First JWST images excite and relieve astronomers
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 22:49
NASA releases first science observations from James Webb Space Telescope. Observations include images of Carina Nebula, Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan's Quintet. Scientists stunned by the quality of the initial observations, demonstrating that the telescope was performing better than specified. JWST stands ready to reshape much of astronomy through infrared images and spectra.
OneWeb backs up Starlink 5G interference warning
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 20:46
OneWeb says plans to use 12 GHz band for terrestrial 5G would severely disrupt NGSO broadband. OneWeb urged the regulator to reject request from Dish Network and RS Access. To connect user terminals, the SpaceX-owned Starlink and OneWeb megaconstellations use a satellite downlink band.
China to target near-Earth object 2020 PN1 for asteroid deflection mission
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 12:12
China has set its sights on near-Earth object 202 PN1 as the target for a combined asteroid deflection and observation test mission. The mission will include a separate impactor and orbiter. The former will impact near-Earth object 2020 PN1 with the latter spacecraft making observations. China earlier announced plans in April to attempt to alter the orbit of a potentially threatening asteroid.
Russia threatens ISS European robotic arm after ExoMars termination
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-13 11:11
European Space Agency has officially ended cooperation with Russia on the ExoMars mission. Russia would have launched a European rover called Rosalind Franklin to the surface of Mars. Russian head of Roscosmos accused ESA of "sabotaging" The joint mission. He said he commanded the Russian cosmonauts on the station to no longer use a European robotic arm.
NASA sees JWST success helping win agency support and funding
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-13 08:24
James Webb Space Telescope has become a symbol of NASA's capabilities. The $10 billion space telescope was launched July 12. The first image, a "deep field" View, was unveiled at a White House event a day earlier. There was little discussion at the event about the past problems with JWST.
Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches NRO mission – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-13 00:00
Rocket Lab launches Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1A on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand on a satellite delivery mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins approximately 20 minutes prior to launch. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.
Europe’s upgraded Vega-C launcher ready for first flight – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 00:00
Vega-C is an upgraded version of the European Vega launcher. It has flown 20 times since an inaugural test launch in February 2012. The first 114-foot-tall (34.8-meter) Vega-C rocket is scheduled to lift off at 7:13 a.m. EDT.
JWST teases new era in exoplanet astronomy – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 00:00
WASP-96 b orbits a sun-like star 1,150 light-years from Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope found evidence of clouds and water vapor in the atmosphere. The Webb telescope is the largest astronomical observatory ever put into space. Future targets for Webb include the seven rocky planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system.
A dying star through the eyes of the James Webb Space Telescope – Spaceflight Now
Original Publication Date: 2022-07-12 00:00
The James Webb Space Telescope captured images of the Southern Ring Nebula. The planetary nebula is located 2,500 light-years from Earth. There are two stars in the middle of the ball of gas and dust. The brighter of the two is an earlier stage of stellar evolution, and the dimmer object is a white dwarf star.
NASASpaceFlight.com
China has successfully launched the third satellite of their Tianlian 2 series of data and relay satellites. Liftoff occurred from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in inner China at 16:30 UTC on July 12, 2022. Utilizing a Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) rocket.
Commercial Archives
Vega-C, the newest iteration of the European Vega rocket, is being readied for its debut flight, VV21. VV21 is set to lift off from pad ELA-1 in Kourou, French Guiana on July 13. As part of its first mission, the vehicle will carry seven payloads from several European nations to a 6,000 km medium Earth orbit (MEO)
International Archives
China has successfully launched the third satellite of their Tianlian 2 series of data and relay satellites. Liftoff occurred from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in inner China at 16:30 UTC on July 12, 2022. Utilizing a Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) rocket.
Chinese Long March 3B Launches APStar-6C Communications Satellite – Spaceflight101
China conducted a rare commercial launch of a Long March 3B rocket with the APStar-6C communications satellite. Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:06 UTC on a mission of under half an hour to lift the spacecraft into an elliptical Geostationary Transfer Orbit. Confirmation of launch success was provided by APT Satellite around 40 minutes after liftoff when the satellite had been separated into its target orbit.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Reaches new Heights in latest Test Flight – Spaceflight101
Blue Origin's reusable New Shepard launch system reached new heights in a test designed to expand the vehicle’s operational envelope by sending it to a peak altitude of 107 Kilometers. 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” Sunday’s mission was the eighth in Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight test program that was off to a bumpy start in 2015.
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.
NASA Reveals Webb Telescope’s First Images of Unseen Universe
Full set of the telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data, which uncover a collection of cosmic features elusive until now, released Tuesday. “This is a singular and historic moment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
President Biden Reveals First Image From NASA’s Webb Telescope
President Joe Biden released the first full-color image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Monday during a public event at the White House in Washington. “These images are going to remind the world that America can do big things, and remind the American people – especially our children – that there’s nothing beyond our capacity,” said President Biden.
NASA’s Perseverance Scouts Mars Sample Return Campaign Landing Sites
The MSR team calls the area they’ve been looking at the “landing strip” because – at least from images taken from spacecraft in orbit – it appears to be as flat and long as a runway. “We had been eyeing these locations since before Perseverance’s landing, but imagery from orbit can only tell you so much,” said Al Chen, Mars Sample Return Systems Engineering & Integration manager.
NASA Shares List of Cosmic Targets for Webb Telescope’s First Images
The James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on July 12. The images will be released in a live broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The images will also be made available on social media as well as on the agency's website.
NASA Highlights Climate Research on Cargo Launch, Sets Coverage
Dragon is scheduled to dock at 11:20 a.m. EDT on Saturday, July 16. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost. It will return to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.