FOUR ASTRANIS GEO SATELLITES PASS INITIAL COMMISSIONING MILESTONE - Astranis said Jan. 10 that all four of its recently launched broadband satellites have passed early tests and begun using electric propulsion to reach geostationary orbit in the coming months. The satellites launched on a Falcon 9 rocket Dec. 29 and feature multiple upgrades over Arcturus, the San Francisco-based manufacturer’s debut spacecraft, which malfunctioned during final testing after reaching orbital position in May 2023.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 12)

NASA’S 2024 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ACHIEVEMENTS - or more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth for the benefit of humanity. The space station is a springboard to NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars. Read more about the groundbreaking work conducted in 2024 aboard the station...   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 11)

SPACEX LAUNCHES, LANDS FIRST STAGE BOOSTER FOR RECORD-SETTING 25TH TIME DURING STARLINK FLIGHT - SpaceX maintained its rapid pace of launching an orbital mission on average every two days with its Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday afternoon. It also completed a record-breaking 25th landing of an orbital class rocket. Liftoff of the Starlink 12-12 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) happened at 2:11 p.m. EST (1911 UTC). This will be SpaceX’s 5th Falcon 9 launch in 2025.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 11)

SPACEX LAUNCHES STARSHIELD SATELLITES FOR THE NRO ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX completed its first West Coast Falcon 9 launch of the year Thursday night, which featured the latest batch of Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff of the NROL-153 mission from pad 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 7:53 p.m. PST (10:53 p.m. EST, 0353 UTC). This was SpaceX’s fourth orbital launch of the year.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 10)

NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY EVACUATED DUE TO LA WILDFIRE - Devastating fires here have forced the closure and evacuation of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as flames came less than one mile away from the facility. JPL, which operates robotic spacecraft and the Deep Space Network used for planetary missions, is located in a mandatory evacuation zone but officials have not reported any damage from the fire thus far. JPL director Laurie Leshin posted on X Jan. 8 that the facility had been damaged by the strong winds.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Jan 10)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 21 NEW STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FLORIDA - SpaceX launched more of its internet satellites from Florida's Space Coast today (Jan. 8). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT) on Wednesday.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 9)

INDIA DELAYS 1ST SPACE DOCKING OF SPADEX SATELLITES, 'FURTHER VALIDATION' NEEDED - India postponed its first attempt to dock two spaceraft in Earth orbit to allow more time for tests as the country prepares for what will be a vital technology tests for its future ambitions in space. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Space Docking Experiment, or SpaDeX, was expected to link up two small satellites in low Earth orbit in the late evening of Monday, Jan. 6 (Jan. 7 India Standard Time) after their successful launch on a PSLV rocket on Dec. 30. The test will mark ISRO's first-ever test of a homegrown automated space docking system.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 8)

SPACEX: LOWERING STARLINK SATELLITE ORBITS REDUCES IMPACT ON ASTRONOMY - SpaceX has found a new way to prevent Starlink satellites from interfering with astronomy: Bring them closer to Earth. The satellites can reflect sunlight and accidentally photobomb astronomical observations. But last week, SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission that its effort to operate over 300 Starlink satellites at lower altitudes could help keep them out of view. “Analysis shows nearly a 60% reduction in Vera Rubin Observatory images containing an illuminated satellite when operating equivalent constellations at 350 km (217 miles) vs. 550 km,” the company tells the agency.   More
(Source: PCMag - Jan 8)

JAXA’S FIRST WOODEN SATELLITE DEPLOYS FROM SPACE STATION - In December 2024, five CubeSats deployed into Earth’s orbit from the International Space Station. Among them was LignoSat, a wooden satellite from JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) that investigates the use of wood in space. Findings could offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional satellites.   More
(Source: NASA - Jan 8)

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