India Seeks Continued GSLV Resurgence with GSAT 6 LaunchThe India Space Research Organization (ISRO) is eager and determined to re-establish reliable heavy-lift rocket launching operations with another success of GSLV, the D6 in Mark 2 configuration carrying the GSAT 6 communications satellite. The launch is scheduled for August 27 at 11:22am UCT from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota, a barrier island off the Bay of Bengal at about 13.7°N latitude in the state of Andhra Pradesh. December 2014 saw India’s largest rocket ever the GSLV Mark 3 with two massive S-200 solid strap-on boosters each carrying 207 tons of solid propellant, lofting the 3775-kg CARE human spaceflight experimental system into a sub-orbital test flight at an altitude of 126 km. If everything goes right, this will be the 3rd successful launch of GSLV since its return to flight January 5, 2014 after a 4 year hiatus. GSAT 6 is a multi-media mobile satellite system offering Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB) service, via mobile phones and mobile video/audio receivers for vehicles. It can also be utilized for strategic and social applications. ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar projects that India will execute an average of 30 launches over the next three years. “There is a terrific demand for launches using the PSLV.” (Image Credit: ISRO)
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MONDAYAug 24 — ISS, LEO: Cosmonaut Sergei Volkov to command Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft with Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov , and ESA Astronaut Andreas Mogensen joining ISS crew on his first spaceflight (and first for Denmark National) for 10-day mission. Volkov to remain aboard ISS and will trade places with Padalka who will return to Earth with Mogensen and Aimbetov. Aug 24 — Rosetta, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Orbit: Past its closest approach to the Sun reaching perihelion by 186 million km, ESA scientist to review activities of elevated nucleus temperatures melting frozen ice, extensive shedding of dust particles, and plumes of escaping gas. Aug 24 — Juno, Jupiter Trajectory: Traveling at 32,090 kph, one-way radio signal travel time is about 50 minutes, craft carries 8 instruments, 1 camera & 3 aluminum Lego figurines representing Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno & Galileo Galilei. Aug 24 — Deep Space Industries, Moffett Field, CA: DSI partners with ISISpace providing Cubesat-compatible flight systems to U.S. customers. Aug 24 — Elysium Space, San Francisco, CA: Memorial space flight operations sending symbolic portion of cremains to Earth’s orbit, Lunar surface or Deep Space. Aug 24 — NovaWurks, Los Alamitos, CA: Providing space services with Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat). First Payload Test Bed Mission Fall 2016. Aug 24-26 — Outer Planets Assessment Group, NASA, Laurel MD: NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting. |
= All times
for terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for international terrestrial events in local time unless noted.
= All times for space events, and…
= All times for international space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time;’ Greenwich, England).
Weekly Planet Watch – Evening Planets: Mercury (W), Jupiter (W), Saturn (SW); Morning Planets: Mars (ENE), Uranus (S), Neptune (S).
Seattle To Host Space Angels Network 2015 Expedition
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Aug 24 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 OV: Near-Earth flyby (0.075 AU). Aug 24-28 — Keck Institute for Space Studies, Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA: Workshop: Three Dimensional (3D) Additive Construction for Space using In-Situ Resources. Continued from…Mar 1 – Jan 1, 2016 — Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Multiple Locations: Cycle 3 of science flights to observe universe consists of science flights grouped into multi-week observing campaigns totaling about 450 research flight hours. Aug 9 – Sep 13 — Aspen Center for Physics, Aspen CO: Workshop: New Directions to Shed Light on Dark Matter. Aug 17-28 — ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research (ICTP-SAIFR), Fermilab, American Physical Society, Sao Paulo, Brazil: International Neutrino Summer School 2015. TUESDAYAug 25 — Voyager 1, Interstellar Space: NASA spacecraft enters 4th year in interstellar space, data indicates it became first human-made object to enter interstellar space Aug 25, 2012; launched Sep 5, 1977. Aug 25 — SETI Institute, Mountain View CA: Lecture: The NASA K2 Mission – Extending Kepler’s Legacy; presented by Tom Barclay from Bay Area Research Institute. Aug 25 — Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Mountain View CA: LPL Colloquium: Is Vesta A Protoplanet? presented by Guy Consolmagno. Aug 25 — Moon: 3.2° N of Pluto, 18:00. Aug 25 — Apollo Asteroid 2005 QQ87: Near-Earth flyby (0.084 AU). |
WEDNESDAY
Aug 26 — NASA, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground AZ: NASA to test Orion spacecraft parachutes from altitude of 10,700 meters to evaluate outcome if 2 drogue parachutes and 1 of its 3 main parachutes fail.
Aug 26-29 — International Doctorate Network in Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain: Workshop: The Future of Research on Cosmic Gamma Rays.
Aug 26 — Jupiter: At conjunction with Sun, 12:00.
Aug 26 — Apollo Asteroid 2015 OS78: Near-Earth flyby (0.084 AU).
THURSDAY
Aug 27 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk. 2 / GSAT 6, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.2 flying on GSLV-D6 mission to launch the GSAT 6 communications satellite.
Aug 27-28 — World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, Paris, France: 13th International Conference on Satellite and Space Communications (ICSSC 2015).
Aug 27-28 — The National Academies, Washington DC: Meeting: National Security Space Defense and Protection.
FRIDAY
Aug 28 — W. M. Keck Observatory, Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation, Kamuela HI: Astronomy Talk: Manu ʻImiloa – Modern & Ancient Ways of Navigating our Universe; presented by Celeste “Cesi” Manuia Ha’o, at Kahilu Theater 19:00.
Aug 28 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with Jens Biele from DLR about Rosetta & Philae.
SATURDAY
Aug 29 — Ad Astra Kansas Foundation, ILOA, Space Age Publishing Company, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson KS: Galaxy Forum Kansas: The New Horizons- Pluto Mission; featuring New Horizons Project Manager Dr. Glen Fountain, and other presentations / activities.
Aug 29 — Moon: Full / Super Moon (Sturgeon), 08:35; 2.8° NNW of Neptune, 13:00.
Aug 29 — Mercury: At aphelion (0.4667 AU from Sun), 09:00.
SUNDAY
Aug 30- Sept 1 — Space Angles Network, Seattle WA: 2015 Space Angels Network Expedition. Unique Expedition for Members to view commercial space start ups in Seattle area.
Aug 30 — Moon: At perigee (distance 405,386 km), 05:31.