April 2018 Space News

Bezos' Blue Origin launches its 1st space mission of 2018 People's Daily 30 Apr 2018 -- Blue Origin, the U.S. aerospace company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has launched Sunday its suborbital New Shepard rocket and space capsule.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard Spaceship Launch Successful Sputnik 29 Apr 2018 -- The eighth test launch of a rocket manufactured by US private space company Blue Origin has proved successful, as both the booster and capsule have landed safely on a site in Texas.
Saudis examining Israel's Iron Dome for purchase: Report Press TV 28 Apr 2018 -- Saudi Arabia is mulling buying a missile system owned and operated by the Israeli regime, a new report suggests, amid increasing hints of the normalization of relations between the kingdom and the regime.
China's lunar probe to be launched next year People's Daily 26 Apr 2018 -- China's Chang'e V lunar probe is expected to be launched next year, said Wang Wei, Chinese Academy of Sciences academic and head of research and development under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Private space company in China will produce 10 rockets annually People's Daily 26 Apr 2018 -- China's private space company Landspace recently announced plans to expand its general assembly factory. After expansion, the factory will be able to produce up to 200 rocket engines and 10 rockets every year, thepaper.cn reported.
UK May Set Up Satellite Program Separate From EU - Reports Sputnik 26 Apr 2018 -- Britain may seek to capitalise on the market in space travel and exploration by developing its own global satellite navigation system, potentially in partnership with countries as disparate as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Man in moon may soon be Chinese People's Daily 25 Apr 2018 -- China's space authority said on Tuesday it plans to build a manned scientific research outpost on the moon.
China's space station expected to reach out-of-this-world standard People's Daily 25 Apr 2018 -- Certain technologies used to build China's first space station, the Tiangong, are expected to surpass those used in establishing the International Space Station (ISS), chief engineer of China's manned space program Zhou Jianping said on Wednesday.
UK to rival EU's Galileo space project by own satellite system Press TV 25 Apr 2018 -- Britain is considering setting up a satellite navigation system as a rival to the EU's €10bn Galileo project after being shut out of key elements of the program, a report says.
Joint Force Space Component commander staff to move to Schriever AFB AFNS 20 Apr 2018 -- Air Force officials announced Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, as the preferred location for the Joint Force Space Component staff.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Goldfein: Every Airman, beyond the space specialty, must understand the business of space superiority AFNS 19 Apr 2018 -- Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein emphasized the essential role Airmen have when it comes to space superiority during the 34th Space Symposium April 17, 2018, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
NASA's TESS space telescope launches to search for Earth-like planets Press TV 19 Apr 2018 -- NASA's state-of-the-art planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (dubbed TESS for short), has been launched towards a designated Earth's orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in an attempt to scour our cosmic neighborhood for more exoplanets, rocky worlds outside our solar system that orbit their host stars.
NASA's TESS Satellite Takes Off to Search for Alien Life Sputnik 19 Apr 2018 -- The $337 million space telescope is no larger than a refrigerator but it has a big mission ahead, as it will search for alien worlds around stars and planets.
Indian Space Agency Claims To Have Saved $120 Mln on Second Moon Mission Sputnik 19 Apr 2018 -- Chandrayaan-2 will be equipped with a land-rover and probe, which will descend onto the surface of the moon, from where they will collect samples of soil, water, etc. to carry back home for detailed analysis and research.
Russia Launches Heavy Rocket with Military Satellite Sputnik 19 Apr 2018 -- A Russian carrier rocket with a military satellite blasted off early on Thursday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed.
45th SW supports successful Atlas V launch of AFSPC-11 mission AFNS 18 Apr 2018 -- The Air Force's 45th Space Wing supported United Launch Alliance's successful launch of the AFSPC-11 spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station April 14, 2018.
Air Force opens space training to allies, accelerates Space Acquisition AFNS 18 Apr 2018 -- Citing the National Defense Strategy, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced that beginning in 2019 the Air Force is opening its space training to allies during her keynote speech at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. April 17, 2018.
