SSI News
Juno makes delayed trajectory correcting burn
After delays to make technical and pressure checks on its propellant system the NASA Juno spacecraft finally executed a delayed deep space manoeuvre at 1930 GMT on 14 September. The burn lasted approximately 30 minutes. The manoeuvre had been originally planned to take place on 4 September but this was delayed after higher than expected pressure readings during a previous burn of its Leros-1b main engine on 30 August.
China adds two satellites to navigation constellation
China successfully launched the Beidou 2C-M2 and Beidou 2C-M5 satellites on a Long March 3B vehicle from the Xichang launch centre at 1910 GMT on 19 September. The two satellites will fly in a medium Earth orbit to provide more capability...
Metop B launched successfully
The European weather satellite, Metop B was successfully launched at 1628 GMT on 17 September from Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan. The satellite will fly in a sun synchronous orbit at an average orbit of around 800 kilometres to provide imagery to the European...
Soyuz TMA-04M returns home
Soyuz TMA-04M carrying its crew of three, NASA astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin undocked from the International Space Station at 2309 GMT on 16 September. The final de-orbit burn happened at 0156 GMT on 17 September. Re-entry...
Atlas V 401 launches two NRO ocean reconnaissance satellites plus lots of cubesats
At 2139 GMT on 13 September 2012, an Atlas V 401 rocket was launched from the Vandenburg, California, launch site carrying a mission dubbed NRO L-36. The main payload of this secret mission is thought to be a pair of NOSS 3 satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. These near-polar orbiting satellites use passive detection tecnologies in order to track ship positions via their radio transmissions.
On a lighter note: UFO seen “spraying chemicals” over Scotland – where is a Sea Slug when you need one?
A new video of a strange UFO object has been released showing it either trailing a contrail, or more ominously, releasing a chemical trail. According to the video, the UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) was purporpedly imaged over Scotland on 5 September 2012. “Chemtrail” conspiracy theorists have it that governments are deliberately using aircraft to spray the populace with undisclosed substances for their own ends.
Neil Armstrong is remembered at Washington service
A national act of remembrance for Neil Armstrong was held at the Washington National Cathedral on the morning (local time) of 13 September. The service held had traditional religious elements with hymns, choral anthems, and bible readings (Armstrong was known to be a believer in God if not organised religion). Parts of President Kennedy’s Rice University speech which committed the nation to go to the Mon were played at the service along with a strangly moving performance of “Fly me to the Moon” sung by Diana Krall.
Russia should build a Moon-base says Rogozin
The US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney famously rubbished his Repulican nomination opponent Newt Gingrich’s plan for a Moon base by saying: “I spent 25 years in business. If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I’d say, ‘You’re fired.'” Despite this Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has called for Russia to begin work on a manned moonbase during a radio interview at the Vesti FM radio station during September.
Observed flash on Jupiter may have been comet strike
A flash of light on the planet Jupiter observed by astronomers on 11 September may have been a comet strike. The initial sighting announcement was made by astronomer Dan Peterson of Racine, Wisconsin, who contactred other astronomers. A short movie clip of the “strike” taken by astronomer George Hall based in Dallas, Texas, has now been made publically available at http://georgeastro.weebly.com/jupiter.html
Since the famous strike by comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which broke up and impaced Jupiter in July 1994, comet and asteroid strikes on Jupiter have now been discovered to be a regular occurence. Our sister outfit New Scientist lists recent occurrences.
SpaceX gets three more launch orders from SES
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and SES announced an agreement to launch three additional SES satellites, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rockets.
This launch agreement – concluded through SES’ affiliate company SES-SL – adds to the luanch agreement siged in March 2011 for the launch by SpaceX of SES-8 in 2013. All four Falcon missions will support the enhancement of SES’ global fleet of satellites. The first of the new batch of SES/Space X launches is scheduled for 2015.
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