X-37B Inside Nose Fairing
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrfcxjubsHAwnMaeEmVsDQ-1024-80.jpg.webp
X-37B Landed at Cape Kennedy
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/X7SiCGKo2tQt7kvbzQxU7T-970-80.jpg.webp
ULA Lift-off
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AnheJo96ZoStwbMJUGGxR-970-80.jpg.webp
On Orbit Artist’s Conception
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Wu3vto9X5rDSXhddawcgAQ-970-80.jpg.webp
Concept Crewed Version
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TXhDeQEvp5zgo9ARVxfnLk-970-80.jpeg.webp
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
Webb gets hit by larger than expected micrometeroid
Amino acids discovered on an asteroid
https://www.nagalandpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/output2192eb70e4318727cc2e31c4f4b043dc.webp
Rock caught in Percy’s wheel
Space-Related Birthdays
David Scott – June 6, 1932 Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15
Anne McClain June 7, 1979 Soyuz MS-11 (Expedition 58/59)
Bruce McCandless II June 8, 1937 STS-41-B, STS-31
James McDivitt June 10, 1929 Gemini 4, Apollo 9
Stanley G. Love June 8, 1965 STS-122
Richard A. Searfoss June 5, 1956 STS-58, STS-76, STS-90
Jay C. Buckey June 6, 1956 STS-90
James van Hoften June 11, 1944 STS-41-C, STS-51-I
F. Drew Gaffney June 9, 1946 STS-40
June 9 – German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, born in 1812. In 1846, he became the first person to view and identify the planet Neptune (after receiving a letter indicating where to look
This Week in Space History
15 years ago #OTD June 5, the MESSENGER spacecraft flew past Venus on its way to Mercury, passing just 338 km above the planet’s surface—and shot a laser into the clouds. This is one of the COLOR images of Venus that it captured on the flyby.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FUf1EwvWAAEsJk6?format=jpg&name=small
MOL
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), a joint project of the US Air Force & the National Reconnaissance Office, was cancelled by Richard Nixon #OTD June 10 in 1969. The loss was NASA’s gain: 7 of the mission’s astronauts went on to fly on Shuttle missions.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FU63aw4WIAIjHcP?format=jpg&name=small
Space-X
7 years ago (June 10), SpaceX CRS-5 was launched to the ISS, where it delivered the Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS), an instrument that used laser pulses (lidar) to analyze Earth’s atmospheric particles and clouds.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FU5ywHnXwAAKgai?format=jpg&name=small
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
“Bootes, the Shepherd, and Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown”
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
June
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. Delayed from June 6. [June 9]
June
Falcon 9 • Starlink 4-19
Launch time: TBD
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. [May 24]
June 18
Falcon 9 • SARah 1
Launch time: Approx. 1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT; 7:00 a.m. PDT)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SARah 1 radar remote sensing satellite for the German military. SARah 1 is the first of three synthetic aperture radar satellites for the German military. It was built by Airbus. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg. [June 9]
June 22
Ariane 5 • MEASAT 3d & GSAT 24
Launch window: 2103-2243 GMT (5:03-6:43 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA257, to launch the MEASAT 3d and GSAT 24 communications satellites. Built by Airbus Defense and Space for MEASAT, a Malaysian operator, MEASAT 3d is a multi-mission communications satellite outfitted with C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band payloads for direct-to-home TV broadcasting and internet services over Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. GSAT 24 is a direct-to-home TV broadcasting satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization. Delayed from April and June 17. [April 28]
June
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 and May 2022. [May 24]
June
Astra Rocket 3.3 • TROPICS 3 & 4
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-46, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A commercial small satellite launch vehicle developed by Astra will launch the second pair of small CubeSats for NASA’s TROPICS mission. The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats, or TROPICS, mission will measure environmental and inner-core conditions for tropical cyclones. Delayed from April. [April 28]
NET June 28Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 25
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on its fifth cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight is the 25th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed to June 9, June 10, and June 12. [June 9]
June 28
Falcon 9 • SES 22
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SES 22 communications satellite for SES of Luxembourg. Built by Thales Alenia Space, SES 22 will provide C-band television and data services in the United States. [June 3]
June 29
Atlas 5 • USSF 12
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the USSF 12 mission with Wide Field Of View, or WFOV, experimental missile warning satellite for the U.S. Space Force. WFOV hosts a new type of infrared staring sensor in geosynchronous orbit to detect the heat from missile launch plumes. The USSF 12 mission will include additional rideshare payloads. The rocket will fly in the 541 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April at the request of the U.S. Space Force. [May 24]
Summer
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. Delayed from May. [May 24]
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]
July
Falcon 9 • Starlink 3-1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch with another batch of Starlink internet satellites. This is the first dedicated mission deploying satellites into a new Starlink shell at an inclination of 97.6 degrees to the equator. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. [May 24]
July
Long March 5B • Wentian
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Wenchang, China
A Chinese Long March 5B rocket will launch the Wentian laboratory module, the second major element of China’s space station in low Earth orbit. [April 20]
July
Vega C • LARES 2
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: ZLV, Kourou, French Guiana
An Arianespace Vega C rocket will launch the LARES 2 satellite for ASI, the Italian space agency. The spherical LARES 2 satellite is covered in laser mirrors to enable precise tracking from the ground, enabling research into geoodynamics and general relativity. This will mark the inaugural flight of Europe’s new Vega C rocket, featuring a more powerful first stage motor, an enlarged second stage, an improved liquid-fueled upper stage, and a new payload fairing design. Delayed from mid-2020 by coronavirus impacts. Delayed from December 2020, early 2021, April 2022, May, and June 2022. [May 24]
TBD
Starship • Orbital Test Flight
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its first orbital test flight. The mission will attempt to travel around the world for nearly one full orbit, resulting in a re-entry and splashdown of the Starship near Hawaii. Delayed from early 2022. [March 9]
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Why Uranus and Neptune are Different Colors
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220531140128.htm
Uranus/Neptune Comparison
https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2022/05/220531140128_1_540x360.jpg
Atmospheric Haze Comparison
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/2232_noirlab2211b_1280.jpg
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
Tiangong
Jun 20
Envisat
Jun 15
Jun 18
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