SpaceX begins 2023 with Transporter-6 launch
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 16:54
SpaceX launches 110 smallsats on Transporter-6 dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. The rocket’s first stage landed back at the Cape’s Landing Zone 1 eight and a half minutes after liftoff. The largest single customer on the launch, in terms of number of satellites, was Planet.
Revenue shortfall causes layoffs and delays at Satellogic
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 00:40
Satellogic has slashed revenue projections, resulting in layoffs and delays. The company recorded $2.4 million in revenue in the first half of the year. Satellogic signed a contract with SpaceX in May 2022 to launch 68 satellites. Four NewSat satellites are among the 114 payloads to be launched on SpaceX's Transporter-6 mission.
Space Force launches weather-imaging cubesat for year-long demonstration
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 19:23
The Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Weather Systems (EWS) demonstration launched on the SpaceX Transporter-6 rideshare. Over a planned one-year demonstration, the Space Force wants to assess the capabilities of an imaging cubesat. This is a priority for the Defense Department that needs to fill a gap in weather coverage.
Iridium enters service agreement for direct-to-smartphone satellite service
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 18:02
Iridium has entered into a service provider agreement with a company widely expected to be Samsung. Samsung plans to use Iridium’s constellation to bring satellite connectivity to its range of Galaxy S23 range of smartphones. Iridium said in July that it had signed a development contract with a company to enable its satellite technology.
NASA planetary science budget remains under stress
Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 12:52
NASA received $3.2 billion for planetary science in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending bill. That was about $80 million more than what the agency received for planetary science in 2022. That increase, though, may do little to address some of the challenges NASA has been facing.
NASASpaceFlight.com
India launches a new ocean monitoring satellite on Saturday morning. The PSLV rocket delivered the EOS-06 spacecraft 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
SpaceX launched the Transporter-6 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) The mission lifted off at 9:56 AM EST (14:56 UTC) on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Falcon 9’s first stage returned to land at Landing Zone-1 at CCSFS approximately eight and a half minutes after launch.
International Archives
China has had a successful year in spaceflight, with 64 launches. Remote sensing satellites were a common sight on Chinese rockets in 2022. It was also a year of commercial launches and significant expansions of the Tiangong Space Station. The Gaofen launch especially is an exemplar of their past year in spaceflight.
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 on Friday. 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 lifts Dragon spacecraft into orbit for a critical delivery of science gear, supplies and maintenance hardware to the International Space Station. The Dragon is the first of at least six cargo ships inbound to the U.S. Segment of the ISS this year.
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. Sentinel-3B is the latest addition to Europe’s Copernicus satellite fleet. Read more here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/satellite-news/2013/01/27/new-satellite-to-be-launched-on-Wednesday.html#storylink=cpy.
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.
Watch the Latest Water Satellite Unfold Itself in Space
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite launched into Earth orbit on Friday, Dec. 16. The solar arrays fully deployed shortly after launch, taking about 10 minutes. The mission monitors and controls the satellite using telemetry data, but it also equipped spacecraft with four customized commercial cameras.
Construction Begins on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor recently passed a rigorous technical and programmatic review. Now the mission is transitioning into the final design-and-fabrication phase. The mission supports the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)
Moon Water Imager Integrated With NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer
Lunar Trailblazer, NASA’s mission to understand lunar water and the Moon’s water cycle, is one step closer to launching next year. Earlier this month, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California delivered a key science instrument to Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado. The instrument, called the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper, is one of two on Lunar Trailblazer.
NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars
Winter on Mars can be as cold as minus 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The Red Planet's elliptical orbit means it takes many more months for winter to come around. No region of Mars gets more than a few feet of snow, most of which falls over extremely flat areas. A single Mars year is around two Earth years.
Juno Spacecraft Recovering Memory After 47th Flyby of Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft completed its 47th close pass of Jupiter on Dec. 14. Afterward, as the solar-powered orbiter was sending its science data to mission controllers from its onboard computer, the downlink was disrupted. The issue was most likely caused by a radiation spike as Juno flew through a radiation-intensive portion of Jupiter’s magnetosphere.
NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science
InSight's solar-powered batteries have run out of energy. NASA will continue to listen for a signal from the lander, just in case, but hearing from it at this point is considered unlikely. The last time InSight communicated with Earth was Dec. 15.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface
A titanium tube containing a rock sample is resting on the Red Planet’s surface after being placed there on Dec. 21. Over the next two months, the rover will deposit a total of 10 tubes at the location, called “Three Forks. The depot marks a historic early step in the Mars Sample Return campaign.