Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Space Force say converted launch vehicle payload adapter rings, upgraded with power and propulsion to create full-fledged satellites, are proving effective in more rapidly delivering military instruments and sensors to orbit. Another such mission is set to launch on SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy rocket.
Russian space agency and NASA officials said Wednesday they will accelerate the launch of the next Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, and fly it to the complex next month without anyone on-board to replace a Soyuz crew ferry ship damaged Dec. 14 by a high-speed impact, likely from a tiny particle from deep space. The schedule shuffle will mean two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut will stay in space several months beyond their planned return to Earth in late March.
SpaceX plans to launch its first Starlink mission of 2023 no earlier than Jan. 19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, following delays caused by bad weather and to examine data from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage. The Falcon will head southeast over the Pacific Ocean, targeting an orbit inclined 70 degrees to the equator to deploy the payloads into “Group 2” of the Starlink constellation.
SpaceX’s first launch of Starlink internet satellites this year was set to blast off from California’s Central Coast Monday night, but high winds and storms could stood in the way of the Falcon 9 rocket lifting off with 51 new broadband relay stations. Another launch attempt is planned Tuesday night.
Virgin Orbit’s air-dropped LauncherOne rocket failed after release from the company’s Boeing 747 carrier aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 6:08 p.m. EST (2308 GMT), following the plane’s departure from Spaceport Cornwall in South West England. The mission faltered before placing nine small spacecraft into orbit on the first satellite launch based out of the United Kingdom.
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