BEHOLD! SPACEX'S 1ST CREW DRAGON SPACESHIP IS ON THE LAUNCHPAD - The private spaceflight company SpaceX has moved its first Dragon spaceship designed for astronauts to the launchpad ahead of an uncrewed test flight that's just weeks away. SpaceX rolled the Crew Dragon and its Falcon 9 rocket out to the historic Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida Thursday (Jan. 3) for a test flight for NASA targeted for Jan. 17 . That schedule, however, may be delayed due to the ongoing partial government shutdown that has shuttered much of the U.S. space agency. More (Source: Space.com - Jan 8)

DIGITALGLOBE LOSES WORLDVIEW-4 SATELLITE TO GYRO FAILURE - DigitalGlobe announced Monday that its WorldView-4 satellite has malfunctioned.In a statement, DigitalGlobe, a division of Maxar Technologies, said the control moment gyros on WorldView-4, launched in November 2016, have failed, preventing the spacecraft from pointing accurately.The company said that while efforts are continuing to restore the spacecraft, Maxar believes that WorldView-4 will likely not be recoverable and will no longer produce usable imagery.Lockheed Martin built the satellite, which used gyros from Honeywell. Maxar said it intends to seek full recovery for the loss of WorldView-4 under its insurance policies, with an insured value of $183 million. More (Source: SpaceNews - Jan 8)

DRAGON DEPARTING STATION NEXT WEEK; CREW STUDIES BIOLOGY - The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is in its final week attached to the International Space Stations Harmony module. Meanwhile, robotics experts on the ground and the crew aboard the lab are working a wide variety of science activities today.The Dragon space freighter has nearly completed its cargo mission to replenish the orbital laboratory after delivering over 5,600 pounds of science and supplies Dec. 8. Dragon will return to Earth Jan. 10 for retrieval in the Pacific Ocean loaded with completed science experiments and used hardware for analysis. More (Source: NASA - Jan 6)

'METEOR' MOST LIKELY AN OLD RUSSIAN MILITARY SATELLITE - A Russian military satellite was most likely the bright light in the sky that had lots of Kiwis stargazing on Saturday night, experts say. People from around the North Island reported a possible meteor or space junk sighting about 9pm. Cosmologist Professor Richard Easther from Auckland University said the evidence was strong that it was a satellite falling back to earth. More (Source: Stuff.co.nz - Jan 6)

NEW NANO-SATELLITE SYSTEM YIELDS HIGH-RES IMAGERY AT LOWER COST - Constellations of nano-satellites can produce high-resolution images for less money, according to new research. The imaging techniques developed by scientists at Ben-Gurion University in Israel could also be used to improve the observations of ground-telescope arrays."This is an invention that completely changes the costs of space exploration, astronomy, aerial photography, and more," Angika Bulbul, a BGU Ph.D. candidate, said in a news release. More (Source: UPI - Jan 5)

U.S. WARNS IRAN AGAINST SATELLITE LAUNCHES IT SAYS COULD ADVANCE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran on Thursday to scuttle its plans for satellite launches that the United States says involve technology that could be used in intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.Pompeo stopped short of saying how the United States might react if Iran goes ahead with its announced intention to test three Space Launch Vehicles (SLVs), but his warning suggested that the move could lead to new sanctions. More (Source: Washington Post - Jan 4)

HERE ARE THE MAJOR SATELLITE LAUNCHES FOR 2019 - As we embrace 2019 with open arms, we hope that the year would be better and more happening than the year gone by and herald path-breaking innovations in the realm of space.A large number of satellites and spacecraft will be lifted and sent into orbital this year, and this will enhance our understanding of space and other phenomena on earth that impact us, including climate change, natural disasters, and agricultural patterns and foster an enabling mechanism for new disruptions. More (Source: Geospatial World - Jan 4)

SPACEX CREW CAPSULE, FALCON 9 ROCKET ROLL OUT TO PAD 39A IN FLORIDA FOR TESTS - SpaceX rolled out the companys first space-worthy Crew Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 launcher to pad 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time Thursday, beginning a series of fit checks before the commercial spaceship takes off on its first orbital test flight. Shrouded in off-and-on fog, the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule emerged from SpaceXs hangar at the southern perimeter of launch pad 39A shortly after 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) Thursday for the quarter-mile trip up the ramp to the former Saturn 5 and space shuttle launch complex. The rocket was raised vertical just before 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT). More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR LOCKHEEDS FIRST GPS III SATELLITE - Lockheed Martin deployed its first GPS II satellite recently, and now confirms the unit is communicating effectively with ground-control operators. "This is the Air Force's first GPS III, so we are excited to begin on-orbit test and demonstrate its capabilities," according to Lockheeds Johnathon Caldwell, v.p. for Navigation Systems. "By this time next year, we expect to also have a second GPS III on orbit and users should be receiving signals from this first satellite." More (Source: American Machinist - Jan 3)

PRIVATE SPACE COMPANY SWARM FINED MORE THAN $1 MILLION OVER UNAUTHORISED SATELLITE LAUNCH - There are warnings about "runaway cowboy-like behaviour" from private companies joining the space race after a US tech start-up was slapped with a historic fine last month for launching unauthorised satellites. Swarm Technologies was fined $US900,000 ($1.28 million) on December 21 for launching four mini satellites in January 2018 after explicitly being denied permission by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over concerns about the ability to track them. More (Source: ABC News - Jan 3)

