72nd International Astronautical Congress being held at Dubai World Trade Center October 25-29
The global space community is gathering for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, under organizational direction of International Astronautical Federation – the preeminent space society representing 35,000+ space professionals and academics across 407 organizations / 71 countries. IAC will officially kick off its mission of ‘Connecting @ll Space People’ with a Welcoming Ceremony in Sheikh Rashid Hall on Monday Oct 25, but space-related activities will have already begun with Space Generation Congress Oct 21-23, International Academy of Astronautics Academy Day and IAC Hosts Summit both set for Oct 24. Countries in contention to host IAC 2024 include Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Italy and Spain. Coincidently, Expo 2020 Dubai is running concurrently (due to postponement) at Dubai Exhibition Centre ~ 40 km from IAC venue, and will be wrapping up ‘Space Week’, which runs Oct 17-23. IAC 2021 itself will host 33 technical symposia on matters ranging from space exploration, communication / navigation, propulsion, materials, human spaceflight and SETI; 26 Global Networking Forums and 7 plenaries. Speakers include Astronauts Sergei Krikalev, Christina Koch, Jean-Francois Clervoy, Nick Hague, Jessica Meir, Alexey Ovchinin, Andrew Morgan, Hazzaa Al Mansoori, Oleg Skripochka; space leaders K. Sivan (ISRO), Hiroshi Yamakawa (JAXA), Valanathan Munsami (South African National Space Agency), Serdar Yildirim (Turkish Space Agency) and Pam Melroy (NASA). A Gala Dinner on October 29 will close out IAC 2021. (Image Credits: IAF, et al)
MONDAY
Highlights… Oct 25 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Seven-member Expedition 66 to become crew of 11 with arrival of Dragon Crew-3, preparing for next Progress resupply, continuing Nauka and Bigelow BEAM evaluations, performing EVA EMU maintenance including tether Inspections.
Oct 25 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Three-member Shenzhou-13 crew Wang Yaping, Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu starting 6-month mission, planning for equipment testing & EVAs, transferring cargo from Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3.
Oct 25 —NewSpace: Rocket Lab details plans for 1st stage booster ocean recovery / use of helicopter at Nov 11 launch; Landspace setting up rocket assembly & test center at Jiaxing Space Center, China.
Oct 25 —Galaxy: Astronomers continue to observe unusual source of 6 radio waves detected near Milky Way Center; NASA 2025 Compton Spectrometer and Imager gamma-ray telescope being developed to study evolution of MW while 19-year old ESA INTEGRAL overcomes mechanical failures.
Oct 25 — USA: With proposed US$100M increase for Artemis human lander, Senate directs NASA to select 2nd provider for redundancy; Orion spacecraft at KSC to soon be attached to SLS for Artemis 1; Hangar 276 at Ellington Field in Houston to be named ‘Capt. John Young Hangar‘ after Apollo 16 Moonworker.
Oct 25 — Hawai’i:Maunakea master plan 122-page draft open for comment through Tuesday; exoplanet system resembling expected ‘fate of our Solar System’ found by Keck Observatory, shows Jupiter-like planet around white dwarf.
= All times for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
SpaceX Crew 3 Launch Caps Week of Multiple Launches
October 25 is being targeted by JAXA to launch its 43rd H-2A rocket, carrying a Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZS, also known as Michibiki ‘Guidance’) from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. QZS-1R is a replacement for the 1st QZS launched in 2010, continuing the 4-satellite system to provide regional navigation services, which will have 3 additional satellites added by 2024. Astra 5th Rocket 3 vehicle is scheduled to fly Oct 27 from Pad 3B Pacific Spaceport Complex, Alaska for a 2nd demonstration launch for USSF Space Test Program payload. Launching 06:00 on Oct 28 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (20:00 EDT Oct 27) is the 56th Russia Soyuz 21.a rocket and 171st flight of a Progress (dubbed Progress 79P) arriving at ISS ~2 days later. With nearly 3,000 kg of supplies, Progress 79P is set to dock automatically to Zvezda and remain in orbit for 215 days. Slated to join 7 current members of ISS Expedition 66 are spaceflight newcomers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari (NASA astronaut Group 22 selected 2017), Matthias Maure (ESA astronaut selected 2015), and veteran Astronaut Tom Marshburn. Launching OCt 31, they will stay aboard until March 28 adding to the tally of 246 people from 19 countries which have visited ISS over the past 21 years. Dragon Crew 3 and Progress 79P will join 4 other docked vehicles: Crew 2, Soyuz MS-19, Progress 78P and Cygnus-16 S.S. Ellison Onizuka. (Image Credits: JAXA, GPS for Land Surveyors, Astra, Alaska Aerospace, Roscosmos, NASA, SpaceX)
Oct 25 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / QZS 1R,Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: Japan H-2A rocket to launch a replacement satellite for Japan Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, providing regional navigation services over Asia-Pacific Region.
Oct 26 — STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) A & B, Heliocentric Orbit: NASA craft imaging Sun and solar phenomena reach 15 full years / enter 16th year in space today, launched 2006.
Oct 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 UW6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)
WEDNESDAY
Oct 27 — Astra, Launch Rocket 3 LV0007 / STP-27AD2, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak AK: Launch window opens for today until Oct 31, and back up dates November 5-12; commercial launch vehicle carrying second of 3 USSF test payloads.
Oct 27 — Moon: 6.2° S of Castor, 06:00; 2.58° S of Pollux, 11:00.
