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.
Highlights…
o NewSpace: Blue Origin plans 1,600°C+ molten regolith electrolysis process ‘Blue Alchemist’ to extract Al, Fe, Si, O & manufacture PV cells on Moon; Lunar Resources conducting Lunar South Pole Oxygen Pipeline 9-month study under US$175,000 NIAC award; Dhruva Space gains access to global space services by joining Satsearch membership programme.
☆ Solar System: JUICE to undergo final checks and fueling at Kourou before April 13 launch; NASA ESCAPADE mission to study Mars magnetosphere to be launched by Blue Origin New Glenn under VADR contract NET late 2024; UAE Hope orbiter to initiate Lambert transfer into orbit that travels within 15 km of moon Deimos.
☆ Galaxy: NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe advancing toward NET 2025 launch following design review; VLT and Spitzer data combined to produce image of NGC 6872, the largest known galaxy with 522,000-LY diameter, which appears to be birthing a new galaxy alongside IC 4970.
o Global: Next-gen Japan H3 rocket being investigated after debut launch attempt aborted; S. Korea Danuri in mission operational mode, sends Earth phases images, will continue lunar investigation for >1 year; China Compound Eye deep space radar array for planetary science / defense enters construction phase 2, completion NET 2025.
●USA: VIPER lunar landing location now named ‘Mons Mouton‘ after NASA Mathematician Melba Mouton; Latest ~8.5-minute RS-25 engine tests advance toward SLS Block 1B for Artemis 5+ missions; Advanced material / manufacturing payloads sought by ISS National Lab.
● Hawai’i: ILOA Hawai’i ILO-X payload with Ka ‘Imi camera now set for NET June launch to Moon surface; Keck finds aurorae at visible wavelengths on all 4 Jupiter Galileo moons; IfA astronomer Roy Gal explains lasers imaged by Subaru-Asahi Star Camera were likely from ongoing SAST atmosphere monitoring craft Daqi-1.
● = Terrestrial and… o = International terrestrial events
☾ = 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)
☆ 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 — 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)
WEDNESDAY
☆ Feb 22 — Moon: 1.85° SE of Venus, 00:00; 1.09° SE of Jupiter, 14:00
☆ Feb 22 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 AA2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.044 AU)
THURSDAY
★ Feb 23 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 6-1,SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink internet satellites for SpaceX with new, larger spacecraft design “Starlink V2 Mini”; first stage to land on drone ship in Atlantic Ocean.
● Feb 23 — Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope,Haleakala 3,084-m Elevation, Maui HI: NSF flagship solar telescope reaches end of 1-year Operations Commissioning Phase, marking start of full science operations.
● Feb 23 — White House National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group, Washington DC: NSC UAG Meeting; 09:00-14:00.
☆ Feb 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 CS1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU)
☆ Feb 23 — Aten Asteroid 2021 DU1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU)
FRIDAY
● Feb 24 — Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC),Online / Washington DC: AAAC Meeting 2023; to provide advice and recommendations to National Science Foundation, NASA and Department of Energy.
☆ Feb 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 BL7: Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)
SATURDAY
☆ Feb 25 — Moon: 1.19° NNW of Uranus, 03:00.
☆ Feb 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2023 CG1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU)
☆ Feb 25 — Aten Asteroid 2023 CW1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU)
SUNDAY
★ Feb 26 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Crew 6, LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Falcon 9 to launch Crew Dragon spacecraft with Astronauts Stephen Bowen, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, UAE Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, Russia Cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev; first stage booster to land on drone ship in Atlantic Ocean.
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