Hubble (and Spitzer) Successor James Webb Ready for Launch to View Early Universe from L2
Next-gen explorer James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch NET December 24 at 07:20 EST on Ariane 5 rocket, designated VA256, from Kourou, French Guiana. It will take 3 days to pass lunar orbit, 30 days to reach halo orbit at Sun-Earth L2 about 1.5M km from Earth, and in June 2022 it could be ready for science. Early Release Observations from the 5-6 month commissioning period are to be released after calibrations are complete, before First Light science. The 5-layer, 21×14-meter Kapton sunshield (providing equivalent of SPF 1M sunscreen) separates the telescope, instruments, mirrors operating around -230° C, from solar panels, comms antenna, computer and steering components reaching 85° C. Observing in wavelengths from 0.6 (orange light) to 28.3 (mid infrared) μm (micrometers), JWST will be sensitive enough to penetrate obscuring dust and gas to accomplish 4 main goals: search for light from most distant events & objects nearly 13.5B years old, collect data on formation / evolution of galaxies, formation of stars & planetary systems, and study planetary systems & origins of life. JWST is jointly developed by NASA, ESA, CSA-ASC since 1996. Space Telescope Science Institute will provide ground support for the first year after launch for the data collected through NASA Deep Space Network. During the first 5 months of science, 460 hours of observing time for 13 programs is set to occur. (Image Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA-ASC, STSci, A. Feild, D. Ducros)
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MONDAY
 Dec 20 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Seven-member Expedition 66 oversee undocking of 3-person Soyuz MS-20 mission today, expect SpaceX CRS-24 arrival this week, working with Cold Atom Lab, sleep monitoring, vascular experiments; will celebrate Holidays with family on Earth.
Dec 20 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 13 crew of 3 working with ~6,500 kg of supplies from Tianzhou 3, remaining cargo from Tianzhou 2, continuing set-up for experiment racks, life-support systems, computer / electronic installations.
Highlights…
 NewSpace: Space logistics startup Loft Orbital raises US$140M in funding led by $9.5T BlackRock; Galactic Energy reaches orbit twice with Ceres-1, ‘continuous and stable’ launches ahead says CEO; Earth observation company Precursor advances space-based Earthquake forecasting.
 Solar System: ESA / Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter evidence of significant water ice under Mars Valles Marineris may prompt exploration; Parker Solar Probe is first artificial object to enter a stellar corona; JPL testing Mars Sample Return craft components to retrieve Perseverance samples NET 2026.
Galaxy: Hubble focuses on barred spiral galaxy NGC 3568, first discovered through New Zealand Backyard Observatory Supernova Search; Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics utilizing VLTI to determine precise distance of black hole Sgr A* (27 LY).
Global: DLR EDEN ISS greenhouse in Antarctica producing substantial harvest of peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens; NASA researchers studying Polar Cusp magnetosphere gap with CREX-2 vapor tracers launched from Andøya Space Center, Norway; Mexico is 14th member of Artemis coalition.
 USA: Boeing to use CST-100 Starliner service module intended for Crew Flight Test instead on Orbital Flight Test-2 NET May 2022; 2nd NASA-approved space tourism mission to ISS, Axiom Mission 2, slated for late 2022 / early 2023.
Hawai’i: MIT Kavli Institute researchers identify origin of supernova AT2018cow, dubbed ‘The Cow’, first observed by ATLAS on Haleakala; CFHT continues process to secure new permanent Executive Director.
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= All times for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Venus (SW), Jupiter (SW), Saturn (SW), Uranus (SE), Neptune (SW); Morning Planets: Mars (SE).
Russia Plans Missions to Explore Deep Space, Establish Independent Habitats in LEO / Cislunar Space
 With one of the world’s richest spaceflight heritages, the Russian Federation remains a formidable space power in its own right: Inaugural launch of upper stage Persei is scheduled at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, riding on 8.86-m diameter Angara A5 (24,500 kg LEO capacity) Dec 23; one-week later Soyuz-2 to deliver 34 Oneweb constellation satellites. As an anchor partner in ISS, with half the station constructed / launched by Russia, operators of 1 of the 2 viable ISS Astronaut transport vehicles, the Russia program is integral to current international space order. Cosmonaut Anna Kikina will fly on SpaceX Crew-5 Q3 2022, the first time a Russian has flown on USA craft since Space Shuttle era. However, continuing cooperation with USA is uncertain – Director Dmitry Rogozin indicates Roscosmos intends to move LEO operations to Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) NLT 2028, despite joining Nauka and Prichal modules to ISS this year. ROSS is to be launched / supplied / crewed via Orlyonok space tug and Oryol human-rated craft, launched by an as-yet unnamed SHLLV. In comments given Dec 3 at Eurasian Economic Union Space Integration Business Forum, Rogozin provided goalposts for the space program: Angara-1.2 (with Persei upper) and groundbreaking on Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 / Bayterek to occur in first half of 2022, Soyuz-5 inaugural launch Dec 2023, and the creation of a Eurasian Space Agency. (Image Credits: Roscosmos)
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Dec 20-21 — Gravitation Group of Aveiro University, Aveiro, Portugal: 14th Black Holes Workshop.
