IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
The “Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)” Program
CLPS Lunar Landers
Lunar South Pole
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Moon_South_Pole.jpg
Peregrine Moon Lander
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JnojQzV5nkDk4dUUecndn6-1920-80.jpg.webp
CLPS Deliveries (2024-2026)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FjUmnnSXEB4ip_S?format=jpg&name=medium
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
Japan became the 5th country to successfully soft land on the moon with their SLIM lunar lander, though it is having issues generating solar power due to its arrays not deploying properly. Despite this setback, Japan still declared the landing a success.
SLIM Lander
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander failed after launch, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific after losing contact following its launch on ULA’s Vulcan rocket. This was a major setback for
Astrobotic’s first lunar delivery contract under NASA’s CLPS program.
Astrobotic Lander
https://www.astrobotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/peregrine.png
Axiom Space launched their AX-3 mission, the third all-private crewed flight to the ISS. The crew is made up of an international mix from the U.S., Italy, Spain, and Sweden.
Axiom-3 Crew
Space-Related Birthdays
This Week in Space History
Jan. 13
1993 – Launch of STS-54 Endeavour – Launch of TDRS 6
TDRS 6 Launch
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1993_january_tdrs_6f_payload.jpg
Jan. 14
1969 – Launch of Soyuz 4 carrying cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov on his first flight. The aim of the mission was to dock with Soyuz 5, transfer two crew members from that spacecraft, and return to Earth.
http://www.spacefacts.de/graph/photo/photos2/soyuz-4_launch_2.jpg
2008 – First Messenger flyby of Mercury.
https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2006/MESSENGER_Sunside.jpg
Jan. 15
1969- Launch of Soyuz 5
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Soyuz45-1.jpg
Jan. 16
1978 – NASA Astronaut Training Group 8 Selected
2003 – Launch of STS-107
Jan. 17
1990 – NASA Astronaut Training Group 13 Selected
Jan. 19
1965 – Launch of Gemini 2
2006 – Launch of New Horizons.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/New_Horizons_spacecraft_model_1.png
Birthdays
Jan. 14
(1940)
Birth of Valeri Grigoryevich Makrushin – . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Makrushin. Russian engineer cosmonaut, 1972-1987.
http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/i/imakleri.jpg
(1943)
Birth of Dr Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid – . Nation: China, USA. Related Persons: Lucid. American biochemist mission specialist astronaut 1978-2012. Biochemist, first American woman to make a long-duration space station mission. 5 spaceflights, 223.1 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-51G
(1985), STS-34, STS-43, STS-58, STS-76..
(1956)
Birth of William David Thompson – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Thompson, David. American engineer military spaceflight engineer astronaut, 1982-1985. Retired from the USAF in 1987. Later President Spectrum Technology, Los Angeles..
https://airandspace.si.edu/system/files/nasm_honorees/data/BINARY_DATA_14023.jpg
Jan. 15
(1921)
Birth of Robert Everett Stevenson – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Stevenson. American oceanographer payload specialist astronaut, 1984-1984..
http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/portraits/astronauts/stevenso.jpg
(1969)
Birth of Anatoli Alekseyevich Ivanishin – . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Ivanishin.
Russian pilot cosmonaut, 2003-on. Ivanishin was a Captain in the Russian Air Force at Petrozavodsk when selected. A senior fighter pilot with the VVS, he had flown MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters. Russian Air Force 2 spaceflights, 280.4 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz TMA-22 (2011), Soyuz MS.
Jan. 16
(1946)
Birth of Michael Lloyd ‘Mike’ Coats – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Coats. American test pilot astronaut 1978-1991. Flew 315 combat missions in Vietnam. 3 spaceflights, 19.3 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-41D (1984), STS-29, STS-39..
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/MichaelCoats.jpg
(1948)
Birth of Anatoliy Yakovlevich Solovyov – . Nation: Latvia, Russia. Related Persons: Solovyov. Russian test pilot cosmonaut 1976-1999. 651 cumulative days in space. 5 spaceflights, 651.0 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz TM-5 (1988), Soyuz TM-9, Soyuz TM-15, STS-71, Soyuz TM-26..
https://www.april12.eu/russcosm/photo/solovyev.jpg
(1952)
Birth of Lloyd Blaine Jr Hammond – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Hammond. American test pilot astronaut 1984-1998. 2 spaceflights, 19.3 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-39 (1991), STS-64..
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/L_Blaine_Hammond.jpg
(1955)
Birth of Dr Jerry Michael Linenger – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Linenger. American physician mission specialist astronaut 1992-1998. 2 spaceflights, 143.1 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-64 (1994), STS-81..
