India PSLV, Russia Soyuz, Arianespace Soyuz, SpaceX Falcon Heavy Planning Launches From 3 Continents This Week
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MONDAY Highlights… Apr 1 — NewSpace: Spaceflight Industries 8th flight on a PSLV scheduled with PSLV-C45 carrying Astrocast-02 3U cubesat, and Flock 4a (20 Dove satellites) from Planet; Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association seeks to create Michigan commercial spaceport by 2022; OneSpace China analyzing data from orbital rocket launch failure. Apr 1 — Solar System: Studies show there could be dust rings around Sun at Mercury orbit and Venus, and not-yet-discovered population of asteroids co-orbiting Venus; Beresheet undergoing camera / functionality tests on journey to Moon; Trojan asteroids migration indicate Jupiter likely shifted ~13AU in less than 1M years. Apr 1 — Galaxy: Study of Messier 11 shows its stars will likely be ejected one by one over next few million years; data from BICEP at South Pole and Planck spacecraft continue to eliminate different models of cosmic inflation; Gemini North finds exoplanets K2-293b and K2-294b orbiting different stars in Aquarius constellation. Apr 1 — Global: Russia future Soyuz MS flights to Moon could cost US$400M, ongoing SIRIUS lunar simulation providing public video updates; Toyota and JAXA collaborating to develop Moon rover; China Space Program analysis discusses developments 1232-2025. Apr 1 — USA: NSC leader VP Mike Pence declares Human missions to Moon South Pole in 2024 including 1st Woman on the Moon; SpaceX Commercial Crew Demonstration Mission 2 / 1st Astronauts launching from USA soil since 2011 – planned for July 25; Boeing Starliner uncrewed test delayed until Aug; Boeing ‘must speed up development’ of SLS for test flight next year. Apr 1 — Hawai’i: TMT 5-year THINK Fund and Workforce Pipeline Program updates on its US$5M+ and $2.5M donations to Hawaii education; backup site in Canary Islands gaining final permits, La Palma Mayor hopeful construction could begin in April; UH IfA Researcher Heather Flewelling discovers comet, now designated as “C/2019 D1 (Flewelling)”. |
= 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: Mars (W); Morning Planets: Venus (ESE), Jupiter (SE), Saturn (SE).
Europe Space Gatherings: 58th UNOOSA, EGU, Paris Space Week, BIS Talk, and PTScientists Open HouseIn Vienna, Austria the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs is to convene the 58th session of its Legal Subcommittee April 1-12 at Vienna International Centre. The UNOOSA works to promote peaceful space exploration and technologies, and related legal policy and is directed by Simonetta Di Pippo. Also in Vienna, the European Geosciences Union is holding its annual general assembly April 7-12, focusing on science globalism and the impact of populist political movements on scientific integrity. Mario Monti (Economist and former Prime Minister of Italy) and Ilaria Capua (Virologist and former Italian Parliamentarian) are notable scheduled speakers. The 5th annual Paris Space Week tradeshow will be held April 2-3 in Paris, France; organized by ASTech and supported by European Space Agency, Airbus, European Photonics Industry Consortium and others. British Interplanetary Society meets in London, UK April 3. Keynote speaker David Hardy will present a lecture entitled ‘Artists in Space: The Early Years’ covering astronomical and astronautical art history to a sold-out audience. Finally, PTScientists are hosting a meet-and-greet in their Berlin, Germany HQ April 5, discussing their advances towards reaching the lunar surface with payloads and collaborations with partners in these efforts. (Image Credits: UNOOSA, EGU, PTScientists, ASTech) |
Apr 1 — Deep Space, Interstellar Space: Voyager 1 operating 4 science instruments ~145 AU from Earth and Voyager 2 operates 5 instruments ~120 AU; both expected to transmit data for at least 6 more years.
Apr 1 — NASA, Washington DC: NASA Town Hall Meeting with Administrator Jim Bridenstine to discuss USA Moon to Mars plans, 13:30 EDT, live coverage available. Apr 1 — ISRO, Launch PSLV XL / EMISat, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on PSLV-C45 mission to launch 30 satellites including main payload electronic intelligence-gathering spacecraft. Apr 1-7 — Hayabusa2, Asteroid 1999 JU3: JAXA craft planning to drop explosive Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) to generate a crater in order to gather subsurface material. Apr 1-3 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: Seminar: Subsurface, Subaqueous, and Salty – Looking for Life in All the Right Places; Kennda Lynch, Georgia Institute of Technology, 15:30. Apr 1-3 — SSERVI, NASA, University of Central Florida, Florida Space Institute, et al, Orlando FL: Centaur Exploration Workshop. Apr 1-3 — Exoplanet Exploration Program, NASA, JPL, Potomac MD: Conference: The Landscape of Space Astrophysics in the 2020s and Beyond. Apr 1-12 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, Austria: 58th Session of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Apr 1 — Moon: 2.55° SSE of Venus, 21:00. Apr 1 — Aten Asteroid 2014 FK38: Near-Earth Flyby (0.059 AU) Continued from…Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data from spacecraft 7 instruments during KBO Ultima Thule flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period. |
Mar 19 – Jul 19 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender crew of 6 to participate in 4-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
TUESDAY
Apr 2-3 — ASTech Paris, EPIC, CNES, ESA, Paris, France: Paris Space Week.
