SpaceX Crew-6 to Launch to ISS While Soyuz / Progress Coolant Leaks Under Analysis, Plans for Commercial Space Stations Advance

International Space Station 7-member Expedition 68 crew, comprised of arrivals from Soyuz MS-22 and SpaceX Crew-5 craft, are working with ~2,500 kg of cargo from newly docked Progress MS-22 / 83P. Crew-6 Endeavour is set to launch February 26 aboard Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center LC-39A, carrying Astronauts Stephen Bowen, and first-time space travelers Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. This is the 9th flight of a Crew Dragon with Astronauts: Crews 1-6, and Axiom-1, Inspiration4 and Demo-2 missions. Tentatively, this team may remain at 11 members until mid-March, while MS-22 crew Commander Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Francisco Rubio are planned to join Expedition 69 and remain in space for 1-full year. Unpiloted Soyuz MS-23, the return-to-Earth crew back up spacecraft replacing the coolant-leaking Soyuz MS-22, is now set to launch NET March 10 as Roscosmos investigates the cooling system pressure loss of the docked Progress MS-21 / 82P cargo craft which was originally slated to leave the station on Feb 18 for Earth atmosphere disintegration. Private mission Axiom-2 could lift off in May with professional Astronaut Peggy Whitson, and private astronauts John Shoffner (USA), Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi (Saudi Arabia). Tiangong aims to host an international visitor soon, while Axiom Space Station, Starlab, Orbital Reef Station and Northrop Grumman Space Stations plan for ~2027+ commercial operations. (Image Credits: SpaceX, NASA, Axiom)

MONDAY

☆ Feb 20 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 68 seven-member crew oversee BioFabrication Facility to print organ-like tissues, set up / dismantle of Sally Ride EarthKAM for another series of observations, and cargo transfers.

☆ Feb 20 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 15 three-member crew nearing mid-way mark of 6-month stay in space, demonstrating exercise techniques used in space, post-EVA procedures including equipment stowage.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Florida, Home to 2 of 3 Busiest Spaceports on Earth, is Growing Center of Space Commerce, Science, and Defense

Boasting 16,000+ aerospace companies employing 150,000+ people, Florida is a major economic and technological powerhouse within the space industry. The “Space Coast” of Brevard County features the highest concentration of launch / support facilities in USA and the world, with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on track to maintain their collective ~1 per week launch cadence (57 orbital launches were carried out from the 2 spaceports in 2022). CCSFS is currently the most frequently utilized orbital launch site globally, with Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center a close 2nd, followed by KSC. Space Florida, a trade association created to foster the aerospace development in Florida, claims US$5.9B impact on the industry since 2007. Faculty at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are actively engaged in the ongoing Artemis program and LRO mission (launched 2009), Lunar Trailblazer (launching NET Q4 2023) and CLPS science payloads L-CIRiS and Lunar-VISE launching NET 2026. Under theme Off Planet for the Planet, SpaceCom is hosting its 23rd annual Global Commercial Space Conference and Exhibition in Orlando Feb 21-23. This is the 2nd year SpaceCom will be held in Florida in conjunction with Space Congress, co-organized by NASA-KSC and the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies. SpaceCom will be bookended by the Global Spaceport Alliance Spaceport Summit on 20 Feb, USSF Space Mobility on 21 Feb, and KSC tours on 24 Feb, comprising Commercial Space Week. (Pictured: UCF planetary scientists Kerri Donaldson Hanna and Adrienne Dove; Image Credits: NASA, UCF, SpaceCom)

● Feb 20 — Global Spaceport Alliance, Orlando FL: 8th Annual Global Spaceport Summit; part of SpaceCom Commercial Space Week.

● Feb 20 — Celestis, Online: Facebook Live: Updates on 2023 Celestis Memorial Spaceflights launch schedules, a special guest, and new payload on Enterprise Flight; 18:00 CDT.

☆ Feb 20 — Apollo Asteroid 2018 DS: Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU)

Continued From…

● Oct 15 – Jun 15, 2023 — International Space Elevator Consortium, Online: Space Elevator Academic Challenge: Improving Humanity’s Future; for students 17-25.

☾ Dec 11 – Apr 25, 2023 — Hakuto-R / ispace Mission 1, Lunar Landing Trajectory: Carrying UAE Rashid 10-kg rover, 0.25-kg JAXA SORA-Q rover, Hakuto-R performing orbital control maneuvers to reach Lunar Orbital Insertion, followed by Moon touchdown nominally ~4.5 months after launch.

● Jan 18 – May 11 — Wichita State University, Wichita KS and Online: 2023 Interstellar Seminar ‘LASI 150G’; 1-credit hour seminar begins today; every Wednesday 14:30-15:20, led by Prof. Mark Schneegurt.

☆ NET Feb — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk III (LVM3) / OneWeb 36, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India: ISRO to launch next batch of 36 communication satellites for OneWeb constellation.

o Feb 12-21 — National Space Foundation, NOIRLab, International Dark-Sky Association, AURA, Online / Global: Globe at Night February Campaign; campaign to raise awareness of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit night sky brightness observations.

TUESDAY

● Feb 21 — American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics Greater Huntsville Section, American Society of Civil Engineers, IEEE, Aerojet Rocketdyne, University of Alabama in Huntsville, et al, Huntsville AL: Engineer’s Week Banquet – Huntsville.

● Feb 21 — USSF, SpaceCom, Orlando FL: Space Mobility 23 Conference: Space Access, Rapid delivery, Orbital Resiliency.

● Feb 21-23 — NASA, Canaveral Council of Technical Societies, Kennedy Space Center, Sintavia, Dell, Boomi, et al, Orlando FL: The Global Commercial Space Conference & Exhibition (SpaceCom23) / 49th Space Congress: Off Planet for the Planet.

o Feb 21-23 — DHV Technology, Malaga, Spain: Small Satellites and Services International Forum 2023.

☆ Feb 21 — Moon: 2.21° SE of Neptune, 11:00.

☆ Feb 21 — Apollo Asteroid 37638 (1993 VB): Near-Earth Flyby (0.043 AU)

☆ Feb 21 — Aten Asteroid 2019 BU3: Near-Earth Flyby (0.053 AU)

☆ Feb 21 — Apollo Asteroid 2012 BB14: Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU)