Western Australia Space Week Sees 2 Space Meetings, APRSAF-30 + IPSEC

Perth, Australia’s sunniest city, is hosting 2 conferences late November in its delightful Spring season, during Western Australia Space Week. A joint reception is evening of Nov 26. Both conferences offer the same exhibition hall Nov 26-28 and the same technical tours on Nov 25 to the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, University of Western Australia or Fugro SpAARC in the morning, and Curtin University in the afternoon. Fugro SpAARC is building the AROSE Lunar Trailblazer Rover, and 4 Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference (IPSEC) speakers are from the company. Curtin University offers 7 IPSEC speakers. IPSEC day of 100+ speakers is Nov 26, with a welcome by Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency (ASA), and an astronaut panel. Then, 3 tracks focus on AI for space, venture capital, mining. Nov 27 has Space Cyber Workshop 10:30-14:30. Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-30) expects participation by 300+ people from 40+ countries / regions / organizations for its working groups and initiatives on Nov 25-26, which include space legislation / policies, robotics, space agriculture, Earth-monitoring from space and education. Its plenary Nov 28 has greetings by Enrico Palermo, as well as a panel on space sustainability moderated by Evie Kendal of Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology. This is followed by space activities reports of many countries and reports of the working groups / initiatives. Nov 29 has a 30th year commemorative session, economic presentations and awards. (Image credits: APRSAF, IPSEC, Enrico Palermo, Evie Kendal)

MONDAY 

☆ Nov 25 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 72 seven-member crew unloading fresh food and supplies from newly arrived (via Soyuz rocket) Progress 90 spacecraft; Progress 89 fired thrusters 5.5 minutes to dodge space debris.

☆ Nov 25 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou crew oversaw first life-cycle cultivation of vertebrates in a space station with 43-day life-cycle of zebra fish, genome of which has 70%+ similarity to that of humans; the fish swam upside-down, spun and looped due to microgravity, were in a closed system with plants producing oxygen for them / they producing food for the plants.

★ Nov 25 — Juno, Perijove 67 / 66th Science Flyby, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft to perform Jupiter flyby during Perijove 67, its 67th close flyby of Jupiter and 66th science flyby with instruments turned on.

★ Nov 25 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 6-76, Space Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Satellites for Starlink mega-constellation; launch cost ~US$52M, NET 17:31 HST (launch window open 4 hours).

● Nov 25 — NASA, Online: Applications due for Community College Aerospace Scholars.

o Nov 25-28 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Online / Melbourne, Australia; Region VII Student Conference; for worldwide high school and college students other than North America; Swinburne University of Technology.

o Nov 25-28 — Australia In Space Magazine, et al, Perth, Australia; Indo-Pacific Space and Earth Conference; 100+ speakers from 20 countries; tech tours Nov 25, conference Nov 26 (1-day Student Pass Aus$199), Exhibition Nov 26-28; Aus$699, at Crown Hotel.

TUESDAY

☆ Nov 26 — LandSpace, Zhuque-2E / Unknown Payload, Launch Area 96, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: Medium-sized rocket, liquid oxygen / methane powered, able to take 6,000 kg into 200 km LEO, or 4,000 kg into 500 km SSO; 16:00 HST (launch window open to 17:09 HST).

o Nov 26-29 — JAXA, Australia Space Agency, et al, Perth, Australia; 30th Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum; Free-Aus$180, at Crown Hotel.

☾ Nov 26 — Moon: At apogee (distance  405,268 km), 02:00.

☾ = Moon activity

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

5th UNOOSA Space for Women (Space4Women) Event Held in Nairobi, Kenya

The latest edition of the Space for Women Expert Meeting, with theme “Integrating women in space activities and solutions” is being held November 27-29, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya and online. Past events were held in USA, UAE, South Korea and Canada, gathering experts and decision-makers from national space agencies, governments, NGOs, international organizations, United Nations entities, private commerce and academia. Last year’s event in Canada had about 70 participants. (Image credits: UNOOSA)

WEDNESDAY

o Nov 27-29 — United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Kenya Space Agency (KSA), Nairobi, Kenya: Space for Women Expert Meeting: Integrating women in space activities and solutions.

☾ Nov 27 — Moon: 0.41° NE of Spica, occultation, 03:00.

☆ Nov 27 — Aten Asteroid (2023 RS2): Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)