Apr 2 — Moon: with Mercury and Neptune within circle of diameter 3.39°,15:00; n 3.1° SSE of Neptune, 16:00; 3.4° SSE of Mercury, 16:00.
Apr 2 — Mercury: 0.38° N of Neptune, 11:00.
Apr 2 — Aten Asteroid 2018 PK21: Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Apr 3 — British Interplanetary Society, London, United Kingdom: Lecture: Artists in Space: The Early Years; by David Hardy, 19:00.
Apr 3 — W. M. Keck Observatory, Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation, Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talk: Where Did We Come From: A Tale About Galaxies Far, Far Away; by Marusa Bradac from UC Davis, at HPA 19:00.
Apr 3 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: Seminar: Assessing the Habitability Potential of Mars and Beyond Through Mission Data Analysis, Numerical Modeling and Laboratory Experiments: Implications for Instrument Development; by Germán Martínez Martínez from University of Michigan, 15:00.
Apr 3 — Aten Asteroid 2011 FK1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU)
THURSDAY
Apr 4 — Genesis Lander, Lunar Orbit: SpaceIL, Israel Aerospace Industries Beresheet “Genesis” to be captured by lunar gravity today and potentially soft land on surface in one week at Mare Serenitatis, Moon near side northern hemisphere ~28.0°N, 17.5°E.
Apr 4 — Parker Solar Probe, Heliocentric Orbit: Spacecraft reaches 2nd perihelion today.
Apr 4 — Roscosmos State Corporation, Launch Soyuz / Progress 72P (MS-11), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Russia Soyuz rocket to launch Progress 72P resupply ship to ISS.
Apr 4 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / O3b F5, Sinnamary, French Guiana: Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS22, to launch fifth set of four satellites for O3b Networks, which provides broadband service to developing countries.
Apr 4 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston TX: Seminar: Apollo Zircons – A New Perspective on Lunar Crustal Evolution; by Carolyn Crow from University of Colorado Boulder, 15:30.
Apr 4 — University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN: Lecture: Clues about the Early Martian Climate from the Phyllosilicate Record – How Warm is Warm? by SETI Scientist Janice Bishop, 15:30-16:30.
Apr 4 — Moon: New Moon, 22:51.
Apr 4 — Apollo Asteroid 2016 GE1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)
FRIDAY
Apr 5 — PTScientists, Berlin, Germany: Visit PTScientists HQ; 10:00-12:00.
Apr 5 — Brown University, Providence RI: 8th New England String Meeting.
Apr 5 — Star Gaze Hawaii, Kamuela HI: Free Stargazing; at Mauna Lani Fairmont Orchid, poolside on the croquet lawn, 19:30.
SATURDAY
Apr 6 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA, KSC FL: 2019 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame to induct James F. Buchli and Janet Kavandi.
Apr 6 — AIAA San Fernando Pacific Chapter, Online: Entries Due: Annual Essay Scholarship Contest.
Apr 6-7 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo CA: Region VI Student Conference.
Apr 6-7 — University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA: Ivy Space Coalition’s Second Annual Conference (ISC2).
Apr 6 — Moon: 4.5° SSE of Uranus, 07:00.
Apr 6 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 FV: Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU)
SUNDAY
Apr 7 — Juno, Perijove 19 / 18th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft in 53-day orbit to come within ~3,500 km of Jupiter cloud tops during Perijove 19, its 19th close flyby of Jupiter and 18th science flyby with instruments turned on.
Apr 7 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon Heavy / Arabsat 6A, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to launch Arabsat 6A communications satellite for Arabsat of Saudi Arabia to GTO.
Apr 7 — Institute for Astronomy at University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu HI: Open House at IfA; all ages, hands-on activities, displays and demos, talks and videos, 11:00-16:00.
Apr 7-12 — European Geosciences Union (EGU), Vienna, Austria: EGU General Assembly 2019.
Apr 7-13 — Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America, SSTI, ISPCS, New Mexico Space Grant COnsortium, et al, Las Cruces NM: 2019 Las Cruces Space Festival: Making Space for Everyone; free.