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Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
Bennu Sample Contains Carbon and Water
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Astronaut Birthdays
- October 16, 1956: James Newman (STS-51, STS-69, STS-88, STS-109)
- October 17, 1926: Karl Gordon Henize (STS-51-F)
- October 17, 1933: Bill Anders (Apollo 8)
- October 17, 1956: Mae Jemison (STS-47)
- October 21, 1950: Ronald McNair (STS-41-B, STS-51-L)
- October 21, 1966: Douglas Hurley (STS-127, STS-135, SpaceX DM-2)
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Constellation “Lacerta the Lizard”
Space Launches For This Week
Space Coast Launches
https://www.spacecoastlaunches.com/blog/launch-list/
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
October 26 Long March 2F • Shenzhou 17
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC LC-90)
A three-member crew will launch to the Tiangong Space Station on the Shenzhou 17 mission. The crew, who will be named at a future date, will launch on board a Long March 2F Improved (CZ-2F/G Y17) rocket.
Updated: October 12
November 5/6 Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 29
Launch time: 10:01 p.m. EST (0301 UTC Nov. 6)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a 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 29th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from Nov. 1. Delayed from Nov. 3
Updated: October 18
Nov. 15 Falcon 9 • IM-1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the IM-1 mission with the Nova-C lander built and owned by Intuitive Machines. The IM-1 mission will attempt to deliver a suite of science payloads to the surface of the moon for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Delayed from 3rd Quarter of 2022, December 2022, January 2023, March 2023, and June 2023.
Updated: August 17
November Long March 2F • Shenzhou 17
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Jiuquan, China
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft with three Chinese astronauts to rendezvous and dock with the Chinese space station in low Earth orbit. This is China’s 12th crewed space mission, and the sixth to the Chinese space station. The crew members have not been announced by China.
Updated: March 22
4th Quarter Falcon 9 • ASBM
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, consisting of two satellites owned by Space Norway. The Falcon 9 will launch the two Northrop Grumman-built satellites into a highly elliptical orbit that lingers over the Arctic region. The satellites carry communications payloads for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Space Force, and Inmarsat.
Updated: March 22
November Falcon 9 • O3b mPOWER 5 & 6
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third pair of O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites into Medium Earth Orbit for SES of Luxembourg. The satellites, built by Boeing, will provide internet services over most of the populated world, building on SES’s O3b network. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from March, June 9 and Aug. 27.
Updated: October 09
December 11 Falcon 9 • NG-20
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Cape Canaveral, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus cargo freighter on the 20th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NG-20. The launch vehicle for this mission was changed from Northrop Grumman’s own Antares 230+ rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended engine and booster production for the Antares program. Delayed from October.
Updated: August 20
TBD Falcon 9 • WorldView Legion 1 & 2
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first pair of WorldView Legion Earth observation satellites for Maxar Technologies. Maxar plans to deploy six commercial WorldView Legion high-resolution remote sensing satellites into a mix of sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits on three SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. The first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base for landing. Delayed from April and June.
Updated: October 07
4th Quarter Vulcan Centaur • Peregrine
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with the Peregrine commercial lunar lander for Astrobotic. The Peregrine robotic lander will carry multiple experiments, scientific instruments, and tech demo payloads for NASA and other customers. The mission will also launch two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband constellation. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC2S configuration with two GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a short-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from mid-2022 and late 2022. Delayed from 1st Quarter 2023 and May 4.
Updated: August 30
TBD Falcon Heavy • USSF 52
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF 52 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The Falcon Heavy will launch an unspecified military payload on this mission. Delayed from October 2021 and 2nd Quarter 2022. Delayed from October 2022 and June 23, delayed from July 6.
Updated: July 01
TBD Falcon 9 • Polaris Dawn
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 11th flight with astronauts. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The Polaris Dawn mission will be commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, making his second trip to space. He will be joined on the all-private mission by pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. Delayed from November and December 2022, and from March 2023.
Updated: July 18
TBD Atlas 5 • ViaSat 3 EMEA
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-100, will launch launch the ViaSat 3 EMEA broadband communications satellite. ViaSat 3 Americas is the second of at least three new-generation Boeing-built geostationary satellites for Viasat. ViaSat EMEA will cover the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Delayed from mid-2023.
Updated: July 24
TBD Falcon 9 • USSF-124
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch a mission for the U.S. Space Force and Missile Defense Agency.
Updated: October 09
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.
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Black Holes Could Come in Perfect Pairs
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231019111255.htm
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
You can use the http://www.heavens-above.com website to find out what’s in orbit and
where to look during fly-overs
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
Tiangong
Oct. 26
Oct. 27
Oct. 28