AS SATELLITE COLLISION RISKS INCREASE, EPHEMERIS SHARING IS VITAL - As the number of satellites in LEO continues to grow exponentially, when it comes to a satellite’s location, sharing is caring. Varying predictions have the satellite population in LEO increasing by two- to six-fold by the end of this decade. That is a phenomenal growth rate that will provide an abundance of new services and capabilities here on Earth, but it is not without consequences. More sats zooming around means more collision warnings and more maneuvering in orbit—something companies could help avoid by sharing precise location data with other operators. More (Source: - Mar 5)
STRANDED US ASTRONAUTS EXPECTED TO RETURN HOME AFTER NINE MONTHS IN SPACE - Two NASA astronauts are expected to come home this month after being stranded in space since June. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, but their return was complicated when the Boeing Starliner spacecraft was deemed unsafe for the journey home. More (Source: ABC News - Mar 5)
SUPER HEAVY BOOSTER ISSUE CAUSES SCRUB OF SPACEX’S STARSHIP FLIGHT 8 - SpaceX had to stand down from the launch of its latest Starship test flight from its Starbase facility in southern Texas on Monday, March 3. The Federal Aviation Administration gave the okay for the company to move forward with the mission on Feb. 26. Less than 30 minutes before the planned launch at 5:45 p.m. CST (6:45 p.m. EST, 2345 UTC), commentator Dan Huot noted that engineers were working an issue that might cause a hold at T-40 seconds. That issue did cause a hold to go into place for more than five minutes. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 4)
ARIANESPACE SCRUBS ARIANE 6’S FIRST COMMERCIAL LAUNCH DUE TO GROUND SYSTEMS ISSUE - Airanespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) had to stand down from the planned launch of the first Ariane 6 rocket of the year and the second in program history on Monday, March 3. David Cavaillolès, the CEO of Arianespace, confirmed there was a ground systems issue that prevented the launch, but wasn’t able to provide additional details, according to Frédéric Castel, an aerospace reporter covering the launch for Spaceflight Now in French Guiana. More (Source: SpoaceFlight Now - Mar 4)
THE MODERN ERA OF LOW-FLYING SATELLITES MAY BEGIN THIS WEEK - The idea of flying satellites in "very" low-Earth orbit is not new. Dating back to the dawn of the space age in the late 1950s, the first US spy satellites, as part of the Corona program, orbited the planet as low as 120 to 160 km (75 to 100 miles) above the Earth. This low vantage point allowed the Kodak cameras on board the Corona satellites to capture the highest-resolution images of Earth during the height of the Cold War. However, flying so close to the planet brought a number of challenges, most notably that of atmospheric drag. More (Source: Ars Technica - Mar 4)
UAF SCIENTIST DESIGNING SATELLITE TO HUNT SMALL SPACE DEBRIS - A University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist is participating in a U.S. government effort to design a satellite and instruments capable of detecting space debris as small as 1 centimeter, less than one-half inch. Debris that small, which cannot currently be detected from the ground, can damage satellites and other spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The idea is to outfit future satellites, such as those vital for communication systems, with technology to avoid space debris collisions. More (Source: Space Daily - Mar 3)
EUROPEAN SATELLITE LAUNCHER SET FOR FIRST COMMERCIAL BLAST OFF - After several postponements, Europe's Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space. The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe's efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the shocks caused by the US-Russia diplomatic rapprochement. More (Source: Space Daily - Mar 3)
CHINA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NEW 66-SATELLITE SPACE-BASED CARGO TRACKING SYSTEM - Chinese scientists have allegedly developed a new satellite network to track hundreds of millions of shipping containers worldwide. This technology, it is reported, could prove to be a big leap forward in monitoring global supply chains. The new system revolves around the Tiantuo-5 satellite, a compact 175 lb (80 kg) spacecraft first launched into orbit in 2020 using a Long March 2D rocket. Tiantuo-5 was developed to test and verify data collection technologies for ships, aircraft, buoys with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). More (Source: MSN - Mar 3)
RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DOCKS AT SPACE STATION WITH SCIENCE, SPACESUIT AND SUPPLIES - A new delivery of food, fuel and supplies has arrived at the International Space Station by way of a Russian supply ship. Roscomsos' Progress MS-30 (or Progress 91, as referred to by NASA) cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the aft port of the space station's Zvezda service module on Saturday (March 1) as the two vehicles orbited 260 miles (418 kilometers) over the South Atlantic Ocean. The 6:02 p.m. EST (2302 GMT) link up came two days after the Progress launched from the Baikonur Cosmdrome in Kazakhstan. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 2)
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