SSI News
SpaceX successfully launches another Starlink batch but loses the first-stage during landing attempt (Updated)
Lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 0359 GMT on 16 February, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the second Starlink launch of the month into LEO. The 60 Starlink satellites were deployed one hour five minutes into the launch into the correct orbit. However, it...
Soyuz 2-1a launches Progress MS-16 cargo craft to ISS but it had to use remote manual docking after system glitch (Updated)
The Progress MS-16 cargo craft was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam, Kazakhstan at 0445 GMT on 15 February. The spacecraft was carrying cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). The craft used the standard two day rendezvous...
Three Mars missions arrive at same time: UAE’s Hope Probe, China’s Tianwen and finally USA’s Mars 2020 Rover Perseverance (Updated)
Just like London buses, three Mars missions all seemed to arrive at the same time. While this was mainly due to planetary alignments favouring certain launch and thus arrival dates, inexpert media commentators reported that a “race” had happened and that the United...
Virgin Orbit is contracted to launch two CubeSats for Polish company
Virgin Orbit announced on 9 February 2021 that it has been contracted by Polish smallsat manufacturer SatRevolution. The two 3U CubeSats will be launched later in 2021 on one of its LauncherOne rockets. SatRevolution plans to use these two STORK CubeSats as part of...
Progress MS-15 departs ISS and deorbits itself to safe destruction during re-entry
Filled with trash, Russian cargo craft Progress MS-15 (ISS-76P) undocked from the International Space Station's (ISS) Pirs module at 0521 GMT on 9 February. Just over three hours later it fired its engines in a deorbit burn at 0830 GMT. The spacecraft made a...
NASA orders Falcon Heavy to launch Lunar Gateway’s HALO & PPE together…as Falcon Heavy looks likely to get Europa Clipper as well
NASA has selected the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to provide launch services for the agency’s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the foundation elements of the Lunar space station dubbed Gateway. After integration on Earth,...
After a long process Telesat selects Thales Alenia Space to build its newly christened Lightspeed constellation
Canadian FSS operator Telesat took one of the final steps towards the establishment of its long-planned LEO constellation on 9 February. It announced who it had selected to build its constellation as well as revealing its new name, Telesat Lightspeed. The multi-year...
ABL’s RS1 gets the nod from Lockheed Martin to fly from Unst in Shetland Islands
As part of its £23.5 million (US$31 million) launch enabling project for the UK Government, US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin has awarded a contract to US small launch vehicle manufacturer ABL Space Systems to provide a demonstration orbital “UK Pathfinder launch”...
NASA awards launch contract to SpaceX and orders a lunar lander from Firefly
A NASA announcement on 4 February 2021 outlines the award of the SPHEREx launch contract to SpaceX. SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) is a NASA medium-class explorer mission planned for launch in June...
Last Chinese launch of its Year of the Rat places suspected missile early-warning satellite into orbit
China has launched a Long March 3B (CZ-3B) rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 1536 GMT, 4 February. There was some uncertainty regarding the payload however it is now believed to be the re-flight of TJSW-6 (XJY-6) which was destroyed in March last year...
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