MEMORABLE NEWS SATELLITE PHOTOS OF 2018 - From Russian war games to lava flows on Hawaii to raging fires in California, images gathered from high above Earth by satellites in 2018 delivered a unique perspective on humanity, geopolitics and the forces of nature that have upended lives and landscape.Heres a look at eight of the most striking news images captured by satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe and photos made by Associated Press photographers who were on the ground... More (Source: Associated Press - Jan 2)

2018 SHOWCASED THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAMS ELASTICITY - The 20th year of International Space Station operations continued to show hundreds of of science experiments can be performed while managing a dozen different visiting vehicles and multiple spacewalks throughout the year. Moreover, it showcased the international partner space agencies ability to handle and recover from large unexpected events. But perhaps the two most noteworthy events that happened in the space station program in 2018 were the discovery of a hole in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in August, causing a slow pressure leak, and the dramatic in-flight abort of Soyuz MS-10 in October, preventing NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin from reaching orbit, let alone the outpost. More (Source: SpaceFlight Insider - Jan 1)

SA SENDS AFRICA'S MOST ADVANCED SATELLITE TO SPACE - A 10kg satellite designed by South African engineers is floating in space, watching over the countrys coastline and sending home real-time information about impending natural disasters.The ZACube-2, worth R16.5million, is the first of a constellation of satellites that the Department of Science and Technology is planning to send to space to collect data.The satellite was launched in Russia this week, as part of the Russian Soyuz Kanopus mission and is the most advanced satellite in Africa. More (Source: Independent Online - Dec 31)

CHINA DEBUTS NEW UPPER STAGE IN FINAL LAUNCH OF THE YEAR - A Chinese Long March 2D booster climbed into orbit from the Jiuquan space base in the northwest of the country Saturday, delivering seven small satellites to space on communications and weather research missions with the help of a new upper stage capable of firing more than 20 times over two days. With more than 650,000 pounds of thrust, the liquid-fueled Long March 2D rocket took off at 0800 GMT (3 a.m. EST; 4 p.m. Beijing time) Saturday from Jiuquan, a remote military base in the Gobi Desert. Heading toward the southeast, the Long March 2Ds two main stages fired before giving way to a new upper stage to maneuver the missions six payloads into two distinct orbits. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 31)

DELTA 4-HEAVY LAUNCH WITH SPY SATELLITE PUSHED BACK TO JANUARY - After unusual concentrations of hydrogen around the rocket foiled a launch attempt Dec. 19, United Launch Alliance said Friday that the companys powerful Delta 4-Heavy launcher and a U.S. government spy satellite will remain grounded in California until at least Jan. 6 as engineers troubleshoot a small fuel leak. ULA has tried to send the Delta 4-Heavy skyward four times since Dec. 7, but technical problems and unfavorable weather have kept the rocket on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 29)

CHINAS BEIDOU NAVIGATION SATELLITE, RIVAL TO US GPS, STARTS GLOBAL SERVICES - Chinas BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), touted as a rival to the widely-used American GPS, has started providing global services.The construction of the BDS-3 primary system had been completed, BDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi said Thursday.This signifies that BDS has officially entered the global era as the BDS expands from a regional system to a global navigation system. From now on, no matter where you go, BDS will always be with you, Ran said at a media conference here said. More (Source: Livemint - Dec 28)

CHINA TO LAUNCH FIRST SATELLITE FOR HONGYAN GLOBAL INTERNET SATELLITE CONSTELLATION ON SATURDAY - China's main space contractor is set to carry out its first launch for a 300-plus satellite communications constellation to provide global internet from low Earth orbit on Saturday.The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is set to launch Hongyan-1 on a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert around 08:00 UTC Saturday (03:00 Eastern, 16:00 Beijing time) according to airspace closure notices. More (Source: GBTIMES - Dec 28)

SATELLITE SHOWS COLLAPSE OF INDONESIAN VOLCANO - Radar data from satellites, converted into images, shows Indonesias Anak Krakatoa island volcano is dramatically smaller following a weekend eruption that triggered a deadly tsunami.Satellite photos arent available because of cloud cover, but radar images from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite taken before and after the eruption show the volcanos southwestern flank has disappeared. More (Source: Voice of America - Dec 28)

SOYUZ LAUNCHES CLUSTER OF 28 SATELLITES - A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russias Far East at 0207 GMT Thursday (9:07 p.m. EST Wednesday) carrying 28 satellites, including a pair of Russian mapping satellites and secondary payloads from Germany, Japan, Spain South Africa, and a dozen Earth-observing CubeSats and eight commercial weather payloads for Planet and Spire.The Kanopus-V 5 and 6 Earth observation satellites will assist the Russian government in disaster response, mapping and forest fire detection. They were the biggest payloads on the Soyuz-2.1a booster, and were be joined by 26 other spacecraft under a rideshare arrangement booked by Glavkosmos, a company that sells Russian launch services on the global commercial market. More (Source: SpacaFlight Now - Dec 27)

USAF'S NEXT-GEN GPS SATELLITES WILL BE A HUGE UPGRADE...EVENTUALLY - Of all the modern miracles enabled by spaceflight, global positioning satellites are among the most useful and ubiquitous. Military and civilian users across the globe depend on the 31 satellites, in six different orbital planes above Earth, to provide continual navigation signals.And the newest member of this constellation, a spacecraft called called GPS III, is the next generation of these vital navigation satellites. Launched on December 23 by a SpaceX rocket, GPS III is now in the hands of ground control crews at Lockheed Martin who are maneuvering the GPS satellite into its final orbit, a task that will be wrap up sometime next week. More (Source: Popular Mechanics - Dec 27)

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