A whole week went by with no launches, but don’t worry, the month is wrapping up with lots of excitement. Check out these recent highlights:
Snowstorm on the ISS
What happens when a spacesuit leaks water in space? You get snow!
“It was a pretty impressive snowstorm,” described astronaut Butch Wilmore. Two astronauts, Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt, had suited up on Monday 6/24 and were waiting in the Quest airlock on the International Space Station (ISS). Dyson’s spacesuit coolant system starting leaking water, and the spacewalk was scrubbed (cancelled).
The NASA spacesuits are due for an upgrade. Collins Aerospace and Axiom Space have spacesuits under development for NASA. SpaceX also has a new EVA spacesuit designed for their upcoming private Polaris mission spacewalk.
Did you know spacesuits are really a one-person spacecraft? They have life support, pressurization, and can move!
Weather Forecasting
Our weather tracking capabilities just got an update! On Tuesday 6/25, SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched the fourth and final addition for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). This will help better track weather on Earth and in space and is a joint effort between NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA).
Rocket Lab: First to 50
Rocket Lab launched its 50th Electron mission on 6/20, sending five French Kineis Internet of Things (IOT) satellites to orbit. The Electron rocket is now the fastest commercially developed rocket to get to 50 launches.
Moon Dirt Lands On Earth
Chang’e-6 returned with a sample of moon dirt on Monday 6/24. This is the first sample of lunar soil (called regolith) from the far side of the moon. The mission was a great success!
Mars Trip Simulation
Four crew members emerged from the hatch on Tuesday 6/25 after 45 days in a simulated space trip to Mars for NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Habitat. As Laura Mallonee of Wired points out, “Space may be infinite, but spaceships are kinda small.” Missions like this help us learn how to support our astronauts in space.
Humans In Space
There are currently 12 humans in space, 9 on the International Space Station and 3 on the Tiangong Station. Astronauts Butch and Sunni are still in space and absolutely loving it! And no, the Starliner is not stuck in space.
What’s In The Sky?
Did you celebrate the summer solstice June 20th? Enjoy the long days of summer! In the early evening, look East and find the bright stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega that make up the summer triangle. In dark skies, the Milky Way galaxy appears in the center of this triangle.
Rocket Launches
See the upcoming launch schedule and watch replays on Next Spaceflight.
- 6/18/24 SpaceX launched Starlink Group 9-1 on Falcon 9 out of California, landing on Of Course I Still Love You droneship.
- 6/20/2024 Rocket Lab launched No Time Toulouse on Electron out of New Zealand. This was Rocket Lab’s 50th launch of the Electron. This launched the first set of nanosatellites for Kineis to improve connectivity for Internet Of Things (IOT).
- 6/20/24 SpaceX launched Astra 1P/SES-24 from Florida on a Falcon 9, landing on Just Read the Instructions droneship. This European satellite will broadcast up to 500 high definition TV channels to Germany, Spain, and France.
- 6/22/24 CASC launched Long March 2C with the SVOM X-ray telescope from China.
- 6/23/24 SpaceX launched Starlink Group 10-2 on Falcon 9 out of Florida, landing on A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship.
- 6/23/24 SpaceX launched Starlink Group 9-2 on Falcon 9 out of California, landing on Of Course I Still Love You droneship.
- 6/25/24 SpaceX launched GOES-U on a Falcon Heavy out of Florida, landing on pads LZ-1 and LZ-2.
That’s the highlights!
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