October 2018 Space News

US Must Prepare to 'Go on Offensive' in Space - Defense Secretary Mattis Sputnik 31 Oct 2018 -- The US armed forces must utilize the framework of their new Space Command, announced earlier this year by President Donald Trump to go on the offensive to maintain military supremacy in the heavens, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said at the US Institute of Peace (USIP).
Kepler Space Telescope Retired After 9-Year Mission Discovering 2,600 Planets Sputnik 31 Oct 2018 -- The US Kepler Space Telescope has run out of fuel and is being retired after a nine and a half year mission during which it discovered more than 2,600 planets outside the Solar System, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Wednesday.
US Does Not Seek to Change Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons in Space - Pence Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- The United States fully supports the 1967 Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space and has no intention to change that, US Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview on Tuesday.
Russia successfully tests key element of nuclear propulsion spacecraft People's Daily 29 Oct 2018 -- The cooling system of a Russia-developed nuclear-powered spacecraft has passed ground tests, according to materials published on the government procurement website on Monday.
Russia Successfully Tests Nuke Propulsion Spacecraft's Key Element – Authorities Sputnik 29 Oct 2018 -- The cooling system, which is the most important element of the Russian space transport and energy unit developed on the basis of megawatt-class nuclear electric propulsion, has been successfully tested in Russia, materials published on the government procurement website on Monday stated.
U.S. Successfully Conducts SM-3 Block IIA Intercept Test NNS 29 Oct 2018 -- Sailors aboard USS John Finn (DDG 113) and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully conducted an intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target with a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile during a flight test off the west coast of Hawaii, Oct. 26.
US military successfully tests anti-ballistic missile off coast of Hawaii Press TV 26 Oct 2018 -- The US military says it has successfully tested a key missile system off the west coast of Hawaii, shooting down a medium-range ballistic missile.
Expert: An anti-satellite missile developed in the Russian Federation is more effective than the existing ones in the world TASS 26 Oct 2018 -- Anti-satellite missile as part of the MiG-31BM fighter is being developed in Russia. It will be the most effective of the existing in the world, told TASS chief editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Viktor Murakhovsky.
Russia Successfully Launches Soyuz Rocket With Military Satellite RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Russia has successfully launched an unmanned Soyuz rocket, the first such liftoff since an aborted launch of a similar rocket earlier this month.
Pence, Shanahan Detail Progress Made in Space Force AFPS 24 Oct 2018 -- Space is a crucial domain that the United States must continue to exploit and lead in, said Vice President Mike Pence at the fourth meeting of the National Space Council at Fort Lesley J. McNair here yesterday.
Pence Says U.S. Aims To Create New Space Force By 2020 RFE/RL 24 Oct 2018 -- The White House says it is pushing ahead with plans to establish a new U.S. space force, but the first steps will stop short of creating a sixth branch of the military as touted earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
Remarks by Vice President Pence at the Fourth Meeting of the National Space Council The White House 23 Oct 2018
President Donald J. Trump Is Launching America's Space Force The White House 23 Oct 2018
China to launch man-made moons in space People's Daily 18 Oct 2018 -- China's man-made moon conception is expected to be realized in 2022, the Science and Technology Daily reported.
Jam-Resistant US Military Satellite Blasts Off From Cape Canaveral Sputnik 17 Oct 2018 -- A $1.8 billion US Air Force communications satellite hitched a ride aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in the early morning hours of Wednesday as it blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral.
China Inches Closer to Launching Gravitational Wave-Detecting Satellite Sputnik 17 Oct 2018 -- China is preparing to launch the first of three satellites that will help researchers in their mission to detect gravitational waves.
China to launch first satellite for space-based gravitational wave detection next year People's Daily 15 Oct 2018 -- China plans to launch its first satellite to test the technologies of the space-based gravitational wave detection program "Tianqin" by the end of 2019.
BepiColombo Space Mission Set to Blast Off to Hot and Mysterious Mercury Sputnik 15 Oct 2018 -- BepiColombo, Europe's first mission to Mercury - a joint endeavor of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) - is set to arrive at the planet in 2025, where it will endure temperatures as high as 350°C.
Trump Admits US Lags Behind Russia, China on Space Force Creation Sputnik 14 Oct 2018 -- In June, the US President ordered the country's Department of Defense to "immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces."
Soyuz-FG Launch Vehicle Assembly Suspended As Part of MS-10 Probe - Source Sputnik 13 Oct 2018 -- All works with the Soyuz-FG booster that has been prepared for the launch of the Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft have been suspended because it may have the same defects as the Soyuz-FG that failed on Thursday and it may help the investigation into the incident, a source in the space industry told Sputnik on Saturday.
'This Will Change Almost Everything': China Developing New Sub-Killing Satellite Sputnik 13 Oct 2018 -- As China develops cutting-edge deep-sea surveillance, the nation's navy is concurrently designing a satellite-mounted laser to locate and destroy enemy submarines.
Soyuz Mishap A Reminder There's No Alternative To Russia's Manned Space Vehicles -- For Now RFE/RL 12 Oct 2018 -- Russia's space program was already having a bad year. A suspicious hole discovered on a Russian vessel docked at the International Space Station (ISS) in August prompted speculation about a manufacturing defect or deliberate sabotage. That later gave way to veiled suggestions of politically motivated space skullduggery.
