SSI News
Diamond Jubilee to be topped off by Venus Transit
As we congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her Diamond Jubilee as she celebrates 60 years since she ascended to the throne, we note yet another rare event is happening in this week.. For while Diamond Jubilees are usually once in a lifetime event (those over 120 may remember Queen Victoria’s in 1897), nearly as rare is a Transit of Venus which on will be visible in the very early morning of 6th June in the United Kingdom (assuming the Sun is shining).
Intelsat 19 Launched
Sea Launch conducted the first of three planned launches this year when its Zenit 3SL rocket launched the Intelsat 19 satellite from the Odyssey launch platform in the Pacific Ocean at 0523 GMT on 1 June. The Intelsat 19 satellite will be used to provide television...
Dragon undocks from ISS and splashes down successfully
On 31 May the Dragon capsule undocked from the International Space Station at 0807 GMT after having delivered some cargo and then being loaded up with some experiment results and other equipment to be returned to Earth. Once undocked the craft was manoeuvered away...
Veteran US Astronaut John Glenn is awarded Medal of Freedom
On 29 May, President Barack Obama presented the former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and United States Senator John Glenn with a Medal of Freedom, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington. Glenn flew twice into orbit – the first time becoming the first US citizen in space on his Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) mission in February 1962, and then again later as a 77-year-old astronaut on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95) in October 1998.
Credit where it is due: Elon Musk’s SpaceX may dominate across all launch fronts
Flushed with success from its Falcon 9/Dragon launch to the International Space Station, Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launch firm has announced that it now has a commercial launch contract with Intelsat to launch commercial communications satellites via its Falcon 9 Heavy rocket.
China launches Yaogan 15 satellite
At 0731 GMT on 29 May, China launched the Yaogan 15 satellite on a Long March 4C vehicle from the Taiyuan launch centre. Officially the satellite is to be used for for scientific experiments, land resources surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster response...
Another Buzz in the Universe
Just the Disney-Pixar Toy Story cartoon character Buzz Lightyear was so named after the Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, so the 55-year-old British comedian and space afficionado, Frank Skinner, has also named his new baby boy Buzz.
Chinasat 2A comsat is launched by Long March 3B/E rocket
A Long March 3B/E launch vehicle successfully launched Chinasat 2A at 1556 GMT from the Xichang launch site in China on 26 May 2011. The communications satellite which is to be placed into Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) has a mass of 5,200kg.
Don’t try this at home!
The European Space Agency carried out a rare test-firing yesterday of its Ariane 5 solid-fuel booster at its French Guiana spaceport. The 135-second test on a specially-designed vertical testing stand was part of the Ariane 5 Research and Technology Accompaniment...
Dragon docks with ISS
Following a successful launch on 22 May, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft spent two days chasing the International Space Station and on 25 May was ready to attempt getting into position for capture by the stations robotic arm. The capsule conducted tests of its...
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