The first Vector-R orbital launch attempt is planned for before the end of the year from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska. Coleman said the payload for that flight is confidential.Vector had been planning a suborbital test launch earlier this month from the Mojave Desert in California, but postponed it because of technical problems. “The recent Mojave test campaign proved out several key elements of our concept of operations,” Coleman said, such as testing remote operations and a new transporter and erector. “We are evaluating the results of our test and working with launch ranges to schedule an additional suborbital test prior to our launch in Alaska later this year.”
Rocket-launched minilabs enable pharma R&D in zero-gravityQuoteSpacePharma plans to try again with the Falcon in early 2019, to be followed by another minilab launch with Italy’s Areianspace.
SpacePharma plans to try again with the Falcon in early 2019, to be followed by another minilab launch with Italy’s Areianspace.
Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the next Dragon resupply mission to the ISS, CRS-16, on December at the earliest.
From r/spacex:Quotejandmc88 3 points 2 hours ago It is related to a payload called "Bartholomeo". It's a kind balcony of Columbus module. I have to correct my initial post a bit. From what I heard in the evening during my working day ESA discusses whether it is possible to switch from Spx20 to Spx19 and this would lead to problems from what I understand. (If I got it correct). I im not directly involved in Bartholomeo I will develop a payload which will be integrated into it a bit later.
jandmc88 3 points 2 hours ago It is related to a payload called "Bartholomeo". It's a kind balcony of Columbus module. I have to correct my initial post a bit. From what I heard in the evening during my working day ESA discusses whether it is possible to switch from Spx20 to Spx19 and this would lead to problems from what I understand. (If I got it correct). I im not directly involved in Bartholomeo I will develop a payload which will be integrated into it a bit later.
NASA’s ICON Launch Delayed; New Launch Date to ComeBob Granath Posted on October 23, 2018NASA and Northrop Grumman have delayed the launch of the agency’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, to conduct further pre-launch testing on the rocket. Upon completion of the testing, a new launch date will be established.<snip>
https://www.goes-r.gov/featureStories/GOES-17GetReadyToDrift.html"Due to this redesign, the planned launch of GOES-T in mid-2020 will be delayed"October 22, 2018This article was updated on October 23, 2018, to revise the details of the GOES-15 drift.<snip>Looking ahead, NOAA is also implementing changes to the ABI on its future geostationary satellites, GOES-T and GOES-U, to reduce the risk of cooling system anomalies that were seen in GOES-17. The instrument radiator is being redesigned to improve its reliability. Due to this redesign, the planned launch of GOES-T in mid-2020 will be delayed. Once the new ABI radiator design is approved, NOAA will determine a new launch readiness date.<snip>
Once Cygnus is unberthed, a NanoRacks deployer will release three Cubesats from both above and below the station.
Elbon says the company is on track for a certification launch in 2021 for Vulcan.
United Launch Services, Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a $152,429,417 firm-fixed-price contract for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Delta IV heavy launch services. This contract provides launch vehicle production services for National Reconnaissance Office Launch Mission One. Work will be performed in Centennial, Colorado; and Decatur, Alabama, and the launch will occur in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; or Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The work is expected to be completed by June 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 missile procurement funds in the amount of $152,429,417 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center Los Angeles Air Force Station, California, is the contracting activity (FA8811-19-C-0002).
Cross-post re: AEHF-6 launch year:Quote from: Targeteer on 10/26/2018 12:04 amhttps://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1669053/aehf-4-launch-provides-critical-support-to-users/AEHF-4 launch provides critical support to usersBy Staff Sgt. Matthew Coleman-Foster, 50th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published October 23, 2018SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --<snip>AEHF-5 is projected to launch in the summer of 2019 and AEHF-6 in 2020.
https://www.schriever.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1669053/aehf-4-launch-provides-critical-support-to-users/AEHF-4 launch provides critical support to usersBy Staff Sgt. Matthew Coleman-Foster, 50th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published October 23, 2018SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --<snip>AEHF-5 is projected to launch in the summer of 2019 and AEHF-6 in 2020.
That initial April 2021 launch will be followed by a second in August 2021, Elbon said. Those launches are needed to win certification by the Air Force for military payloads. “Then we’ll be ready shortly after that for national security missions,” he said.
Special cases of the Sun-synchronous orbit are the noon/midnight orbit, where the local mean solar time of passage for equatorial latitudes is around noon or midnight, and the dawn/dusk orbit, where the local mean solar time of passage for equatorial latitudes is around sunrise or sunset, so that the satellite rides the terminator between day and night. Riding the terminator is useful for active radar satellites, as the satellites' solar panels can always see the Sun, without being shadowed by the Earth. It is also useful for some satellites with passive instruments that need to limit the Sun's influence on the measurements, as it is possible to always point the instruments towards the night side of the Earth. The dawn/dusk orbit has been used for solar-observing scientific satellites such as Yohkoh, TRACE, Hinode and PROBA2, affording them a nearly continuous view of the Sun.
ICON Prelaunch Flight Test Set for Oct. 27Al Feinberg Posted on October 26, 2018NASA and Northrop Grumman will be conducting a flight of the L-1011 carrying Pegasus on Saturday, Oct. 27 to perform further prelaunch testing. Once the flight is completed, the team will review the test data and ensure readiness to proceed with remaining preparations for launch. This includes working with the Eastern Range to determine the new launch date. Currently, there is Range availability from Oct. 31 through Nov. 8.https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2018/10/26/icon-prelaunch-flight-test-set-for-oct-27/
The launch had been planned for Oct. 26, but was delayed soon after the mission arrived at the Cape. Pending a review of the test flight data, mission managers could clear the rocket to launch ICON as soon as next Wednesday or Thursday.
