October 2019 Space News

Space Development Agency Gets First Permanent Director DoD News 28 Oct 2019 -- Defense Department officials today announced the selection of Derek Tournear as the first permanent director of the Space Development Agency.
China to launch Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2020 People's Daily 28 Oct 2019 -- China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 probe in 2020 to bring moon samples back to Earth, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program.
Russia to Start Flight Tests of Hydrogen-Fueled Space Booster in 2027 - Developer Sputnik 28 Oct 2019 -- Flight tests of the KVTK oxygen-hydrogen booster for heavy-class Angara-family launch vehicles may begin in 2027 if the necessary funding is allocated, Sergey Kuznetsov, the chief designer at the Salyut Special Design Bureau, said.
US X-37B Spaceplane Spent Record 780 Days in Space, Put Satellites Into Orbit – Air Force Sputnik 28 Oct 2019 -- The US Boeing X-37B unmanned reusable spaceplane landed on Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center after spending record 780 days in space, during which it put a number of small satellites into orbit, the US Air Force said.
X-37B breaks record, lands after 780 days in orbit US Air Force 27 Oct 2019 -- The Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 successfully landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility Oct. 27, 2019 at 3:51 a.m.
China shores up recovery of reusable rockets Global Times 27 Oct 2019 -- Chinese private rocket firm LandSpace conducts a long-range trial run of its reusable liquid oxygen methane engine TQ-12 on Saturday. Photo: Courtesy of LandSpace
Roscosmos Agrees to Reschedule Progress Cargo Craft Launch Following Request From NASA Sputnik 24 Oct 2019 -- Despite tensions between Moscow and Washington on issues ranging from NATO's eastward expansion to the US's recent withdrawal from a key strategic arms treaty, the Russian and US space agencies have continued to enjoy close cooperation, with NASA astronauts continuing to use Russian Soyuz shuttles to get to the International Space Station.
Air Force demonstrates rocket engine preburner for advanced liquid rocket engines US Air Force 24 Oct 2019 -- The Air Force Research Laboratory has successfully tested a state-of-the-art rocket engine preburner to elevate the U.S. technology base for high-performance oxygen-rich staged combustion.
US Air Force Withholds Funding on Boeing's Ballistic Missile Development Programme Sputnik 23 Oct 2019 -- The move comes as Boeing announced its withdrawal from the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent programme this summer, citing concern with the bidding process.
NASA Finds No Traces of Indian Vikram Lunar Lander on Moon's Surface - Project Scientist Sputnik 23 Oct 2019 -- NASA has found no trace of the Indian lunar lander, dubbed Vikram, in the images captured during its Moon orbiter's latest flyby of the lunar region where the lander made a hard landing on 7 September, Project Scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission Noah Petro said.
Russia to Launch New Angara Carrier Rocket in 2024 – Space Research Centre Sputnik 23 Oct 2019 -- Russia's new Angara-A5M carrier rocket is expected to be launched from the Vostochny space centre in 2024, the chief designer at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre said.
RCC "Progress" JSC held a meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council on a preliminary design of a superheavy class launch vehicle samspace.ru 22 Oct 2019 -- On October 18, the Progress Rocket and Space Center hosted a meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council for the consideration of materials for a draft design of a superheavy class carrier rocket (LV STK).
Scientists Confirm 'First Light' From Russian-German Deep-Space Telescope RFE/RL 22 Oct 2019 -- A joint Russian-German mission to map the universe from deep space has shared its first X-ray images from millions of light years away following a three-month journey to its orbit 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
Rocket-maker unveils new blueprint People's Daily 21 Oct 2019 -- ChinaRocket, a commercial space wing of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's leading rocket-maker, has unveiled its plans to develop a number of carrier rocket models to tap the space launch market.
China's private reusable rocket to be launched in 2021 People's Daily 19 Oct 2019 -- A Chinese reusable carrier rocket that uses liquid oxygen-methane propellants made its first public appearance Friday at the ongoing 2019 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing.
