Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
NASA’s ShadowCam Images Lunar South Pole Region
NASA’s Voyager Will Do More Science With New Power Strategy
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/assets/images/posters/voyager_disco_poster-small.jpg
FAA grounds Starship
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1ao5mF.img?w=768&h=507&m=6
Space-Related Birthdays
Yvonne Cagle Apr 24, 1959 no missions
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Yvonne_Cagle.jpg/220px-Yvonne_Cagle.jpg
Ellen S. Baker Apr 27, 1953 STS-34, STS-50, STS-71
Paul Lockhart Apr 28, 1956 STS-111, STS-113
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/PaulLockhart.jpg/220px-PaulLockhart.jpg
John Oliver Creighton Apr 28, 1943 STS-51-G, STS-36, STS-48
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Creighton.jpg/220px-Creighton.jpg
Jerome Apt Apr 28, 1949 STS-37, STS-47, STS-59, STS-79
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Jerome_Apt.jpg/220px-Jerome_Apt.jpg
This Week in Space History
Explorer 11
On April 27, 1961, NASA launched Explorer 11 into orbit. In addition to being the last successful launch of the Juno II rocket developed by the team led by Wernher von Braun, this was the world’s first orbiting gamma ray observatory.
Ranger IV
First U.S. Satellite to Reach the Surface of the Moon April 26, 1962
April 25, 1990 – Hubble launched
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Centaurus, the Centaur
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
April 30 Falcon Heavy • ViaSat 3 Americas
Launch time: 2329-0026 GMT on 30th/1st (7:29-8:26 p.m. EDT on 30th)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the ViaSat 3 Americas broadband communications satellite. ViaSat 3 Americas is the first of at least three new-generation Boeing-built geostationary satellites for ViaSat. A small communications satellite named Arcturus will launch as a secondary payload for Astranis. Delayed from 3rd Quarter and December 2022. Delayed from January, March 2023, April 8, April 18, April 24, and April 26. Scrubbed on April 27 and April 28.
Updated: April 29
May 2 Falcon 9 • Starlink 5-6
Launch time: Approx. 0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: April 25
May 2/3 Electron • TROPICS 3 & 4
Launch time: 0100-0300 GMT on 3rd (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT on 2nd)
Launch site: Launch Complex 1B, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket 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. These two satellites were originally contracted to launch on Astra’s Rocket 3 vehicle. This mission is nicknamed “Rocket Like A Hurricane” by Rocket Lab.
Updated: April 29
May Falcon 9 • Starlink 5-9
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from April.
Updated: April 24
May Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-3
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from April.
Updated: April 24
Early May Falcon 9 • OneWeb & Iridium Next
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 15 spare satellites for OneWeb’s first-generation global internet network and one prototype for OneWeb’s Gen2 second-generation network. Five spare satellites for Iridium’s voice and data relay fleet will also launch on this mission. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg.
Updated: March 21
May 10 Long March 7 • Tianzhou 6
Launch time: Approx. 1340 GMT (9:40 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: Wenchang, China
A Chinese Long March 7 rocket will launch the Tianzhou 6 resupply ship to dock with the Chinese space station. The automated cargo craft is the fifth resupply freighter for the Chinese space station.
Updated: April 24
May Long March 2F • Shenzhou 16
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Jiuquan, China
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft with three Chinese astronauts to rendezvous and dock with the Chinese space station in low Earth orbit. This is China’s 11th crewed space mission, and the fifth to the Chinese space station. The crew members have not been announced by China.
Updated: March 26
May 15 Electron • TROPICS 5 & 6
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch the third 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. These two satellites were originally contracted to launch on Astra’s Rocket 3 vehicle. This mission is nicknamed “Coming To A Storm Near You” by Rocket Lab.
Updated: April 24
May 17 Falcon 9 • Axiom Mission 2
Launch time: 2334 GMT (7:34 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 10th flight with astronauts. The commercial mission, managed by Axiom Space, is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Paying passenger John Shoffner will serve as pilot of the mission. Two commercial space fliers from Saudi Arabia, Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, will also be on the approximately 12-day mission to the space station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea off the coast of Florida. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from May 8 as result of delays in previous Falcon Heavy launch.
Updated: April 24
May Falcon 9 • Starlink 2-9
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites. This mission will deploy the Starlink satellites into a high-inclination orbit inclined 70 degrees to the equator. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. Delayed from April.
Updated: April 24
TBD Delta 4-Heavy • NROL-68
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. This is the penultimate flight of a Delta 4 rocket. Delayed from March and April 20.
Updated: April 24
May 21/22 Falcon 9 • Badr 8
Launch time: 0320 GMT on 22nd (11:20 p.m. EDT on 21st)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Badr 8 communications satellite for Arabsat based in Saudi Arabia. From geostationary orbit, Badr 8 will provide communications coverage for Arabsat customers over Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Badr 8 also hosts an optical communications payload developed by Airbus. The spacecraft was built by Airbus, and is based on the Eurostar Neo platform. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated: April 25
May 24 Soyuz • Progress 84P
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 84th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration.
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Asteroid’s Comet-like Tail is not Made of Dust
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230425111159.htm
Artist’s Concept 3200 Phaethon
https://www.livemint.com/lm-img/img/2023/04/27/600×338/nasa_1682632573963_1682632579089.jpg
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
Tiangong
April 30
May 4
May 7
May 8
Hubble Space Telescope
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
May 7
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