Top Stories A Soyuz rocket launched Friday morning carrying three dozen OneWeb satellites. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East at 7:26 a.m. Eastern. The 36 satellites on board will be released in groups of four over a four-hour period. The launch resumes the deployment of OneWeb's broadband constellation that was put on hold when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. The company emerged from Chapter 11 this fall under a new ownership group led by the Bharti Global and the British government. [Arianespace] SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 launch of a National Reconnaissance Office payload to investigate an issue with the rocket's second stage. SpaceX halted the countdown of the Falcon 9 launch less than two minutes before its scheduled 9:45 a.m. Eastern liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, eventually scrubbing the launch for the day. The company said it was investigating "slightly high" pressures in the second stage's liquid oxygen tank. The launch of the NROL-108 mission is now scheduled for Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon Eastern. [Spaceflight Now] An independent investigation confirmed that improperly connected cables caused the failure of a Vega launch last month. The European Space Agency announced Friday that the investigation found two cables used in the thrust vector control system of the Vega's upper stage were inverted, causing the stage to tumble seconds after ignition on the Nov. 16 launch. The investigation found that "misleading" procedures contributed to the cables to be misconnected and that inspections failed to detect the problem. The investigation recommended both more detailed inspections of the next two Vega rockets, which have already been built, and changes in assembly and testing procedures for future Vega rockets. Arianespace estimates the Vega will be ready to return to flight by late March. [SpaceNews] The head of the U.S. Space Force said that China's space program is "concerning." Gen. John Raymond, speaking at a conference Thursday, said China "has gone from zero to 60 really quick" in space and now has "a very robust program." Raymond said China is developing cutting-edge space systems in an effort to match the space capabilities of the United States, but is also pursuing technologies that could be used as weapons against American satellites. The Space Force is responding by taking steps to innovate faster, Raymond said. [SpaceNews] China has rolled out a Long March 8 rocket for its first launch this weekend. Airspace closure notices indicate a launch time between 11 p.m. Eastern Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. The Long March 8 incorporates China's new generation of kerosene and cryogenic engines, and is designed to fill a gap in medium launch capabilities to sun-synchronous and geostationary orbits. China eventually plans to make the first stage of the Long March 8 reusable. [SpaceNews] ESA's next director general says he will prioritize the agency's relationship with the EU and supporting commercial space development. At a news conference Thursday, Josef Aschbacher, selected by ESA to take over as director general in mid-2021, said shortly after taking office he will release a plan that outlines his vision and priorities. That will include working to improve ESA's relationship with the EU and its space efforts, as well as promoting the growth of the European space industry. The ESA Council, at the same meeting where member states selected Aschbacher, also approved additional funding for the Ariane 6 program to cover its latest launch delay, and agreed to hold a new astronaut selection round in 2021. [SpaceNews] |
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