Jan. 17
(1943)
Birth of Daniel Charles ‘Dan’ Brandenstein – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Brandenstein. American test pilot astronaut 1978-1992. Flew 192 combat missions in Vietnam. 4 spaceflights, 32.9 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-8 (1983), STS-51G, STS-32, STS-49..
Jan. 18
(1933)
Birth of Vladimir Yevgrafovich Bugrov – . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Bugrov. Russian engineer cosmonaut, 1966-1968..
http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/i/ibugrovv.jpg
(1941)
Birth of Anthony Hugh Boyle – . Nation: UK, USA. Related Persons: Boyle. British-American engineer payload specialist astronaut, 1984-1984..
https://www.astronaut.ru/as_grbrt/foto/boyle2.jpg
(1958)
Birth of Jeffrey Nels Williams – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Williams, Jeffrey. American test pilot mission specialist astronaut 1996-on. 534 cumulative days in space. 4 spaceflights, 534.1 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-101 (2000), Soyuz TMA-8, Soyuz TMA-16, Soyuz TMA-20M..
Birth of Franco Ongaro – . Nation: Italy. Related Persons: Ongaro. Italian engineer payload specialist astronaut, 1990-1993..
https://tedx.esa.int/files/2015/09/new-photo-Franco-Ongaro-8-Sept-2014.jpg
Jan. 20
(1930)
Birth of Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Aldrin. American test pilot astronaut 1963-1971. Second person on the moon. 2 spaceflights, 12.1 days in space. Flew to orbit on Gemini 12 (1966), Apollo 11..
(1948)
Birth of Jerry Lynn Ross – . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross. American test pilot mission specialist astronaut 1980-2012. Shared world record of seven spaceflights. 7 spaceflights, 58.0 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-61B (1985), STS-27, STS-37, STS-55, STS-74, STS-88, STS-110..
https://picryl.com/media/portrait-of-astronaut-jerry-l-ross-in-emu-1f693d?zoom=true
(1951)
Birth of Maghomed Omarovich Tolboyev – . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Tolboyev. Avar (Dagestani)-Russian test pilot cosmonaut, 1983-1994..
(1954)
Birth of Mohammad Dauran Ghulam Masum – . Nation: Afghanistan. Related Persons: Masum. Afghani pilot cosmonaut, 1988. 1 spaceflight, 8.9 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz TM-6 (1988)..
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Mohammad_Dawran_090713-F-4338B-012.jpg
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Caelum, the Chisel and Columba, the Dove.
Space Launches For This Week
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
January 27 Electron • ‘Four Of A Kind’
Launch time: 7:15 p.m. NZDT (1:15 a.m. EST, 0615 UTC)
Launch site: Pad B, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch four LEMUR SSA (space situational awareness) satellites on behalf of Spire Global Inc. and its customer NorthStar Earth & Space. The satellites will be launched to an inclination of 97 degrees. This is set to be the 43rd Electron launch to date. Launch will occur within a 45-minute launch window. Rocket Lab will also attempt to recover the first stage booster following stage separation. Delayed from Jan. 18.
Updated: January 19
January 28 Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-38
Launch time: 6:04-10:04 p.m. EST (2304-0304 UTC)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, 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.
Updated: January 19
January 29 Falcon 9 • NG-20
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 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: December 13
February 6 Falcon 9 • PACE
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. The spacecraft is equipped with instruments to assess the health of the oceans by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae.
Updated: December 13
February 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, June 2023 and November 2023.
Updated: December 17
February 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: December 13
TBD Atlas 5 • USSF 51
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-101, will launch the USSF 51 mission for the U.S. Space Force. This mission will launch an undisclosed payload for the military.
Updated: January 15
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: October 26
NET April 2024 Atlas 5 • CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-085, will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its first mission with astronauts, known as the Crew Test Flight, to the International Space Station. The capsule will dock with the space station, then return to Earth to landing in the Western United States. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will fly on the mission. The rocket will fly in a vehicle configuration with two solid rocket boosters and a dual-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from August and 1st Quarter of 2020. Delayed from mid-2020 after Boeing decision to refly the Orbital Flight Test. Delayed from early 2021, June 2021, and late 2021. Delayed from late 2022 to implement fixes on the Starliner spacecraft after OFT-2. Delayed from April 2023 and July 21, 2023.
Updated: October 26
NET April 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: December 12
NET April Vulcan Centaur • Dream Chaser 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its second demonstration flight with Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser cargo vehicle for the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser is a lifting body resupply spacecraft that will launch on top of a rocket and land on a runway. This will be the Dream Chaser’s first flight to space. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC4L configuration with four GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a long-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from August 2022, December 2023 and January 2024.
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
ISS
No Passes
Tiangong
Jan. 22
Jan. 24