SLS to roll back to VAB as hurricane approaches Florida
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 15:29
NASA will move the Space Launch System rocket from its launch pad back to the VAB. The move is a precaution given the approach of what is now Hurricane Ian to Florida. The rollback is scheduled to begin at about 11 p.m. Eastern Sept. 26. It would have the vehicle back in the VAB by morning of Sept. 27.
Beyond Gravity: Mission-critical supplier for exploration
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 14:58
Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) is a global leader for satellite structures. The company designs, engineers, manufactures, assembles and tests high-precision and dimensionally stable satellite structures. Beyond Gravity is also known for its advanced antenna systems. The company enables the communication of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope across the 1.5 million kilometers distance to Earth.
Lawmakers press Air Force for final decision on U.S. Space Command
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-27 10:00
Colorado lawmakers want U.S. Space Command to stay at Peterson Space Force Base. The Air Force wants Space Command to move to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. “A final decision must be based on the imperative to face rapidly evolving threats in space,” senators say.
DART collides with asteroid in planetary defense test
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 23:59
NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft hit Dimorphos. The asteroid is about 160 meters across orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos. The purpose of DART is to test the “kinetic impactor’ approach to changing the trajectory of asteroids.
UK shortlists Astroscale and ClearSpace for multi-debris removal mission
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 18:45
Astroscale and ClearSpace shortlisted for mission to remove two spacecraft in 2026. Astroscale said it has found “a small number of potential UK satellites currently in congested orbit. ClearSpace plans to use a spacecraft with four articulated arms to de-orbit part of a Vega rocket.
NASA and ESA sign lunar cooperation statement
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 10:27
NASA, European Space Agency sign agreement on lunar exploration. Agreement could open door to additional ESA roles in NASA-led Artemis effort. ESA provides Orion service module, is building components of lunar Gateway. In return, ESA will get to fly three astronauts on later Artemis missions.
Live coverage: NASA’s DART spacecraft intentionally slams into asteroid – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 00:00
Live coverage of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter @NASA and @CNNOngoing with our live DART coverage.
Hurricane Ian prompts NASA to move Artemis moon rocket back to its hangar – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-09-26 00:00
NASA managers decided Monday to haul the Artemis 1 rocket off its launch pad and back to the protection of the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The decision allows time for employees to address the needs of their families and protect the integrated rocket and spacecraft system. After two launch scrubs August 29 and September 3 due to hydrogen leaks and other issues, NASA targeted a third attempt for Tuesday.
NASASpaceFlight.com
The SSLV or Small Satellite Launch Vehicle conducted its launch debut from Sriharikota, India on Sunday, August 7. An issue with the fourth stage resulted in the satellites being deployed in an unusable orbit. The SSLV program’s genesis was a December 2015 National Institute of Advanced Studies proposal to create a “Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-1”
Commercial Archives
SpaceX has launched yet another batch of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on its Starlink Group 4-35 mission. This mission marks SpaceX’s 43rd mission of 2022 and 15th mission in the year’s second half – a mission every 6.2 days and 5.7 days.
International Archives
NASA and Johns Hopkins teams have successfully tested the world’s first dedicated planetary defense mission. DART impacted Dimorphos, a moonlet of near-Earth asteroid 65803 Didymos, on September 26. DART’s collision with Dimorphos produced an impact that is equivalent to that of approximately three tonnes of TNT.
Chinese Long March 3B Launches APStar-6C Communications Satellite – Spaceflight101
China launched the APStar-6C communications satellite on Thursday. The Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:06 UTC. The satellite will deliver VSAT services, video distribution, Direct-to-Home television and high-throughput cellular backhaul.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reaches new Heights in latest Test Flight – Spaceflight101
Blue Origin returned to its West Texas testing grounds on Sunday for the eighth flight of its reusable New Shepard launch system. Sunday’s flight marked the second for this particular set of hardware, following up on the successful December 2017 mission that debuted “Crew Capsule 2.0” The mission was designed to expand the vehicle’s operational envelope by sending it to a peak altitude of 107 Kilometers, a new record for New Shepard.
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. First of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of ISS this year. Dragon spacecraft will deliver science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the orbiting laboratory.
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. The rocket will carry the multi-function Sentinel-3B satellite into orbit. The launch is scheduled to take place 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. 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 Asteroid-Striking DART Mission Team Has JPL Members
DART will be at a point 6.8 million miles (11 million kilometers) from Earth when it impacts Dimorphos. The spacecraft will be closing in on the space rock at about 4 miles (6.1 kilometers) per second. DART will utilize an autonomous onboard navigator created by APL to stay on course.
NASA’s Juno Will Perform Close Flyby of Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa
Juno will pass within 218 miles (351 kilometers) of Europa. The flyby will modify Juno’s trajectory, reducing the time it takes to orbit Jupiter from 43 to 38 days. It will be the closest a NASA spacecraft has approached Europa since Galileo in 2000.
NASA’s InSight ‘Hears’ Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter flew over the estimated impact site to confirm the location. InSight’s seismometer has detected over 1,300 marsquakes. The Sept. 5, 2021, event marks the first time an impact was confirmed as the cause of such waves.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Investigates Geologically Rich Mars Terrain
The rover has collected four samples from an ancient river delta in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater since July 7. Twenty-eight miles (45 kilometers) wide, Jezero Crater hosts a delta – an ancient fan-shaped feature that formed about 3.5 billion years ago. Perseverance is currently investigating the delta’s sedimentary rocks.
NASA to Host Briefing on Perseverance Mars Rover Mission Operations
The briefing will livestream on NASA Television, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as the agency’s app. Questions can be asked on social media during the briefing using #AskNASA. Perseverance marks the first step in the Mars Sample Return campaign, which would return scientifically promising samples to Earth for further study.
NASA’s AIRS Instrument Records Typhoon Hinnamnor Before Landfall
Airlift, launched in 2002, was the first instrument to reveal the 3D distribution of rain within tropical storms like Hinnamnor. AIRS is part of NASA’s larger Earth observing fleet, which works to measure components of the global water and energy cycles, climate variation and trends, and response of the climate system to increased greenhouse gases.
A Cosmic Tarantula, Caught by NASA’s Webb
The Tarantula Nebula is the closest example of what was happening in the universe as it reached its brilliant high noon. Webb will provide astronomers the opportunity to compare and contrast observations of star formation in the Tarantula Nebula with the telescope’s deep observations of distant galaxies.