Chang’e-6 orbiter turns up at Sun-Earth Lagrange point after moon sampling mission
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 09:36
Chang’e-6 orbiter is now at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange as part of extended activities. L2 is a quasi-stable point in space where the gravitational and centrifugal forces are balanced. China plans to send the “ Earth 2.0 ” exoplanet-hunting mission to L2 in 2028.
Europa Clipper passes pre-launch review
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 22:40
Europa Clipper mission has passed a review called Key Decision Point E. That allows the mission to move ahead into final preparations for a launch in October. A three-week window opens Oct. 10 on a Falcon Heavy from the Kennedy Space Center. Europa Clipper will attempt to determine if that subsurface ocean is potentially habitable.
Lynk Global shakes up leadership amid ongoing funding talks
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 20:33
Lynk Global has revamped its leadership team as efforts to raise capital drag on. Chief commercial officer Dan Dooley was promoted to CEO Sept. 9. John Olson, a retired Air Force General, was appointed president of strategic development. Lynk has until Dec. 25 to merge with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)
Leah Harris Joins SpaceNews as Marketing, Advertising Operations, and Audience Development Manager
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 14:37
Leah Harris joins SpaceNews as the new Marketing, Advertising Operations, and Audience Development Manager. Leah brings a wealth of experience in digital marketing, campaign management, and audience engagement. This strategic hire underscores SpaceNews’s commitment to investing in key areas to better serve our readers and advertising clients.
ESA performs targeted reentry of Cluster satellite
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 11:45
European Space Agency successfully deorbited Cluster 2 or "Salsa" The satellite reentered a 2:47 p.m. Eastern in the South Pacific west of Chile. Spacecraft controllers had targeted this area to minimize the risk from debris. Salsa is the first of four Cluster satellites that will reenter.
FAA to complete orbital debris upper stage regulations in 2025
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 00:25
The FAA is moving ahead with efforts to develop rules for the disposal of upper stages. A Centaur upper stage left in a geostationary transfer orbit from the March 2018 launch of the GOES 18 weather satellite had broken up. Slingshot Aerospace, which operates a network of telescopes to track objects in orbit, said it was tracking more than 40 pieces of debris.
SpaceX is standing on Tuesday for Polaris Dawn launch, so far – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 00:00
SpaceX has announced a new launch date of September 10 for their Polaris Dawn mission. The first stage booster B1083 is making its fourth flight and will land on the drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ about nine and a half minutes after launch. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea, which is why the indefinite delays due to turgid ocean waters from huge storms and record rainfall that is not conducive for a human landing. The mission will include the first private citizen spacewalk and ascend to 1,400 kilometers, the highest orbit with humans since the Apollo 17 moon mission.
Sunstorm CubeSat developed by Kuva Space + Isaware completes mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
The Sunstorm CubeSat re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on September 4, 2024, at 10:30 EEST. The mission’s primary goal was to collect high-resolution data to advance our understanding of solar eruptions and space weather phenomena. Observing solar X-rays is crucial for predicting space weather, but this can only be done from space.
Intuitive Machines names key leadership appointments – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-10 00:00
Pete McGrath will transition to the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Steven Vontur will transition from serving as the Company’s Interim Chief Financial Officer to Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. Jack Fischer will transition to Senior Vice President, Production and Operations.
New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender to deter hostility and spread of debris in orbit – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 00:00
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations. New Zealand will contribute by deploying a New Zealand Defence Force liaison officer to the US Space Command in Colorado for the next two years.
SpaceX to launch AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites, “each the largest communications array ever deployed in low Earth orbit” – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 00:00
AST SpaceMobile is building the first space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard smartphones. The launch of AST SpaceMobile’s upcoming satellites is targeted on or after September 12th from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After launch, the BlueBird satellites are planned to offer non-continuous cellular broadband service across the United States and in select markets globally.
NASA’s Hubble, Chandra Find Supermassive Black Hole Duo
Two of the three bright spots are the source of strong X-ray emission, a telltale sign that they are supermassive black holes. The black hole pair is a result of a merger between two galaxies that will eventually collide. Their separation is about 300 light-years. The third spot is a blob of bright gas.
NASA JPL Scientists, Engineers Collaborate With Artists for Exhibition
’Blended Worlds: An Evening of Art, Theater, and Science’ will be held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Oct. 5. “Earth Data: The Musical,” an original musical exploring the challenges of climate research and science as a human pursuit will be performed at Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium Nov. 1 to 3. “We were looking to create imaginative opportunities for people to connect with each other as they connect with the awe-inspiring science being conducted today,” said David Delgado, a cultural strategist and the project lead at JPL.
Launch Roundup: Polaris Dawn, ISS crewed launch headline busy week
Original Publication Date: 2024-09-09 22:28
This week’s manifest features up to four Falcon 9 launches, including the highly anticipated Polaris Dawn crewed mission. A mission carrying AST SpaceMobile’s first five cellphone-compatible broadband satellites, and the delayed launch of two more satellites for Europe’s mid-Earth orbit Galileo constellation. Roscosmos will launch the Soyuz MS-26 crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), and Japan will launch a radar reconnaissance satellite on an H-IIA rocket. Rocket Lab will launch the second batch of IoT satellites to orbit for its customer Kinéis.