Africa NewSpace and Student STEM Conferences in April Precede SpaceX Nilesat Launch
NewSpace Africa Conference is being held in Nairobi, Kenya on April 25-27 by Space in Africa under theme Making Africa the New Hotspot for Space Business. It will feature ~60 speakers and 9 Keynotes including (TL-BR) Temidayo Oniosun (Space in Africa), Peter Martinez (SWF), Emma Inamutila Theofelus (Deputy Minister, Republic of Namibia), and Ayman Ahmed (Egyptian Space Agency). There will be an exhibition, panel discussions, startup pitch showcase, and international participation from Europe, USA and PRC. Representatives will join from Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, Angola, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Gabon and Nigeria. In Johannesburg, South Africa the Future African Space Explorer’s STEM Academy (FASESA) is holding Increasing Student Interest and Engagement in Space Exploration Conference April 27-29. The event will have 35 speakers such as Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff, Ruvimbo Samanga (AgriSpace, Zimbabwe), Alan Stern (World View Enterprises, USA), Hiroko Tsuzuki (JAXA), Abdul Sattar (National Curriculum Development, India), Yang Gao (UN Space4Women, UK), and Maruška Strah (World Space Week, Slovenia). Originally set for April 30 and now shifted to May, the Nilesat 301 geostationary communications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for Egypt operator Nilesat will be launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral SFS FL. This will be the 4th Nilesat in the series, joining still operational Nilesat 201, and will communicate with ground stations in 6th of October City and Alexandria. (Image Credits: Space in Africa, FASESA, Nilesat, SpaceX, et al)
MONDAY
☆ Apr 25 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 67 to be team of 11 after welcoming expected SpaceX Crew-4 mission this week; planning to send off Crew-3 four members and shift Command to Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos on Saturday; Russia EVA #53 on Thursday will continue integration of European Robotic Arm on Nauka module; working with cargo transfers from Cygnus NG-17, Progress 79P and 80P.
☆ Apr 25 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: With Tianzhou 3 cargo ship attached, the currently uninhabited Tianhe core module will surpass 1 full year in space this week and should see Tianzhou 4 launch / docking ~May 5, followed by Shenzhou 14 three-member crew in early June; planned 2 modules Wentian and Mengtian launching in July and October should allow for TSS completion before 2023.
☆ Apr 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 GA6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.090 AU)
Continued From… o Nov 4 – Jun 29 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender, international crew of 6 participating in 8-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS-21 (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).
● Mar 24 – May 26 — International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai’i),Online / Hawai’i Islands:ILO-X Moon Camera Naming Contest for HI Schools.
Space Enterprise Accelerating via AIAA, STS, MIT Meetings in USA East, West, Center Locations
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is hosting >200 people for Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration and New Discovery 2022 (ASCEND) in Houston, Texas April 27-28 to ‘grow the Texas Space Ecosystem and our off-world future’. Topics include investment communities, LEO, ISS, workforce development, policy and technology strategies while main focus is on NASA / Artemis with Keynote by (TL-BR) Kathryn Lueders, and Panel featuring CLPS providers Masten (Colin Ake), Intuitive Machines (Tim Crain), Firefly Aerospace (Shea Ferring), and Astrobotic (Dan Hendrickson). Aarti Matthews from SpaceX will speak on Starship Human Landing System. Space Tourism Society, founded by John Spencer in 1996, is holding its Space Tourism Conference themed Profiting from the Space Experience Economy with ~35 speakers in Los Angeles April 28. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, NASA and Roscosmos are flying commercial Astronauts, and the first all-civilian mission to Lunar orbit is planned aboard Starship 2024. Currently 607 people have gone beyond the Kármán Line with newcomers Jessica Watkins and Robert Hines adding to the tally via SpaceX Crew-4. In Cambridge, Massachusetts the 7th MIT Sloan New Space Age Conference is set for April 29. Highlighting new tech and services will be invited speakers Forrest Meyen from Lunar Outpost, Erika Wagner from Blue Origin, Dean Bergman from Honeybee and Blair DeWitt from Lunar Station. (Image Credits: AIAA, STS, MIT, NASA, SpaceX, et al)
TUESDAY
★ Apr 26 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Crew 4 (US Crew Vehicle-4), LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Crew Dragon to launch its fifth crewed mission / fourth mission carrying ISS crew to join Expedition 67: Samantha Cristoforetti, Robert Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins.