Russia, China Develop Capabilities to Disable US Satellites, USAF Secretary Says Sputnik 18 Apr 2018 -- US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said on Tuesday that Moscow and Beijing are developing their capabilities to disrupt US satellites.
NASA to dispatch TESS on biggest planet-hunting mission Press TV 16 Apr 2018 -- NASA will send a keen eye into the orbit to hunt for new exoplanets, rocky planets outside our solar system that orbit their host stars, in a $337 million two-year mission, which is considered as the most ambitious search for alien worlds that Homo sapiens have ever conducted.
NASA to Launch a 'Planet Hunter' in a Bid to Scan Their Atmosphere Sputnik 16 Apr 2018 -- The new satellite is only the first step in finding exoplanets with an atmosphere capable of sustaining life. The second step, involving the launch of a space telescope is to take place in 2020.
Russia planning manned spaceflight to moon: Putin People's Daily 13 Apr 2018 -- Russia is actively implementing a lunar program through 2030, aiming to send astronauts to the moon, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, Russia's Cosmonautics Day.
China, Russia's Sophisticated Anti-Satellite Capabilities Alarms US Sputnik 13 Apr 2018 -- Russia and China have developed increasingly sophisticated space countermeasure weapons to destroy US satellites, according to a new report.
India Resets Navigation Satellite Developed to Replace GPS Sputnik 12 Apr 2018 -- India had started the process of developing its own indigenous navigation satellite system after the US refused to provide GPS data to the Indian armed forces during the Kargil war with Pakistan in 1999.
China's Beidou navigation system to launch mobile app in May People's Daily 11 Apr 2018 -- China's Beidou navigation and positioning system is expected to launch its first-ever mobile app on May 1, which can help drivers to pinpoint locations with an incredible accuracy of 1 meter, media reported.
Air Force establishes Pentagon-based AFSPC vice commander position AFNS 09 Apr 2018 -- Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson assumed the newly-created Air Force Space Command vice commander position on April 4, 2018, after pinning on his third star.
Estonia urges deployment of US Patriot missiles, troops Press TV 05 Apr 2018 -- Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has called for the installment of US Patriot missiles and the deployment of American ground troops in her small Baltic country, saying the measures are necessary to make deterrence "believable" to Russia.
India Struggling to Establish Lost Link With Crucial Communication Satellite Sputnik 03 Apr 2018 -- GSAT-6A, launched on 29 March, was aimed at helping mobile communications even from very remote locations through hand-held ground terminals and was considered a huge advancement in communication for the Indian Armed Forces.
Denmark Hopeful to 'Enter Superliga' With Recent Space Project Sputnik 03 Apr 2018 -- A 314-kilogram heavy observatory launched to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center is a culmination of almost 20 years of work by a Danish research team that cost close to $50 million. The project is expected to shed light on climate change and propel Denmark to a top slot in space exploration.
Spacex Launches Falcon 9 Rocket Carrying Supplies for ISS Sputnik 03 Apr 2018 -- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon X spacecraft loaded with 5,800 pounds of scientific experiments, crew supplies and hardware headed off to the International Space Station on Monday afternoon.
Russia successfully tests modernized anti-ballistic missile system Press TV 02 Apr 2018 -- Russia has successfully test-launched a new upgraded anti-ballistic missile system days after it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Russian MoD: Upgraded Anti-Missile System Successfully Tested in Kazakhstan Sputnik 02 Apr 2018 -- Russia's new modernized anti-ballistic missile system has been successfully tested in Kazakhstan at the Sary Shagan testing range, the official newspaper of the Russian Defense Ministry, the Krasnaya Zvezda, reported Monday.
UN Disarmament Commission debates ways to prevent arms race in outer space UN News 02 Apr 2018 -- Despite the deteriorating security situation, there are some signs of progress in the field of disarmament, such as the intention of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States to hold summit talks, a senior United Nations official said Monday.

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list