January 23-29, 2023 / Vol 42, No 4 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Astronaut ‘Remember the Future’ Day

Honoring the past and looking to the future of human space exploration, NASA will host the Day of Remembrance 2023 on January 26 for the 56th observation of Apollo 1 loss of Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee; the Challenger STS-51L 37th observation loss of Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnick, Ronald E. McNair, and Gregory B. Jarvis; and the Columbia STS-107 20th observation loss of Richard D. Husband, Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown and Kalpana Chawla. Nearly 630 people have now flown above the 100-km Kármán line, 12 men walked on the Moon, 76 women have completed spaceflights, and citizens of 44 countries have flown in space – with many other nations and groups aspiring for and in need of representation. USA Artemis program is working toward SLS Flight #2 NET May 2024 which is set to carry a crew of 3 USA and 1 Canada Astronauts on a circumlunar flight. Japan may join a crewed Moon surface mission for Artemis 4-6, currently set to launch 2028-30. Tiangong Space Station has seen 3 Taikonaut crews so far, with a plan for an International Astronaut to join Shenzhou-17 or 18. Future destinations for next-gen spacefarers should include private space stations, lunar base camps, flybys of Mars and Venus, followed by Solar System Complete exploration. (Image Credits: NASA, CNSA, ISS Partners)

MONDAY

☆ Jan 23 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 68 seven-member crew working with Food Physiology and ISS HAM experiments; unpiloted Soyuz MS-23 scheduled to launch mid-Feb – extending mission MS-22 crew Prokopiev,  Petelin and Rubio to 1 full year in space.

☆ Jan 23 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 15 three-member crew aboard until at least May 29 should see Shenzhou 16 crew overlap of 4 days, welcome upgraded Tianzhou 6 cargo ship with greater carrying capacity NET April.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Rocket Lab Readies First Flight from USA While Building Next Launch Vehicle, Planning Interplanetary Mission

The 33rd launch attempt of Rocket Lab Electron (dubbed ‘Virginia is for Launch Lovers’) is set for Jan 23 from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, part of Wallops Flight Facility on the Delmarva Peninsula (~161 km North of Norfolk VA). Although Rocket Lab (established 2006 in New Zealand) has operated from the LA area of USA since 2013, until this point has continued to launch from its Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula. Electron is currently the 5th most frequently used launch vehicle globally after SpaceX Falcon 9, CNSA Long March 2 / 4, and Roscosmos Soyuz-2, and may soon become the second reusable rocket, having successfully re-ignited a recovered 1st stage – a key feature with economic and environmental benefits. The upcoming launch is to insert 3 RF geospatial intelligence satellites for Herndon, Virginia-based Hawkeye 360, with 12 additional craft to launch on Electron in the next 2 years. Reflecting on the launch of NASA Capstone, currently testing the lunar halo orbit intended for international lunar gateway via Electron + Photon interplanetary stage, founder Peter Beck tells NZ media, “whenever I go outside now, look up at the sky and see the Moon, I think quite a lot differently”. Rocket Lab has also partnered with MIT to launch a Venus probe NET May, and plans to debut medium-lift vehicle (8,000–15,000 kg to LEO) Neutron in 2024. (Image Credits: Rocket Lab)

★ Jan 23 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / HawkEye 360, Launch Complex 2, Wallops Island VA: Launch window opens for Rocket Lab first launch attempt from USA, mission dubbed ‘Virginia is for Launch Lovers’, carrying HawkEye 360 satellites; window 18:00-20:00.

o Jan 23 — ESA, Hybrid / Paris, France and Online: Director General Josef Aschbacher Annual Press Conference.

● Jan 23-27 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Hexagon, Bastion Technologies, Hybrid / National Harbor MD and Online: 2023 SciTech Forum: Ignite the Future: Explore the Frontiers of Aerospace.

☆ Jan 23 — Moon: 3.6° SE of Saturn and 3.2° SE of Venus, 00:00.

Continued From…

● Oct 15 – Jun 15, 2023 — International Space Elevator Consortium, Online: Space Elevator Academic Challenge: Improving Humanity’s Future; for students 17-25.

● Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2023 — JPL, NASA, Online / Pasadena CA: Prepare for the Science Fair; video series for students in grades 3-12, teachers and parents.

☾ Dec 11 – Apr 25, 2023 — Hakuto-R / ispace Mission 1, Lunar Landing Trajectory: Carrying UAE Rashid 10-kg rover, 0.25-kg JAXA rover, Hakuto-R performing orbital control maneuvers to reach Lunar Orbital Insertion, followed by Moon touchdown nominally ~4.5 months after launch.

● Jan 18 – May 11 — Wichita State University, Wichita KS and Online: 2023 Interstellar Seminar ‘LASI 150G’; 1-credit hour seminar begins today; every Wednesday 14:30-15:20, led by Prof. Mark Schneegurt.

TUESDAY

☆ Jan 24 — JAXA, Launch H-2A / IGS Radar 7, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: H-2A rocket, designated H-2A F46, to launch IGS Radar 7 radar reconnaissance satellite for Japan Information Gathering Satellites.

★ Jan 24 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 5-2, SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink internet satellites for SpaceX; 04:52.

● Jan 24 — Night Sky Network, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Online: NSN Webinar Series: Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): Postcards from the Universe 2022; 18:00 PST.