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Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
Artemis Return to the Moon
SAJ Fair Installation
Artemis I Rollout
SLS Fairing Installation
NASA’s 2018 proposal for the 2019 United States federal budget.
From the Gateway, astronauts travel to the moon in the Human Landing System. Preliminary plans are to land at the south pole, where presumably water exists.
Waz Up
“Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function?”
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
The Star of Bethlehem
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
Dec. 18
Soyuz • OneWeb 4
Launch time: 1226 GMT (7:26 a.m. EST)
Launch site: Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia
A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch 36 satellites into orbit for OneWeb, which is developing a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit for low-latency broadband communications. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from mid-2020 by OneWeb bankruptcy. [Dec. 11]
Dec. 19
Falcon 9 • NROL-108
Launch window: 1400-1700 GMT (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EST)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a classified spacecraft payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission is designated NROL-108. The first stage booster is expected to attempt a return to launch site landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Delayed from Oct. 25. [Dec. 17]
Dec. 20
Long March 8 • XJY 7
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Wenchang, China
A Chinese medium-lift Long March 8 rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with a secret payload designated XJY 7. [Nov. 30]
Dec. 28
Soyuz • CSO 2
Launch time: 1642 GMT (11:42 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELS, Sinnamary, French Guiana
An Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS25, will launch on a mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America. The Soyuz will carry into polar orbit the second Composante Spatiale Optique military reconnaissance satellite for CNES and DGA, the French defense procurement agency. The CSO 2 satellite is the second of three new-generation high-resolution optical imaging satellites for the French military, replacing the Helios 2 spy satellite series. The Soyuz-2.1b (Soyuz ST-B) rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from April 10 in ripple effect from Falcon Eye 2’s launch delay. [Dec. 11]
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Dark Storm on Neptune
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201216183649.htm
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
ISS
Dec. 20
Dec. 21
X-37B
Dec. 22
Dec. 24
Envisat
Dec. 22
Dec. 25
Dec. 27
Dec. 27
Dec. 28