First African nations sign Artemis Accords
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 22:55
Nigeria and Rwanda are the first two African countries to sign the Artemis Accords. The Accords outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration. The United States is working to bring more emerging space nations into the agreement. The Accords include major space nations, like International Space Station partners.
Ariane 5 launches triple satellite mission to geostationary transfer orbit
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 21:33
Arianespace launches Europe's most advanced weather-tracking spacecraft Dec. 13. Triple payload totaling nearly 11,000 kilograms lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana. Intelsat’s Galaxy 35 and Galaxy 36 satellites separated from the rocket about 30 minutes later.
Quantum Space raises $15 million for cislunar spacecraft
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 15:00
Quantum Space has raised $15 million to further development of its QS-1 spacecraft. QS-1 is the first in a constellation of satellites intended to provide services in cislunar space. The company foresees having more than 40 of what the company calls Scout spacecraft in service by 2032.
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. It is intended to support broader space sustainability initiatives.
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. The commercial launch market is undergoing a revolution, with providers finding increasing demand outpacing supply. The deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation, and OneWeb’s constellation are expected to strain America’s launch supply.
Live coverage: Ariane 5 lifts off with weather and TV broadcast satellites – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 00:00
Arianespace’s live video webcast will begin approximately one hour before launch. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter @Arianespace and @SpaceX on Facebook and Twitter. The Ariane 5 rocket will carry the MTG-I1 geostationary weather satellite for ESA and Eumetsat.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The EOS-06 spacecraft will be placed into a low Earth orbit. The mission, PSLV C54, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:56 local time (06:26 UTC)
Commercial Archives
Arianespace launches three satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) Liftoff occurred at the opening of a 106-minute long window that extends from 20:30-22:16 UTC. Mission delivered an advanced European meteorological satellite and two Galaxy telecommunications satellites for Intelsat.
International Archives
Arianespace launches three satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) Liftoff occurred at the opening of a 106-minute long window that extends from 20:30-22:16 UTC. Mission delivered an advanced European meteorological satellite and two Galaxy telecommunications satellites for Intelsat.
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.
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.
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
The spacecraft’s avatar is an exact model of the real thing, down to its four 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 in space, whether on its long trek to lunar orbit or when it’s zooming above the lunar surface.
Practice Makes Perfect for Student Inventions at JPL Competition
The Invention Challenge returned to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Friday. Students and engineers created devices that launched bouncy rubber balls at targets. Hammers and mallets, giant rubber bands and bungee cords, PVC piping and lots of wood went into the designs. But a single type of device – made by students at one school – emerged victorious.
Water-Tracking SWOT Satellite Encapsulated in Rocket Payload Fairing
The SWOT satellite is now encapsulated in its payload fairing in preparation for launch. 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. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, leads the U.S. Component of the project. Climate change is causing numerous hydrological changes in Alaska that SWOT will help study.
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. Join experts at the NASA booth to hear hyperwall talks about Planetary Science.
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.