Skynet! 5-14-22 “Skynet!” and Constellations “Ursa Major and Ursa Minor” 9PM CT |

On May 10, 2021, the American probe OSIRIS REx leaves the asteroid Bennu to begin the long return journey, with its precious (and copious) load of asteroidal material. It will arrive on September 23, 2023.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/OSIRIS-REx_spacecraft_model.png/300px-OSIRIS-REx_spacecraft_model.png

HL-10 Lifting Body

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSVbWEQXwAA8t_b?format=jpg&name=900×900

Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week

Ursa Major, the Big Bear and Ursa Minor, the Little Bear..

Space Launches For This Week

Space Coast Launches

Upcoming Rocket Launch List

Space Flight Now Launch Schedule

Launch Schedule

May 14

Falcon 9 • Starlink 4-15

Launch time: 2040:50 GMT (4:40:50 p.m. EDT)

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch with another batch of 53 Starlink internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from May 8. Moved forward from May 15. [May 13]

May 18

Falcon 9 • Starlink 4-18

Launch time: Approx. 0900 GMT (5:00 a.m. EDT)

Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch with another batch of Starlink internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Moved forward from May 21. [May 10]

May 19

Atlas 5 • CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2

Launch time: 2254 GMT (6:54 p.m. EDT)

Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-082, will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on second unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station. This mission was added after Boeing’s decision to refly the Starliner’s Orbital Flight Test before proceeding with the Crew Flight Test. The rocket will fly in a vehicle configuration with two solid rocket boosters and a dual-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from 3rd Quarter. Delayed from Jan. 4. Moved forward from March 29, April 2, and May. Delayed from July 30 and Aug. 3. Delayed from late 2021. [April 20]

May

Alpha • Multi-payload

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-2W, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A Firefly Alpha rocket will launch on its second test flight with a rideshare payload consisting of multiple unspecified small satellites. [March 25]

May

SSLV • Demonstration Launch

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first orbital test flight. Consisting of three solid-fueled stages and a liquid-fueled upper stage, the SSLV is a new Indian launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit. Delayed from September and December 2019. Delayed from January and December 2020. Delayed from April 2021. [March 25]

May 25

Falcon 9 • Transporter 5

Launch time: 1835 GMT (2:35 p.m. EDT)

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter 5 mission, a rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with numerous small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers. Moved to Cape Canaveral from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. [April 28]

NET May 31

Electron • CAPSTONE

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Launch Complex 1B, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, mission to the moon. CAPSTONE will fly to the moon on Rocket Lab’s Photon space tug, entering a unique halo-like lunar orbit to test deep space navigation and communications in the same orbit to be used by NASA’s Gateway mini-space station. Moved from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia to Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Delayed from 2021 due to COVID-related issues. Delayed from March 2022 and May 27. [May 11]

TBD

SSLV • BlackSky Global

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first commercial mission with four Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company. The rideshare mission for BlackSky is being arranged by Spaceflight. Delayed from November, late 2019 and early 2020. Delayed from early 2021 and July. [March 31]

Check-ins or comments

At this point we should be reaching our 90 minute cut-off point, so NCS can decide whether to cut any of these topics due to lack of time.