Orbital’s Cygnus Tailing the Dragon: New Dimension of Spaceflight on Horizon
Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) has three major milestones ahead as they work towards the 2013 start of a US$1.9M contract for 8 operational cargo delivery missions with the Cygnus spacecraft carrying a total of 20,000 kg to the International Space Station. First, around the end of October an on-pad hot-fire test of the Antares launch vehicle first stage will be performed. About a month later, the fully operational Antares rocket will perform a maiden flight carrying a heavily instrumented mass simulator payload and deploying 4 pico-Satellites. Next a Cygnus demonstration flight will rendezvous and dock with the ISS delivering 550kg of cargo. The company operates from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, described by CEO David W. Thompson as “the first all-new large-scale liquid-fuel launch site to be built in the U.S. in decades.” Independent, private / commercial, NewSpace ventures like Orbital Sciences Corporation and Space Exploration Technologies aim to revolutionize and greatly expand access to space. With NewSpace as of yet limited to cargo, China Shenzhou is currently the most modern human spacecraft flying. William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA indicated recently that from 2014 the agency will need US$830M per year in funding to fly humans in a commercial vehicle by the end of 2017. (Image Credit: OSC)
UN / Japan 4th Nano-Satellite Symposium
The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and The University of Tokyo hold their 4th symposium for micro/ nano-satellite technologies discussing the advancements, education and innovations on October 10-13. Nano-satellite production allows for low cost, quick development and minimization of human workload. Future missions dedicated to Earth and environmental monitoring with international efforts can lead to Earthquake prediction, information gathering and additional groundbreaking and demanding missions. In cooperation with University Space Engineering Consortium and support from nine Japanese agencies, the four day conference will detail space debris mitigation, high speed communication systems, miniaturized optical systems, simplification of interfaces, standardization and reliability expectations. Astronaut Takao Doi, UN Expert for Space Application, and Professor Shinichi Nakasuka, leader of the Hodoyoshi Project, will be featured speakers at the conference. Coordinating with the Japan Aerospace Exhibition 2012, an aerospace trade show on Oct 9-14, the Nano-Satellite Symposium will also host an exhibition booth, US$20 for one day admission. (Image Credit: ISSL, UNOOSA, JAXA, NASA, Todai)
= 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;’ Greenwich, England).
Oct 8 — ISS, LEO: Expedition 33 crew members Sunita Williams and Akihito Hoshide testing robotic arm in preparation for Dragon C3 Spacecraft set to arrive Oct 10 via the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket.
Oct 8 — GRAIL, Lunar Orbit: Twin spacecraft gathering and transmitting data for extended operations of gravity field mapping at the lowest possible altitudes through Dec 3.
Oct 8 —Dawn, Main Asteroid Belt:Collecting and reporting data about 530-km diameter Vesta from more than 295,605km away while traveling en route to 952-km diameter Ceres; scheduled approach Feb 2015.
Oct 8 — Earth2Orbit, Mumbai, India: To sell space aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, adapt Reusable Launch Vehicle to Commercial Space Plane; partnered with 5 companies, 3 international offices.
Oct 8 — Red Bull Stratos,Roswell NM: Super-sonic skydive attempt from ‘the edge of space’ 36,500 meters could aid development of improved space suits and safety protocol concepts for NewSpace applications.
Oct 8 — Thin Red Line Aerospace,Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada: Working with Paragon SDC to perform studies on vessel technologies, manufacturing / designing cutting-edge fabric and deployable technologies used by Bigelow Aerospace, as well as 15 other projects.
Oct 3 – Jan 1, 2013 — Ontario Science Centre Exhibit, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ‘Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration.’ Future technologies on display including lunar elevator model, inflatable space living habitat and robotic submersible potentially useful in search for life on Europa.
Oct 12 — Arianespace, Launch Soyuz / Galileo IOV, Kourou, French Guiana: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch its 3rd mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America and carry 2 Galileo in-orbit validation satellites for Europe Galileo navigation constellation.
Includes ~150 meetings covering the fields of COSPAR Scientific Commissions / Panels / Task Groups, such as SC B: The Earth-Moon System, Planets, and...
From 02 to 07 August 2026, a few thousand geoscientists across diverse disciplines will gather at the 23rd annual meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences...
At the Palais des Nations and online. Outer space is entering a renewed phase of strategic importance, defined by rapid innovation, growing competition and deepening...
This international lunar science meeting has two objectives: to provide a platform for leading experts to review recent advances across lunar research, from the...
At CSIR International Convention Centre. Key topics are Earth Observation, Developing Space Tourism, Space Supply Manufacturing. Cultural tours are offered.
(No earlier than 10 Aug) Japan to launch the MICHIBIKI No. 7 | Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-7) navigation satellite. Launch window remains open through...
Participants will receive theoretical and hands-on training in electron imaging and X-ray spectroscopy for application to planetary samples. This training opportunity is targeted at...
"Leading Australia’s Space Future for Our Strategic Advantage". Southern Space 2026 brings together decision-makers who set the direction for Australia’s space sector. It is...
The second test launch of LandSpace's ZQ-3 rocket with undisclosed test payloads. Zhuque-3 first stage booster will attempt to land on its downrange landing...
A total solar eclipse with a magnitude of 1.0386 (greatest eclipse 17:47:06 UTC) will be visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic...
Includes presentation of the Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence, activities for the new class of Astronaut Scholars, 2-day Technical Conference where Scholars present their...
During U.S. spacewalk 97, two astronauts will replace a Space-to-Ground antenna on the orbital complex. The antenna is a critical communication system NASA uses...
Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) has three major milestones ahead as they work towards the 2013 start of a US$1.9M contract for 8 operational cargo delivery missions with the Cygnus spacecraft carrying a total of 20,000 kg to the International Space Station. First, around the end of October an on-pad hot-fire test of the Antares launch vehicle first stage will be performed. About a month later, the fully operational Antares rocket will perform a maiden flight carrying a heavily instrumented mass simulator payload and deploying 4 pico-Satellites. Next a Cygnus demonstration flight will rendezvous and dock with the ISS delivering 550kg of cargo. The company operates from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, described by CEO David W. Thompson as “the first all-new large-scale liquid-fuel launch site to be built in the U.S. in decades.” Independent, private / commercial, NewSpace ventures like Orbital Sciences Corporation and Space Exploration Technologies aim to revolutionize and greatly expand access to space. With NewSpace as of yet limited to cargo, China Shenzhou is currently the most modern human spacecraft flying. William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA indicated recently that from 2014 the agency will need US$830M per year in funding to fly humans in a commercial vehicle by the end of 2017. (Image Credit: OSC)
The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and The University of Tokyo hold their 4th symposium for micro/ nano-satellite technologies discussing the advancements, education and innovations on October 10-13. Nano-satellite production allows for low cost, quick development and minimization of human workload. Future missions dedicated to Earth and environmental monitoring with international efforts can lead to Earthquake prediction, information gathering and additional groundbreaking and demanding missions. In cooperation with University Space Engineering Consortium and support from nine Japanese agencies, the four day conference will detail space debris mitigation, high speed communication systems, miniaturized optical systems, simplification of interfaces, standardization and reliability expectations. Astronaut Takao Doi, UN Expert for Space Application, and Professor Shinichi Nakasuka, leader of the Hodoyoshi Project, will be featured speakers at the conference. Coordinating with the Japan Aerospace Exhibition 2012, an aerospace trade show on Oct 9-14, the Nano-Satellite Symposium will also host an exhibition booth, US$20 for one day admission. (Image Credit: ISSL, UNOOSA, JAXA, NASA, Todai)
= 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;’ Greenwich, England).