☆ Apr 27 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / There and Back Again, Launch Complex 1A, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Launch of 34 payloads from commercial operators via launch broker Spaceflight Inc; Rocket Lab to attempt mid-air capture of Electron 1st stage.
☆ Apr 27 — Roscosmos, Launch Angara 1.2 / MKA-R, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia: First orbital launch of Angara 1.2 rocket to carry MKA-R military radar satellite.
● Apr 27 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Washington DC: 2022 AIAA Awards Gala; recognizing individuals for their achievements and influence on the aerospace industry.
o Apr 27 — UK Research and Innovation Science and Technology Facilities Council, Harwell, United Kingdom:SPACEtalks 3.0; in-person speakers from IQ Capital, E2MC Ventures, BryceTech, SpaceWatch.Global, ESA at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.
☆Apr 28 — ISS, Russia EVA #53, ~405-km LEO: Cosmonauts Artemyev and Matveev to perform 6.5-hour spacewalk to continue integration of European Robotic Arm on Nauka module; begins ~10:30 EDT, live coverage available.
☆ Apr 28 — Mercury: At easternmost elongation, 22:00.
☆ Apr 28 — Apollo Asteroid 418135 (2008 AG33): Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU)
FRIDAY
☆ Apr 29 — Tiangong Space Station (TSS), ~370-kmLEO: Tianhe, first component of China TSS reaches 1 full year / enters 2nd year in Space today, having launched on this day in 2021.
★ Apr 29 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 4-16, SLC-40, Kennedy Space Center FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink internet satellites; first stage booster to land on a drone ship in Atlantic.
●Apr 29 — Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, Online / Washington DC:Programmatic Environmental Assessment; FAA decision on Starship Super Heavy Project at Boca Chica Launch Site (SN20 orbital launch to Kauai) to be released on this date.
☆ Apr 29 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 GP5: Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU)
SATURDAY
☆Apr 30 — ISS, SpaceX Crew 3 Undocking / Return to Earth, ~405-km LEO: Scheduled departure of Soyuz MS-19 with Expedition 66-67 crew Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Matthias Maurer, Kayla Barron; Expedition command to shift to Samantha Cristoforetti.
☆ Apr 30 — Moon: New Moon, 10:30; 0.45° ESE of Uranus, 19:00.
☆ Apr 30 — Venus: 0.23° SE of Jupiter, 12:00.
☆ Apr 30 — Apollo Asteroid 2021 VO11: Near-Earth Flyby (0.0985 AU)
☆ Apr 30 — Apollo Asteroid 2003 HN16: Near-Earth Flyby (0.0989 AU)
SUNDAY
★ NET May 1 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Nilesat 301, SLC-40, Kennedy Space Center FL: Falcon 9 to launch Nilesat 301 geostationary communications satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space; first stage booster to land on a drone ship in Atlantic.
☆ May 1 — Deep Space, Kuiper Belt: Now 5,946 days and counting since launch, New Horizons continues its journey at 2.70 AU from Earth through Solar System 3rd Zone, sending data to Earth; next KBO flyby may occur at distance of 150M km or greater.
o May 1 — May Day,Northern Hemisphere, Earth: Spring festival commonly held on this day (or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice) to celebrate fertility, fire, and abundance.
☆ May 1 — Apollo Asteroid 2017 XO2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)
☆ May 1 — Aten Asteroid 2019 AY13: Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU)
☆ May 1 — Aten Asteroid 2009 HG21: Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)
☆ May 1 — Aten Asteroid 2021 VA2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU)
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