Jonathan McDowell
@planet4589.bsky.social
Astrophysicist Support the work of Jonathan's Space Report: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-jonathans-space-report-library-transition
LAUNCH at 0749 UTC of a Falcon 9 from Canaveral with the SpaceMobile Bluebird 11 to 13 satellites
LAUNCH at 0238 UTC Aug 5 of a Jielong-3 from the DFHT barge offshore Haiyang with two commercial hyperspectral imaging sats
The Falcon 9 stage has now impacted the lunar surface. Astronomers followed its approach until last night; haven't yet seen any reports of anyone detecting the impact flash itself.
Falcon 9 stage now 28100 km from the lunar surface closing at 2600 km/hr
LAUNCH at 1705 UTC Aug 4 of Starlink Group 17-53 from Vandenberg
LAUNCH at 0852 UTC Aug 4 of Xingwang (SatNet LEO) Group 23 by CZ-8A from Hainan
That SpaceX Falcon 9 debris that will impact Einstein crater on 5th August: 4 metric tonnes mass 8,000 kph velocity 17 meter impact radius 100km altitude ejecta Equivalent to 3 tonnes of TNT
Drifting SpaceX rocket heading for accidental collision with moon
Scientists and sky gazers will watch intently as rocket’s upper stage slams into lunar surface on Wednesday
theguardian.com
Correction: TJS 27A and 27B orbit inclination is 64.8 deg not 63.4 deg. Doesn't change the conclusion about mission.
Jonathan McDowell@planet4589.bsky.social · 4d agoTJS 27A and 27B, launched on Jul 30, are being tracked by Space Force in an 1155 km, 63.4 deg orbit characteristic of time-delay-of-arrival electronic intelligence (NOSS type) satellites. China's earlier missions in this orbit were given a Yaogan rather than TJS cover name.
Bill Gray's latest orbit estimate for the Falcon 9 rocket stage (F9-427, 62719) lunar approach shifts the impact a bit northwest, further round the limb to 93W 20N, at 0635UTC Wednesday, so will be harder to see from Earth than previously thought
Strongly recommend Sarah Perry on the wonder of Jodrell 🔭 observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Earth to Whitehall: the wonder and knowledge of Jodrell B...
The threatened closure of the world-famous radio telescope is symptomatic of a drive against learning and inquiry that is making us sicker as a society
observer.co.uk
Jonathan's Space Report No. 858 published at planet4589.org/jsr.html with the past month's space news
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TJS 27A and 27B, launched on Jul 30, are being tracked by Space Force in an 1155 km, 63.4 deg orbit characteristic of time-delay-of-arrival electronic intelligence (NOSS type) satellites. China's earlier missions in this orbit were given a Yaogan rather than TJS cover name.
LAUNCH at 0308 UTC Aug 1 of Starlink Group 17-52 from Vandenberg
On August 5, a discarded piece of a SpaceX rocket is going to crash into the moon (this kind of thing has happened before) but it seems like this impact could potentially be visible from Earth?! arxiv.org/pdf/2607.23904
arxiv.org
LAUNCH at 0710 UTC Jul 30 of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Canaveral on the NROL-95 mission, thought to have deployed the USA-619 advanced INTRUDER signals intel sat in a 63 deg orbit. Stage 1 landed at Canaveral Landing Zone 2.
LAUNCH at 0100 UTC Jul 30 of a CZ-6A from Taiyuan with the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan 27A and 27B satellites. Orbit and mission not yet known
LAUNCH at 1150 UTC Jul 29 of a CZ-7A from Wenchang with the Tianlian 3-01 geostationary data relay satellite
SWIFT reboost mission in trouble (but not game over yet) - LINK in multi-axis spin with two of three reaction wheels down.
Hey Roman Space Telescope team friends - web sources give approximate spacecraft mass as 10500 kg wet 8000 kg dry. Now that fuelling is complete I assume a more accurate value is available - at least one more significant figure would be nice. Can anyone help?
I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
bbc.co.uk
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago“What will the Lovell Telescope discover/enable 20 yrs from now? I can’t tell you, and that’s the point. It will either be something extraordinary that none of us can yet predict, or we will defund it and leave Cheshire with a rusting monument to unfulfilled potential and discoveries never made.” 🔭🧪
Soyuz MS-28 landed in Kazakhstan at 1027 UTC Jul 26
Soyuz MS-28, with Kud'-Sverchkov, Mikaev and Williams aboard, undocked from the ISS Rassvet module at 0703 UTC. The deorbit burn began at 0931:57 UTC and will last 4 min 42s
From NASA's press secretary, an update on the Madrid DSN site. Wildfire damage is "primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, with no significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings." x.com/NASASpox/sta...
Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) on X
On July 25, an initial onsite inspection by the NASA Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) emergency response team found wildfire damage primarily to pavement and surrounding vegetation, wi...
x.com
LAUNCH at 1551 UTC Jul 25 of Starlink Group 17-51 from Vandenberg
Starship flight 13: estimated orbit 8 (+/- 5) x 195 km x 26.5 deg, boosted to about 43 x 217 km x 26.5 deg after 17m/s Raptor restart burn.
Post trip catchup: LAUNCH at 1449 UTC Jul 21 of Starlink Group 17-39 from Vandenberg LAUNCH at 2115 UTC Jul 21 of the Northrop Grumman Mission Robotic Vehicle and three Mission Extension Pods on Falcon 9 from Canaveral to supersync transfer orbit.
Starship flight 13 completed successfully. Booster landing burn didn't light all planned engines; Ship reached planned trajectory, deployed 20 V3 Starlinks on suborbital path, restarted Raptor, landed intact in ocean