SSI News
Small ones are better: large aircraft carriers are too vulnerable to satellite-guided missiles says report
Flightglobal Hyperbola previously noted the danger of the Royal Navy having just a two large aircraft carriers given that the new Queen Elizabeth-class may be vulnerable to a new type of satellite-directed ballistic anti-ship missile (e.g. China’s DF-21D). Nevertheless, we did point out that in deciding to change back to the STOVL version of the F-35 strike fighter, the F-35B, the Royal Navy could, at least, spread these fighters around other suitable ships acting as “mini-carriers” to reduce its risk of losing all of them in a single missile or submarine torpedo attack.
Dubaisat-3 construction started
During April. the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has announced the start of the development of the DubaiSat-3. Construction of the Earth observation satellite is to started in South Korea’s SATREC but completed at EIAST, The 350kg spacecraft which is set to have a resolution of 0.7m will belaunched in 2017.
Despite Kurs antenna concerns Progress M-019M makes successful docking with International Space Station
At 1225 GMT on 26 April the freighter spacecraft Progress M-019M successfully docked with the International Space Station. This was despite having his Kurs A antenna jammed forward in launch configuration. In the end, the automatic docking sequence worked correctly and the docking probe was not hindered. Concerns nevertheless remain that damage might yet be caused to the International Space Station during its eventual departure if the antenna is not retracted.
China lofts Gaofen 1 and three cubesats on Long March 2D
China successfully conducted its first launch of 2013 at 0413 GMT on 26 April from the Jiuquan Space Launch Centre in China. The Long March 2D vehicle carried the Chinese GAOFEN 1 earth observation satellite, and three cubesats into a sun-synchronous orbit. The accompanying passengers were the Turkish TURKSAT-3USAT, the Ecuadorian NEE1-PEGASO, and the Argentinian CUBEBUG-1 (aka Capitan Beto) satellites
Soyuz 2-1B Fregat M successfully launches Russian Glonass M47 navigation satellite (Corrected)
A Russian Soyuz 2-1B Fregat launch vehicle successfully launched the Glonass M47 satellite at 0523 GMT on 26 April from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Northern Russia. The satellite which had a launch mass of 1415 kg and a design life of seven years will be placed in Plane One of the Glonass constellation to provide navigation services primarily for Russian Military forces. This launch will bring the number o navigation satellites in the Glonass constellation to 30 including those satellites that are in testing, maintenance and spares.
Blast from the past: Using atomic bombs for space propulsion may be banned but it still has some merit
While the name Orion has been used as the name of real and fictional spacecraft before (e.g. Space 2001 – A space Odyssey’s transport shuttle, and the latest manned spacecraft being developed by NASA) the original Project Orion was actually about researching a high speed Interplanetary travel propulsion system. And one that used atomic bombs to do it
Flightglobal’s Hyperbola to be at 17th International Space Conference in Rome
Flightglobal will be at the 17th International Space Conference being held at the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome on 8, 9 and 10 May. Organised by Pagnanelli Risk Solutions, this year’s conference’s expert presenters and panelists will be covering solar storms and other natural and man made hazards to spacecraft.
Successful Soyuz launch of Progress M-019M is marred by sticky KURS antenna which may prevent docking (Updated)
A Soyuz U launch vehicle successfully launched Progress M-019M (ISS-51P) on its mission to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome located near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan. Aboard were cargo and supplies for the astronauts aboard the International Space Stataion. Due to orbital alignments, the passage to the space station will take the slower route lasting two days rather than the shorter six hour trip. Soon after launch an issue was reported involving the failure to deploy of one of the antennas needed for the KURS automatic docking system. Engineers are attempting to recover the antenna.
Mars One opens application procedure for a one way trip to Mars
Mars One has formally announced the opening of its application procedure for those willing to become a televised settler in a new colony on the planet Mars.
Antares launch vehicle makes successful maiden launch
After some days of delay variously caused by a premature separation of an umbilical and high level winds, new Antares launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences Corporation and using Russian moon rocket engine techology was successfully launched into orbit at 2100 GMT on 21 April from the Wallops Island launch site on the east coast of Virginia, USA.
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