China launches new communication technology experiment satellite Global Times 18 Oct 2019 -- China sent a new communication technology experiment satellite into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province late Thursday.
India's Second Moon Mission Begins Spectroscopic Studies of Lunar Surface Sputnik 17 Oct 2019 -- Despite the setback in India's second lunar mission – Chandrayaan-2, the rover of the satellite continues to go around the Moon with all its payloads and is completely functional. The lander failed to soft-land on the surface of the Moon and lost contact with the Earth Station of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Navy Satellite Communications System Successfully Completes Key Test and Evaluation Phase NNS 16 Oct 2019 -- The Navy's next-generation narrowband satellite communications system completed a critical test and evaluation phase and was assessed as operationally effective, operational suitable and cyber survivable. The successful completion of this testing demonstrates the system's full operational capability and its readiness for forces to transition it into unrestricted operations.
China-Russia missile defense cooperation needed Global Times 14 Oct 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 3 spoke of helping "Chinese partners create a missile attack warning system" at the final plenary session of the 16th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia. The "big secret" has drawn attention of international media due to not only the way Putin revealed it but also the context in which it was revealed.
Defense Official Builds Case for Creating Space Force DoD News 11 Oct 2019 -- The U.S. military and the commercial sector rely heavily on space-enabled capabilities, and the Defense Department must protect those assets and maintain U.S. superiority in the space domain, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy said.
NRL Launches Space Weather Instrument on NASA Satellite NNS 11 Oct 2019 -- A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) instrument aboard NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite will deliver unprecedented information to help scientists investigate how both terrestrial and solar weather impact the ionosphere, the ionized region of Earth's upper atmosphere. ICON launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Oct. 10.
UN urged to condemn US sanctions on Iranian space bodies Press TV 09 Oct 2019 -- Iran has submitted a note of protest to the United Nations space agency demanding the body to condemn US sanctions targeting three Iranian space institutions.
Norway Says No to NATO's Missile Defence Sputnik 08 Oct 2019 -- While boosting its defence expenditure to come closer to NATO's spending target, Oslo decided against joining its missile defence network for the time being.
Layered Missile Defense System Protects Homeland DoD News 07 Oct 2019 -- The Missile Defense Agency's mission is to protect the deployed forces, allies and partners from hypersonic and ballistic missile attacks of all ranges through a layered missile defense system, its director said..
China launches HD observation satellite Global Times 05 Oct 2019 -- China sent its observation satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province at 2:51 a.m. Saturday (Beijing Time).
Russia Rolls Out Missile Early Warning Systems in Arctic Sputnik 04 Oct 2019 -- Two new Voronezh-type missile early warning radars will become operational in 2022 in the Komi Republic and the Murmansk region in northern Russia, the Defence Ministry said.
Russia to Deploy Over 10 Space Monitoring Centres by 2022 Sputnik 04 Oct 2019 -- Russia will deploy more than 10 new laser-optical and radio-technical space monitoring stations on its territory by 2022, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
Pentagon Requests $10.6 Billion in Funding for Embattled Space Development Agency Sputnik 05 Oct 2019 -- Despite consistent bipartisan pushback and international criticism, the US Department of Defense's newest space agency may see drastic budget increases in the coming years as it looks to deploy some 1,200 satellites.
Putin: I am helping China to build a missile warning system expert: he is sincere SOHU.com 04 Oct 2019 -- According to Russian satellite network news on October 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is helping Beijing to build a missile early warning defense system.
Russia helping China build missile attack warning system: Putin Press TV 04 Oct 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed for the first time that his country is assisting China to develop an state-of-the-art missile attack warning system, a technology only owned by Russia and the United States at the moment.
Space Policy Chief: Partnerships Key to Success in Domain DoD News 02 Oct 2019 -- Partnerships will be a key element of U.S. success in an era of great-power competition in space, the Defense Department's space policy chief said.

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