Space

The year’s second Space Café Scotland by Angela Mathis - Building a Spaceport is More Difficult Than Building a Rocket took place on Thursday, 28th February interviewing Frank Strang, CEO of SaxaVord Space Port. Strang trained as a Physical Education teacher at The Scottish School of Physical Education in Glasgow, Jordan Hill College.

Rocket Lab has successfully deployed 34 satellites to orbit during its “There And Back Again” mission, which also included a mid-air capture of the Electron booster with a helicopter for the first time. This was the company’s 26th Electron mission. Rocket Lab has deployed a total of 146 satellites to orbit with the launch vehicle so far.

NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), who has a 20% share of the program and its costs, will conclude the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) mission, after a successful eight years of science, NASA announced. The observatory will end operations by the end of September this year.

Cubesat and small satellite solutions manufacturer and supplier GomSpace, signed a contract with spacecraft and launch vehicles communication services provider KSAT, to develop, deliver and support the company’s mission control system that will be used to operate the Arctic Weather Satellite mission, GomSpace said.

Human spaceflight services provider and human-rated space infrastructure developer Axiom Space, signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) to fly a UAE professional crew member to the ISS on the NASA-SpaceX Crew-6 mission, Axiom said. The mission is expected to launch in 2023.

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) proudly presented the 2022 IAF Young Space Leaders. The Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme awards exceptional students and young professionals who contribute to astronautics, the IAF said. These young people share knowledge and experiences with their peers and communities.

The second uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program launching Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is targeted for 19th May, Boeing said. During OFT-2, the company will test Starliner's and Atlas V’s capabilities from launch to docking and re-rentry operations.

China is planning to set up a lunar communication and navigation satellite constellation around the Moon to aid future operations on the lunar surface, CNSA said. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that China will take the lead in demonstrating a lunar relay satellite system.

Firefly says it has completed the Integration Readiness Review (IRR) of Blue Ghost M1, during which the team achieved key progress milestones across multiple areas. These include propulsion, core avionics, battery production, harness production, and facilities readiness to support lander integration.

Crew Dragon Freedom has successfully docked to the ISS, carrying ESA astronaut and mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti and NASA astronauts  Kjell Lindgren (commander), Robert Hines (pilot) and Jessica Watkins (mission specialist). The crew has begun a six-month-long science mission as part of Expedition 67 and later Expedition 68.