THURSDAY
Oct 28 — Roscosmos, Launch Soyuz / Progress 79P (MS-18), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: Russia Soyuz rocket to launch 79th Progress cargo delivery ship to ISS, 06:00 local time (20:00 EDT Oct 27, live coverage available)
Oct 28 — Lunar and Planetary Institute, Online / Houston TX:Panel: Our Salty Solar System; featuring Mohit Melwani Daswani, Jennifer Hanley, Kennda Lynch, Abel Méndez, Sean O’Hara; 18:00.
Oct 28 — Moon: At last quarter, 10:06; 3.5° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 14:00.
FRIDAY
Oct 29 — ISS, Progress 79P Rendezvous and Docking, 405-km LEO: Russia Soyuz 79th Progress cargo ship to arrive at ISS, live coverage of docking scheduled at 21:34 EDT available.
Oct 31 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Crew 3 (US Crew Vehicle-3), LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: SpaceX Crew Dragon to launch its fourth crewed mission / third mission carrying ISS crew to join Expedition 66: NASA Astronauts Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Tom Marshburn, ESA Astronaut Matthias Maure; 02:21 EDT.
Oct 31 — SpaceBase, Planet, Christchurch, New Zealand and Online: Last Day: Space for Planet Earth Challenge; seeking innovative ideas from New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Island residents at High School and University / Start-up level to address climate change through space technologies.
At the Spokane Convention Center. The meeting will have a broad scope, with a wide-ranging program of science and workforce topics, and celebrating planetary...
Occurring 31 October from 09:00-11:00 local time (16:00-18:00 HST, 19:00-21:00 PDT, 22:00-24:00 EDT on 30 October), this Galaxy Forum will be in hybrid format...
Originally planned around this date for Wenchang, China -- TBC (to be confirmed); As the only professional association for astronauts, ASE supports the advancement of...
Coordinating Division Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage The IAU Symposium on Innovative Research and Techniques in Astronomy Communication will take place from November...
Change clocks back 1 hour from Daylight Saving to Standard Time; does not include Hawai’i, Arizona (except the Navajo Nation), American Samoa, Guam, Northern...
ESWW is the main annual event in the European Space Weather and Space Climate calendar. It is an international meeting organised annually within the...
IAU Symposium: IAUS409 - A Journey Towards Effective Astronomy Communication; online and at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-2 Osawa Mitaka, Tokyo. Topics include:...
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
iQPS Launch 9, an Earth observation satellite with Synthetic aperture radar for Japan-based imaging company iQPS, to launch on "The Sea God Surveys" mission...
Launch window 10:34am - 2:34pm local time for the 15th batch of classified satellites for a reconnaissance constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman...
Expecting senior government and executives from NASA, Firefly, Blue Origin to discuss innovation, competitive advantages and a "space industrial revolution in LEO". Capped at...
Launch Complex 1, ~39°S, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
iQPS Launch 10, an Earth observation satellite with Synthetic aperture radar for Japan-based imaging company iQPS, to launch on “The Mountain God Rises” mission...
Promoting the New Space Economy: The first major national meeting of the space, technology and scientific industries. Three days to connect science, industry and...
Major international forum in space hardware environmental testing for research and development and qualification. It provides a unique opportunity for engineers, technicians and scientists...
At the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran. This event represents one of Southeast Asia’s most significant aerospace gatherings, connecting industry leaders, innovators, policymakers, and...
NASA interstellar craft set to reach 16.1 billion miles today, marking one full light-day of communication delays. Craft is operating with only 2 science...
The global space community is gathering for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, under organizational direction of International Astronautical Federation – the preeminent space society representing 35,000+ space professionals and academics across 407 organizations / 71 countries. IAC will officially kick off its mission of ‘Connecting @ll Space People’ with a Welcoming Ceremony in Sheikh Rashid Hall on Monday Oct 25, but space-related activities will have already begun with Space Generation Congress Oct 21-23, International Academy of Astronautics Academy Day and IAC Hosts Summit both set for Oct 24. Countries in contention to host IAC 2024 include Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Italy and Spain. Coincidently, Expo 2020 Dubai is running concurrently (due to postponement) at Dubai Exhibition Centre ~ 40 km from IAC venue, and will be wrapping up ‘Space Week’, which runs Oct 17-23. IAC 2021 itself will host 33 technical symposia on matters ranging from space exploration, communication / navigation, propulsion, materials, human spaceflight and SETI; 26 Global Networking Forums and 7 plenaries. Speakers include Astronauts Sergei Krikalev, Christina Koch, Jean-Francois Clervoy, Nick Hague, Jessica Meir, Alexey Ovchinin, Andrew Morgan, Hazzaa Al Mansoori, Oleg Skripochka; space leaders K. Sivan (ISRO), Hiroshi Yamakawa (JAXA), Valanathan Munsami (South African National Space Agency), Serdar Yildirim (Turkish Space Agency) and Pam Melroy (NASA). A Gala Dinner on October 29 will close out IAC 2021. (Image Credits: IAF, et al)
Oct 25 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Seven-member Expedition 66 to become crew of 11 with arrival of Dragon Crew-3, preparing for next Progress resupply, continuing Nauka and Bigelow BEAM evaluations, performing EVA EMU maintenance including tether Inspections.
Oct 25 — NewSpace: 
Oct 25 — USA: With proposed US$100M increase for 
= All times for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).