Dec 20 – Mar 4 — JAXA, Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan: National recruiting period for Artemis generation astronauts.
Dec 20 — Moon: 6.2° S of Castor, 19:00.
Dec 20 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 XK6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU)
Continued From…
Nov 4 – Jun 29 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 participating in 8-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS-21 (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
Dec 6 – Jan 20 — STEAMSPACE, Enterprise in Space, Janet’s Planet, Online / Austin TX: Registration Open: Cities in Space Micro Challenge; 9 week challenge open to 3rd and 4th grade students, globally; free to participate.
Dec 16-22 — Pacific Basin Societies, Chemical Societies of USA, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Online / Honolulu HI: Pacifichem 2021: A Creative Vision for the Future.
TUESDAY
Dec 21 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / SpaceX CRS 24, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Dragon 2 on its 4th cargo resupply mission to ISS; 05:06 EST (live coverage available).
Dec 21 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / Inmarsat 6 F1, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: JAXA to launch H-2A rocket for Inmarsat 6 F1 communications satellite.
Dec 21 — December Solstice: The Sun reaches the point where it is farthest South of the celestial equator, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year (opposite in Southern Hemisphere); 05:57 HST. |
Dec 21 — Moon: 2.59° S of Pollux, 00:00.
Dec 21 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 YY10: Near-Earth Flyby (0.025 AU)
Dec 21 — Aten Asteroid 2017 XQ60: Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Dec 22 — ISS, SpaceX CRS 24 Rendezvous and Docking, ~405-km LEO: SpaceX Dragon 2 fourth cargo resupply mission to ISS (CRS 24) to arrive and dock ~04:30 EST, live coverage available.
Dec 22 — Virgin Orbit, Launch LauncherOne / Above the Clouds, Mojave Air and Space Port CA: Virgin Orbit on second operational flight to loft satellites to LEO for USA Military Space Test Program, Spire, and SatRevolution of Poland.
Dec 22 — Ursid Meteor Shower Peak: Appearing to radiate from β star of Ursa Minor, Ursids are associated with comet 8P/Tuttle, they offer medium speed (33 km/sec), mostly faint with a few fireballs, up to 15 per hour, visible in northern Hemisphere.
Dec 22 — Moon: 4.7° NNE of Regulus, 03:00.
THURSDAY
Dec 23 — CNSA, Launch Long March 7A / HOTS (High Orbit Test Satellite), Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center, Hainan Island, China (19° N): CNSA to launch three-stage Long March 7A with HOTS payload; will be 7th flight of a Long March 7 variant.
Dec 23 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Angara A5 / Persei, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia: Roscosmos 3rd orbital test flight for Angara A5 rocket with dummy payload to Geosynchronous orbit; flight test of Persei, a Blok DM-03 upper stage variant for Angara.
Dec 23 — Moon: 3.5° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 23:00.
FRIDAY
NET Dec 24 — Arianespace, Launch Ariane 5 / James Webb Space Telescope, Kourou, French Guiana: European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency and NASA infrared-optimized space telescope with 6.5-meter mirror to be launched ~07:20 EST, and reside in orbit 1.5M km away from Earth; will search for 1st galaxies that formed in early Universe.
Dec 24 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Breakfast with an Astronaut, Bill McArthur.
Dec 24 — Aten Asteroid 2016 TR54: Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)
SATURDAY
Dec 25 — Mars Express, Mars Orbit: ESA spacecraft reaches 18 full years / enters 19th year in Mars orbit today; will continue to study Mars atmosphere & climate, planet structure, mineralogy, geology, and to search for traces of water; launched June 2, 2003.
Dec 25 — Comet 73P-BH/Schwassmann-Wachmann: At Perihelion (1.004 AU)
SUNDAY
Dec 26 — Moon: At last quarter, 16:25.