April 28 – May 4, 2025 / Vol 44, No 17 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Europe Conferences Hosted in Tartu, Vienna, Berlin; Launch of Vega Set for April 28

Estonia is 2025 chair of the European Interparliamentary Space Conference themed Security in Space: Europe’s Challenges and Opportunities. The Annual Workshop is April 27-29 in Tartu, which is the science and research capital, and location of an ESA Business Incubation Center. The Workshop includes a visit to Estonia’s largest astronomical observatory, Tõravere. Vienna, Austria hosts European Geosciences Union General Assembly April 27 to May 2. Programs include Bernard Foing, Executive Director of ILEWG, presenting on Payloads for Future Moon and Mars Missions. A team from China discusses Scientific discoveries of China’s Lunar and Deep Space exploration program: Chang’e missions to the Moon, Tianwen-1 to Mars, and beyond, a comprehensive look at aspects of lunar and deep space exploration missions developed by CNSA, with focus on the Chang’E series to the Moon. Posters include: Geologic Moon maps; The lunar radiation environment and its constraint for crewed missions to the Moon; and Possibility of Creating Artificial Rain on the Moon. May 4-8 in Berlin, Germany, is the International Academy of Astronautics 15th Symposium on Earth-observing satellites. The organizing committee represents 16+ countries. Presentations include Earth-Moon navigation, mapping the Moon and the SER3NE Moon mission. Arianespace will launch its 35m, 210-tonnes Vega-C rocket from French Guiana on April 28 to carry Biomass spacecraft for ESA with its 900km of gold-coated molybdenum 25µm wire. (Image credits: Arianespace, IAA, ESPI, EGU, AHHAA Science Centre Tartu)

MONDAY

☆ Apr 28 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 73 seven-member crew consisting of JAXA’s Onishi Takuya as Commander, 3 Cosmonauts and 3 NASA Astronauts are working with ~3,000 kg of experiments and supplies from newly arrived Dragon cargo craft, including live microscopy images of cells for potential treatment of muscle atrophy and osteoporosis, and a project for inhibiting biofilm; 6.5-hour EVA is scheduled Thursday with Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers installing new external solar array and relocating an antenna.

☆ Apr 28 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Beginning 6-month stay, are Shenzhou 20 three-member crew: Commander Chen Dong on his 3rd flight to the station, and Jie Wang & Zhongrui Chen on their first; this mission marks 9th crew for Tiangong and will install external space debris shielding and hold science lectures; Shenzhou 19 Taikonaut trio Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze returning to Earth April 29 after 175 days in space.

☆ Apr 28 — Arianespace, Launch Vega-C / Biomass, Ariane Launch Area 1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana: ESA mission, satellite built by Airbus, reflector with gold-coated molybdenum wire from L3Harris.

★ Apr 28 — United Launch Alliance, Launch Atlas V551 / Project Kuiper (KA-01), SLC41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: First launch for operational Kuiper satellites; planned to become a constellation of 3,276, in 98 orbital planes.

☾ Apr 28 — Moon: 4.7° NNW of Uranus, 15:00; 0.62° N of Pleiades, 22:00.

☆ Apr 28 — Venus: 3.7° N of Saturn, 14:00.

ULA to Launch First Operational Batch of 27 Kuiper Satellites NET April 28 

The inaugural launch of Project Kuiper operational satellites is set for April 28 from Cape Canaveral SFS Launch Complex 41, Florida aboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551. This mission, designated Kuiper KA-01, will deploy 27 satellites into LEO, ~450 km altitude. Launch cost is estimated to be US$153M. The project was initially referred to by codename “Kuiper” and is inspired by the Kuiper Belt, highlighting its ambition to provide internet to ‘far away’ places that currently have no access. Owned by Kuiper Systems LLC (a subsidiary of Amazon) the project is aiming for an internet constellation of 3,276 satellites to be arranged in 98 orbital planes across three altitudes at 590 km, 610 km, and 630 km. SpaceX Starlink mega constellation has 7,135 satellites in orbit so far, and aims to deploy nearly 12,000. Two Kuiper prototype satellites were launched in October 2023 aboard an Atlas V. SpaceX Falcon 9, ULA Vulcan Centaur and ESA Ariane 6 will be utilized for future launches alongside Atlas V. The expendable Atlas V 551 has had 14 successful launches and 0 failed attempts to date. Space Launch Complex 41 has seen 114 launches. The total launches from Cape Canaveral are now over 1,000. (Pictured: ULA CEO Tory Bruno (left), Kuiper Systems President Rajeev Badyal; Image Credits: Kuiper Systems LLC, ULA, OneWeb). 

 TUESDAY

☆ Apr 29 — Tiangong Space Station (TSS), ~390-km LEO: Tianhe, first component of China TSS reaches 4 full years / enters 5th year in Space today, having launched on this day in 2021.

● Apr 29 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Space Resources Technical Committee, Online / Reston VA: Nerma Caluk presents Elevating Structural Innovation Beyond Earth; 15:00 EDT.

● Apr 29 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Los Angeles Section, Hawthorne CA: Young (Early Career) Professionals Mixer; at Los Angeles Ale Works, 17:30-20:00 PDT.

● Apr 29-30 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Washington DC: AIAA ‘Honorary Fellows’ and ‘Fellows’ Induction Ceremony, and AIAA Awards Gala; Grand Hyatt Washington, US$210-450, 17:30-22:00 EDT.