Tag: Astronautical

India to Launch European Proba-3 Satellites on Dec. 5 to Create Artificial Eclipses in Space

SPACE reports, “A European mission that will use two satellites to create artificial eclipses in Earth orbit will launch early Thursday morning (Dec. 5) … The ESA’s Proba-3 formation-flying mission is scheduled to lift off atop an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Thursday at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT; 4:42 p.m. local time in India).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Germany’s OroraTech Partners with Rocket Lab for “Responsive Launch”

Spaceflight Now reports, “A new batch of eight fire detection satellites are getting ready to launch into low Earth orbit in what Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) described as a ‘responsive launch.’ The dedicated flight is expected to launch from New Zealand in ‘just a few weeks’ and will be the first OTC-P1 satellites deployed on behalf of German company, Orora Technologies (OroraTech).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Rocket Lab’s Next Electron Launch Window Opens February 4

Yahoo Finance reports, “Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (‘Rocket Lab’ or the ‘Company’) (Nasdaq: RKLB), a leading launch provider and space systems company, today announced it has scheduled the next Electron launch for Kinéis, a global Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity provider. The ‘IOT 4 You and Me’ mission is scheduled to launch during window that opens on February 4th NZDT.
Full Story (Yahoo Finance)

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes Record-Breaking Approach to the Sun, Sends Back 1st Detailed Update

SPACE reports, “NASA’s Parker Solar Probe sent home its first detailed telemetry data soon after its record-breaking closest-ever approach to the sun. On Wednesday (Jan. 1), mission control at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland began receiving the Parker Solar Probe’s first telemetry — or housekeeping data — that confirms Parker’s systems and science instruments are ‘healthy and operating normally’ after its historic rendezvous with the sun, NASA shared in an update on Thursday (Jan. 2).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Rocket Lab to Launch a Private Earth-imaging Satellite This Morning

SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab plans to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite this morning (Dec. 20). An Electron rocket is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site today, during a 75-minute window that opens at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT; 3:00 a.m. on Dec. 21 local New Zealand time).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Update from SPACE at 9:45 a.m. ET: “Today’s launch attempt was scrubbed with around 17 minutes left in the countdown. Rocket Lab has not yet set a new launch date.”

FAA Working to Streamline Key Commercial Space Launch and Reentry Hurdle

Reuters reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it was moving to streamline a key commercial space launch and reentry license hurdle, declaring some flight safety analyses in California, Florida, and Virginia satisfy requirements. The FAA noted the commercial space industry often cites meeting flight safety analysis requirements as a challenge before launches. The FAA said the change reduces the amount of material applicants must submit, and improves FAA technical review efficiency. Companies like SpaceX have complained about delays getting FAA launch licenses.”
Full Story (Reuters)

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to Make Epic Flyby of the Sun on Christmas Eve

SPACE reports, on Christmas Eve, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will break its own records for speed and closest approach to the sun as it moves “within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface at a whopping 430,000 mph (690,000 kph).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Proba-3 Mission Set to Create ‘Solar Eclipses on Demand’

The Washington Post reports, “A space-exploration organization solved a technological feat more than a decade in the making — launching a pair of satellites capable of creating artificial solar eclipses. It is considered a breakthrough development in solar physics, according to scientists and the European Space Agency, which oversaw the Proba-3 mission and its launch last Thursday in India. Through a precise flying formation, the satellites will create a six-hour window for scientists to research the sun’s outer atmosphere — an opportunity previously restricted.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

Rocket Lab Moves Forward with Suborbital Hypersonic Technology Initiative

Seeking Alpha reports, “Rocket Lab USA announced late on Tuesday that it successfully launched a suborbital mission in November to test hypersonic technology for the Department of Defense. Hypersonic technology refers to vehicles and systems capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound12. These systems operate in a unique aerodynamic regime characterized by extreme temperatures, thin shock layers, and complex air flows.”
Full Story (Seeking Alpha)