SSI News
End of the line for Astra Rocket 3.3 design as company moves on to bigger rocket
According to the success/failure ratio on the Seradata SpaceTrak database, the Astra Rocket 3 series cannot be called a reliable launch vehicle. The Astra Rocket 3 series failed five times out of seven attempts, while the latest version failed three out of five times....
China launches its CSSHQ-1 mini-spaceplane again
Amid a flurry of orbital launches, a human suborbital flight and some short range ballistic missile flights over Taiwan, one mysterious launch - from the Jiuquan launch site in China took place at 0402 GMT on 4 August - still caught the attention of observers. A Long...
Blue Origin launches sixth space tourism sub-orbital flight
After a brief delay Blue Origin has successfully launched its sixth crewed sub-orbital flight. The launch took place at 1357 GMT on 4 August. New Shepard flight NS-22 carried six passengers to an apogee of 347,585 ft - 106 km AGL (Above Ground Level) and 351,232 ft -...
ULA’s Atlas V launches SBIRS GEO-6 missile detection satellite
A ULA Atlas V 421 rocket has carried the SBIRS GEO-6 missile early warning satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) following its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. In addition to using the new RL10C-1-1 engine on the Centaur stage, this uprated version of...
Rocket Lab’s Electron KS launches the “Antipodean Adventure”
Rocket Lab has successfully launched its Electron KS rocket from Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand at 0500 GMT on 4 August following a delay. The launch had been halted at T-minus 5 minutes and 15 seconds on 2 August, when it was originally scheduled to...
Slingshot Aerospace scoops up Seradata and Numerica in double acquisition
Austin, Texas-based Slingshot Aerospace – a company building space simulation and analytics products to accelerate space sustainability – has announced a double whammy of acquisitions including ourselves, Seradata, and Numerica’s Space Domain Awareness (SDA) division....
Russia launches Cosmos 2558 military satellite on Soyuz-2.1v which may have an inspection role
The Russian Ministry of Defence has successfully launched a Soyuz 2-1v light-class rocket with a Volga upper stage from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia at 2025 GMT on 1 August. The satellite carried has now been codenamed as Cosmos 2558 (Kosmos 2558), a generic filler...
Game of Chinese Rocket-body Roulette ends safely as Wentian Long March 5 debris falls into sea…but causes controversy over its risk (Updated)
The main stage of a Long March 5B (CZ-5B) rocket stage which was used to launch the Wentian module to the Chinese Space Station on 24 July, safely fell back to Earth on 30 July at circa 1645 GMT. The re-entry, while safely achieved, caused international controversy...
On a lighter note: Naming suggestions for Elon’s twins
The very fertile SpaceX/Telsa head Elon Musk is apparently doing his best to populate the Earth with his progeny, with new twins adding to his brood (he has 10 surviving children by three different women and a surrogate mother). We are wondering, at this point, what...
China uses Long March 2D/2 to launch trio of Yaogan-35 SIGINT sats
China launched a Long March 2D/2 (CZ-2D) rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 1328 GMT on 29 July. The rocket carried a trio of Yaogon-35 satellites to LEO. This is the third batch of units with this designation. They are reported to be used for “Scientific...
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