June 15-21, 2020 / Vol 39, No 24 / Hawai`i Island, USA

International Women’s Space Week

What could become recognized as International Women’s Space Week, 3 women from 3 countries are celebrated June 16 and 18 for their space accomplishments. To date, 64 women from 11 countries have been to space, the first being Valentina Tereshkova from former Soviet Union on June 16, 1963. The first American woman, Sally Ride, flew on June 18, 1983; and the first woman from Zhongguo / China, Liu Yang, launched June 18, 2012. NASA Artemis announced its plans to land the First Woman on the Moon on 2024, and should announce its selection for the First Black American on the Moon. Traveling to the Moon would expand the sphere of influence, activity and domain by nearly 1 Billion times, while taking first steps toward fulfilling the Apollo 11 Pledge ‘In Peace For All’. Active Women Astronauts within Space Agencies are Liu Yang and Wang Yaping (China), Jenni Sidey-Gibbons (Canada), Samantha Cristoforetti (ESA), Anna Kikina (Russia), and from USA are Kayla Barron, Zena Cardman, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Jeanette Epps, Christina Koch, Nicole Aunapu Mann, K. Megan McArthur, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O’Hara, Kathleen Rubins, Shannon Walker, Jessica Watkins, Stephanie Wilson and Sunita Williams. Recently Kathy Sullivan, first American woman to perform an EVA, has become the first woman to descend 11 km to Challenger Deep, the deepest location on Earth in Mariana Trench. (Image Credits: NASA, CSA-ASC, Roscosmos, CMSA, ESA)

MONDAY

Arianespace Vega Return to Flight in New Rideshare Configuration Anticipated June 18

Launch operations are set to resume at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. Built by France in 1964, ESA has invested some EUR€2 billion in the Spaceport. GSC is located at 5° N latitude, second only to Alcantara Space Centre in Brazil in terms of proximity to the equator – allowing for low-inclination orbital launches and reduced delta-v. Originally slated for August of 2019, then readied for launch in February before a nearly 3-month interruption due to viral pandemic starting March 18, VV16 launch is both Return to Flight for Vega (after VV15 failure) and Proof of Concept for Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMB) configuration, in which a large volume of satellites of varying sizes can be deployed. Approximately 50 payloads are to be ferried to space, including 26 Planet Labs and 12 Swarm Technologies CubeSats. Giorgio Tumino (L), ESA Vega and Space Rider Development Programme Manager, claims SSMB dispenser is “able to group together different satellites from 1 kg to 400 kg in mass”. Prime Vega contractor Avio of Italy has been working throughout the pandemic on production and R&D, according to CEO Giulio Ranzo (R) – enabling a lean turnaround time after GSC reopened June 1. Arianespace hopes to compete with fellow commercial launch providers in the increasingly crowded rideshare market. (Image Credits: Arianespace, ESA, Avio)

Jun 15-19 — AIAA, Reno NV: 2020 AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition; now being held as a virtual conference.

Jun 15-19 — IAU Commission H2 Steering Committee, Online: Astrochemical Frontiers – Quarantine Edition.

Continued From…

Jan 2019 – Sep 2020 — New Horizons, Kuiper Belt: Full data collected from 7 instruments during KBO Arrokoth flyby to be transmitted to Earth over this time period.

Nov 2019 – Nov 2020 — Hayabusa2, Earth Trajectory: JAXA Hayabusa2 with two samples collected from C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu on trajectory for Earth return.

May 9 – Jul 11 — AIAA Los Angeles – Las Vegas Section, Online: Virtual Aerospace Art Gallery Exhibition.

Jun 11 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / “Don’t Stop Me Now”, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: 14-day launch window begins for 12th Electron launch to carry ANDESITE and NRO satellites.

TUESDAY

Jun 16 — 57th Observation of the 1st Woman in Space, Global: Events and commemorations occur to celebrate the first female to fly in Space, Valentina Tereshkova of the former Soviet Union; in 1963 she orbited Earth 49 times in Vostok 6.

Jun 16 — 8th Observation of the 1st Woman from China in Space, Zhongguo / Global: First Woman from China, Liu Yang, celebrated today for reaching space in 2012 aboard Shenzhou 9, while nation plans for China Space Station and people on the Moon.