SPACEX LAUNCHES 20 STARLINK SATELLITES ON THE 400TH FALCON 9 ROCKET - Against the backdrop of a characteristically foggy night at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, SpaceX launched its 400th Falcon 9 rocket on an orbital flight. The Starlink 9-13 mission also marked SpaceX’s 100th launch to date from the West Coast. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 9:25:30 p.m. PST (12:25:30 a.m. EST, 0525:30 UTC). SpaceX didn’t publicly announce its target T-0 prior to launch, but the CelesTrak website said SpaceX provided it with that launch time.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 26)

CHINA LAUNCHES PAIR OF SUPERVIEW NEO-2 RADAR SATELLITES - China launched a pair of radar satellites late Sunday for a state-owned firm building a 28-satellite remote sensing constellation. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off at 6:39 p.m. Eastern, Nov. 24 (2339 UTC) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Insulation tiles fell from the rocket’s upper stage as it climbed into the night sky above the spaceport.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 26)

RUSSIAN SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES SUPPLIES TO ISS ON 90TH PROGRESS CARGO SPACECRAFT - A Russian cargo spacecraft launched toward the space station on Thursday morning (Nov. 21). A Soyuz rocket launched the uncrewed Progress 90 spacecraft to the International Space Station on Thursday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:22 a.m. EST (1222 GMT; 5:22 p.m. local time in Kazakhstan). NASA carried the launch live via NASA+, launch coverage began at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 22)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FIRES THRUSTERS TO DODGE HUNK OF SPACE DEBRIS - The International Space Station took some evasive action on Tuesday (Nov. 19). A Russian Progress cargo ship that's docked to the ISS fired its thrusters for 5.5 minutes on Tuesday afternoon beginning at 3:09 p.m. EST (2009 GMT). The goal was to make sure the orbiting complex dodged a potentially dangerous piece of space junk. "The Pre-determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) was conducted in coordination with NASA, Roscosmos and the other space station partners," NASA officials wrote in an update on Tuesday.    More
(Source: Space.com - Nov 22)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 24 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX completed its fourth Falcon 9 rocket launch since Sunday with a mission carrying the company’s latest batch of Starlink internet satellites. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-66 mission pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 11:07 a.m. EST (1607 UTC) on Thursday. Space Force meteorologists gave the rocket a 90 percent chance of good weather ahead of launch, with liftoff winds being the only concern at the launch site.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 22)

EXOLAUNCH TO DEPLOY SATELLITES WITH NEW UNIVERSAL ADAPTER IN 2026 - German launch services provider Exolaunch will use its new Exotube adapter for six constellation launches starting in 2026. Exotube, on display at the Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, is a universal modular adapter for integration, launch and deployment of spacecraft ranging from cubesats to 500-kilogram satellites. It aims to provide flexibility and efficiency in satellite launch and deployment.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Nov 21)

SPACE STATION RAISES ORBIT AVOIDING ORBITAL DEBRIS - The Progress 89 thrusters were fired at 2:09 p.m. CST today for 5 minutes, 31 seconds, to raise the orbit of the International Space Station to provide an extra margin of distance from a piece of orbital debris from a defunct defense meteorological satellite that broke up in 2015. The Pre-determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) was conducted in coordination with NASA, Roscosmos and the other space station partners. Without the maneuver, ballistics officials estimated that the fragment could have come within around 2 ½ miles of the station.   More
(Source: NASA - Nov 20)

SOUTH KOREA TO LAUNCH 3RD SPY SATELLITE FROM VANDENBERG BASE BY YEAR-END - The South Korean military is close to launching a third spy satellite, to be a key asset in monitoring North Korea. The third military reconnaissance satellite will be carried into orbit atop Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket, like the first two, around the third week of December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday.   More
(Source: SatNews - Nov 20)

NASA TO PROVIDE COVERAGE OF PROGRESS 90 LAUNCH, SPACE STATION DOCKING - NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft delivering nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 72 crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted Progress 90 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:22 a.m. EST (5:22 p.m. Baikonur time) Thursday, Nov. 21, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: NASA - Nov 19)

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