Russia Suspends Space Launches After Failure, But Still Hopes For December Mission RFE/RL 12 Oct 2018 -- Russia's space agency says that it has suspended all Soyuz launches pending an investigation into the problem that forced a harrowing emergency landing, but the head of its manned program said Moscow still hopes to send a crew to the International Space Station (ISS) in December.
Soyuz Booster Failure Sends Space Crew Back To Earth In Emergency Landing RFE/RL 11 Oct 2018 -- A space capsule carrying a two-man Russian-American crew that malfunctioned after liftoff has landed safely in the steppes of central Kazakhstan, the Russian and U.S. space agencies say.
Soyuz MS-10 Emergency Lands in Kazakhstan, Crew Feels Well - Roscosmos Head Sputnik 11 Oct 2018 -- A Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft atop a Soyuz FG rocket manned by a team of two cosmonauts was set to deliver a team to the International Space Station (ISS).
Pentagon Awards Over $1Bln for Development of New Rocket Launch Systems Sputnik 11 Oct 2018 -- The US Department of Defense said in a press release on Wednesday that it has awarded more than $1 billion in contracts for launch system and rocket propulsion prototypes.
US-Russian Space Crew Makes Emergency Landing VOA 11 Oct 2018 -- A U.S. astronaut and Russian cosmonaut are safe following an emergency return to Earth minutes after launching on what was supposed to be a mission to the International Space Station.
Backed by UN, Asia-Pacific countries to advance space technology for 'development transformation' UN News 10 Oct 2018 -- Gathered at a United Nations conference in Bangkok, countries from the Asia-Pacific region pledged to work together on Wednesday to leverage the power of space technology and boost sustainable development.
Air Force awards three Launch Service Agreements AFNS 10 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. Air Force announced today the award of three Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Launch Service Agreements to (in alphabetical order) Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, and United Launch Alliance. The award to Blue Origin will be for development of the New Glenn Launch System. The award to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems is for development of the OmegA Launch System. The award to United Launch Alliance will be for development of the Vulcan Centaur Launch System.
418th FLTS completes 10-year support of NASA Orion parachute tests AFNS 10 Oct 2018 -- For a decade the 418th Flight Test Squadron has supported NASA by supplying C-17 Globemaster IIIs and personnel to assist with the testing and qualifying of the Orion spacecraft's parachute system. That support ended Sept. 12 with the success of the final parachute system test over the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
NASA's Voyager 2 Probe Will Soon Leave the Solar System Sputnik 09 Oct 2018 -- Judging by a recent increase in cosmic rays, scientists estimate that the Voyager 2 probe may be nearing the edge of the solar system. Once it passes through the heliopause, the 41-year-old probe will become only the second man-made object to enter interstellar space.
Iran, India to launch satellite navigation system: Russia IRNA 07 Oct 2018 -- The Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, announced on Sunday Iran and India plan to launch satellite navigation systems.
Russia to Help India in its First Manned Space Mission Sputnik 05 Oct 2018 -- India's first manned spacecraft Gaganyaan is designed to carry three people and will be placed in low earth orbit, 300-400 km above the surface of the planet. India has set an ambitious deadline of 2022 to complete the mission.
KACST Succeeds in Developing and Manufacturing Two Reconnaissance Satellites SPA 04 Oct 2018 -- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has concluded developing and manufacturing "Saudi Sat 5A" and "Saudi Sat 5B", two reconnaissance satellites to join the second generation of high-accuracy Saudi remote-sensing satellites to be launched this year.
Air Force designates GO1 hypersonic flight research vehicle as X-60A AFNS 04 Oct 2018 -- The Air Force has designated the GOLauncher1 hypersonic flight research vehicle as X-60A. The vehicle is being developed by Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. under contract to the Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate, High Speed Systems Division.
Marking World Space Week, UN stresses power of space to 'unite the world' UN News 04 Oct 2018 -- Highlighting the importance of space and its applications for humankind, the United Nations is celebrating World Space Week 2018 with a focus on the role the cosmos plays in bringing people together, back on earth.
US to Confront Russia, China on Militarization of Outer Space VOA 04 Oct 2018 -- At an upcoming U.N. disarmament conference, the United States vows to push back against Russian and Chinese threats against the peaceful use of outer space. The U.N. General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security opens Monday in New York and is scheduled to run five weeks.
Russian Voronezh-DM Over-The-Horizon Radars Put on Combat Duty - Military Sputnik 04 Oct 2018 -- The Russian military put the next generation early warning Voronezh-DM radars on combat duty in the country's Orenburg Region and the Altay and Krasnoyarsk territories, bringing the radars to a total of seven Russian regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Iran ready to launch 3 satellites ISNA 02 Oct 2018 -- The head of Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Morteza Berari announced that three domestically-made satellites have been completely built and are ready to be launched.
Roskosmos Chief Says Space Station Hole Was 'Deliberate' RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- The head of Russia's space agency has suggested that the tiny hole discovered in the International Space Station (ISS) was made deliberately, citing an expert commission investigating the issue.
SpaceX Uses Dumping to Drive Russia Out of Space Launch Market - Roscosmos Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Elon Musk, the co-owner and CEO of the US aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, has been using dumping on the space launch market in order to crowd out Russia, head of Russia's State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said Monday.
China Planning Probes, Manned Missions, Ultimately a Base on Moon - Space Chief Sputnik 01 Oct 2018 -- China's lunar program is setting ambitious goals, including exploring both lunar poles by 2030 and, further in the future, sending manned missions to the moon and establishing a permanent base there. The news comes as leaders of the US and Chinese space agencies said they were open to cooperation on research and missions.

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