Space Exploration

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 18-24 October 2021”. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! A special shout-out to our friends at SpaceWatch.Global,

South Korea’s first domestically built rocket reached its designated altitude but the dummy payload it was carrying could not be deployed into orbit, Naro Space Center said. The third-stage engine shut down 46 seconds early and therefore could not release the 1500-kg payload at orbital speed. Nuri lifted off an hour later than planned as the 47.2-m rocket’s valves had to be examined.

Arianespace has launched another Ariane 5 from ArianeGroup with two giant satellites on board and broke the record of the largest total mass injected with a single flight into the geostationary transfer orbit. For its 111th launch, flight number VA255 from Kourou, French Guiana, Ariane 5 executed the “highest performing flight by any launcher to geostationary transfer orbit”.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (3), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Emma Gatti spoke in this third episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Alon Shikar, Vice President Research & Development at D-Mars. They talked about the new home on Mars, the evolution of the habitat and upcoming challenges.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (2), Emma Gatti spoke in this second episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Alexandra de Carvalho and Annabelle Mielitz, members of OeWF (Austrian Space Forum) and members of the Human Factor team. They discussed the wellbeing of the analogue astronauts and the important questions about alcohol, Netflix, EVA's and snoring on Mars.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is currently undergoing final checks after a successful arrival at the ESA launch Facility in Kourou French Guiana. Its launch is still scheduled for 18th December 2021, on an Ariane 5 rocket. The operational preparations of the world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will take two months in total.

The UAE Space Agency announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Israel Space Agency to intensify cooperation in scientific research, space exploration and knowledge transfer. The agreement aims to accelerate economic growth and human progress.  

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the China Manned Space Agency accepted In Quattro’s two-phase flow cooling system as one of nine scientific projects planned for the China Space Station (CSS) in 2022, In Quattro announced. All experiments are focused on developing capabilities in space science and technology to achieve sustainable development goals.

In this Space Café Radio – on tour on Mars (1), SpaceWatch.Global contributing editor Emma Gatti spoke in this first episode of our AMADEE-20 coverage with Olivia Haider, Board Member of OeWF (Austrian Space Forum) and member of the Mission Support team about the mission, the setup and the goals.

Following a successful launch on Saturday, analysis showed that Lucy’s second array had not fully latched. NASA is currently investigating what caused the failure and how they could achieve full deployment of the solar array. The solar panels were successfully deployed 91 minutes after a smooth launch.