BEIJING (CASC PR) — On August 26, the reusable flight test of a lift-type suborbital vehicle independently developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) was a complete success. The vehicle used in the flight test, after the health inspection and maintenance, was ignited again at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for vertical takeoff, completed the suborbital flight according to the set procedure, and landed […]

NASA Mission Update The launch director halted today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration. Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in […]

ALAMEDA, CA (Astra Space, Inc. PR) — Astra Space, Inc. (“Astra”) (Nasdaq: ASTR), a provider of space products and launch services to the global space industry, today announced that it has been selected by Airbus OneWeb Satellites, LLC (“AOS”) to supply the Astra Spacecraft Engine™ for integration into the portfolio of Arrow commercial small satellites manufactured by AOS. Airbus OneWeb Satellites LLC is a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb. AOS manufactures satellites for the OneWeb […]

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, August 30 — 7 PM PDT (9 PM CDT; 10 PM EDT): Guests: Dr. David Livingston For those of you wanting to be a guest on TSS, tonight’s your night. Call us at a-866-687-7223 Wednesday, August 31 — 10 PM PDT (12 AM CDT; 1 AM EDT): Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston, Rand Simberg Post SLS launch discussion and more Friday, September 2 — […]

PITTSBURGH (Astrobotic PR) – Astrobotic has been selected by NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Sequential Phase II program to develop, test, and fly lunar night survival and communication technologies onboard its CubeRover platform. The effort will culminate in a commercial flight to the Moon for CubeRover on an upcoming Astrobotic lander mission, where it will demonstrate the platform’s ability to survive the harsh environment of lunar night and utilize satellite relays to traverse long distances.

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MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — Yuri Borisov, Director General of the Roscosmos State Corporation, got acquainted with the progress of work on the Skif project during a working visit to the Information Satellite Systems (ISS) named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev (ISS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation). The demonstration spacecraft “Skif-D” will be launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in autumn and will initiate the formation of the Sphere satellite constellation.

The spacecraft is designed to form a system of broadband Internet access in Russia, including in the regions of the Far North and the Arctic. In total, the Skif system should have 12 devices and be deployed in two stages – by 2027 and 2029.

PARIS (ESA PR) — On Monday’s Artemis launch will be an uncrewed first flight, headed into orbit around the Moon. Yet technology previously worn by ESA astronauts on the International Space Station has also been hard-mounted aboard the NASA-ESA Orion module.

A set of five ESA Active Dosimeter – Mobile Units (EAD-MUs) will map the deep space and lunar radiation environment in as complete a manner as possible, allowing comparisons with ISS measurements and helping to assess the safety of crewed Artemis missions to follow.

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 12:45 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 3, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station. The date adjustment allows for extra separation with spacecraft traffic coming to and from the space station.

LAUREL, Md. (NASA PR) — Using some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, the DART investigation team last month completed a six-night observation campaign to confirm earlier calculations of the orbit of Dimorphos—DART’s asteroid target—around its larger parent asteroid, Didymos, confirming where the asteroid is expected to be located at the time of impact. DART, which is the world’s first attempt to change the speed and path of an asteroid’s motion in space, tests a method of asteroid deflection that could prove useful if such a need arises in the future for planetary defense. 

SNC Trash Compactor from Sierra Nevada Corporation on Vimeo.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has awarded a contract to Sierra Nevada Corporation of Madison, Wisconsin, to develop and demonstrate a microgravity-compactible Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS) Phase B, for the International Space Station (ISS).

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MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — Igor Arbuzov, General Director of the Energomash Research and Production Association (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), spoke in an interview with the corporate newspaper Za Rodinu about the enterprise’s workload for the next two years and the creation of rocket engine assemblies using new technologies, including additive ones.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The long-awaited launch of NASA’s Space Launch System is scheduled for Monday morning. The massive rocket is scheduled to launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on an extended checkout around the moon.

It will be the first launch of a vehicle capable of carrying crew to Earth’s closest celestial neighbor since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.