuss the upcoming launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. SWOT will be the first satellite mission to observe nearly all water on Earth’s surface. The briefing will livestream on NASA Television, Facebook and YouTube, as well as the agency’s app and on its website.
Satellites Help Scientists Track Dramatic Wetlands Loss in Louisiana
NASA-funded researchers quantified those wetlands losses at nearly 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) per year since the early 1980s. Some of those wetlands were submerged by rising seas; others were disrupted by oil and gas infrastructure and hurricanes. But the primary driver of losses was coastal and river engineering.
As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review
NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory respond to independent review board's findings. The Psyche mission missed its planned 2022 launch opportunity. NASA will work closely with JPL management to address the challenges raised in the report. The board will meet again in spring 2023 to assess progress.
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 of its mostly extinct magnetic field.
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. The Solar Systems Ambassadors Program works with motivated volunteers across the nation to communicate the science and excitement of NASA’s missions.
Haunting Portrait: NASA’s Webb Reveals Dust, Structure in Pillars of Creation
The Pillars of Creation are 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. With every observation, astronomers gain new information, and through their ongoing research build a deeper understanding of this star-forming region.