June 20-26, 2022 / Vol 41, No 25 / Hawai`i Island, USA

SWF 4th Summit for Space Sustainability in UK Explores Global, LEO and Lunar Priorities

2022 Summit for Space Sustainability is being held June 22-23 at Science Museum London, United Kingdom with theme ‘Global Priorities for Space Sustainability’ by Secure World Foundation and UK Space Agency (UKSA). There will be keynotes, interactive sessions, panels, and networking events for in-person and virtual attendees. Director of NOAA Office of Space Commerce Richard DalBello and UK Minister for Science, Research and Innovation George Freeman will give Keynotes. Executive Director of SWF Peter Martinez will open the Summit with UKSA Head Paul Bate. The Young Professionals and Students Networking Event June 22 will include a StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Speaking on Day 2 will be Satomi Kawamoto (JAXA), Anousheh Ansari (XPrize) and Angeliki Kapoglou (ESA). Major topics cover space traffic, debris / clean up, orbital capacity / access, space PR / communications, ISS / LEO, and international safety & governance for the Moon. Surrey Satellite, est. 1985, is creating telecommunications spacecraft Lunar Pathfinder for lunar missions. Now 12 years in, UKSA is overseeing development of 3 space launch sites (highlighted on map): Spaceport Cornwall where Virgin Orbit is expected to operate, Space Hub Sutherland in Scotland with Skyroara and Orbex, and SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland Islands with Lockheed Martin. Seven British Astronauts have flown to Space, while Virgin Galactic (founded by Richard Branson) flies people to suborbital space from New Mexico. (Image Credits: SWF, UKSA, JAXA, NASA, EUPSA)

MONDAY

☆ Jun 20 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 67 seven-member crew to oversee Cygnus NG-17 release this week, working with Biolab Glovebox radiation experiment, using ham radio with students on Earth – connection lasts 9-minutes, inspecting cable / ethernet cables for re-routing.

☆ Jun 20 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 14 crew three-member crew unpacking cargo from Tianzhou-3 and -4, setting up personal living quarters and exercising during breaks while integrating module components and setting up experiment housings.

o Jun 20-22 — University of Vienna, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Liverpool, Albedo Meetings, et al, Copenhagen, Denmark: International Meet on Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTROMEET2022).

o = International terrestrial events in local time.

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

South America: Astronomical Powerhouse, Expanding Astronautical Space Activity

By some measures the most scientifically productive telescope, Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory (2,635 m elevation) in Chile Atacama Desert is the flagship of European Southern Observatory, which also operates world-class facilities La Silla (2,400 m) and Llano de Chajnantor (4,800 m). 8.2-m single mirror Unit Telescopes Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun – names derived from Mapuche language, indigenous to southern Chile – may combine to aggregate light collection, or for interferometry as VLTI. Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction atop nearby mountain Cerro Armazones (3,046 m), features 39.3-m segmented mirror augmented by a 4.2 secondary mirror and is estimated to take first light NET 2027. South America is also home to Guiana Space Center (CSG) in French Guiana (5.2° N) and Alcântara Space Center (2.3° S) in Brazil. Major mission launches such as NASA/ESA/CSA-ASC James Webb to Sun-Earth L2, are conducted from CSG. On June 22, Ariane 5 VA257 is set to launch 2 communications satellites: 5,734-kg MEASAT-3d will head to a 91.5°E GEO orbit, where it will sync with MEASAT-3b to provide ≤100 Mbps D/L, enabling 8K video streaming in Malaysia and surrounding regions. 4,180-kg GSAT-24 will tag along to GEO, with rideshare brokered by NewSpace India Limited. Recently Columbia has joined Brazil in signing USA-led Artemis Accords, and China has invested US$50M to build 500-acre Espacio Lejano ground station in Argentina. (Image Credits: ESO, CONAE, AEB, LOC)

☆ Jun 20 — Moon: 3.2° SE of Neptune, 10:00; at last quarter, 17:11.

☆ Jun 20 — June Solstice: Longest day of the year (opposite in Southern Hemisphere) as Sun reaches a point farthest north of celestial equator, 23:17.

☆ Jun 20 — Amor Asteroid 2022 KA1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.053 AU)

Continued From…
o Nov 4 – Jun 29 — Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Problems, NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), Moscow, Russia: Mixed gender, international crew of 6 participating in 8-month space / lunar simulation mission SIRIUS-21 (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station).

● Jun 13-24 — American Astronautical Society, Online / Springfield VA: OrbitCamp; featuring live events and seminars on trajectory design in cislunar space.

TUESDAY

☆ NET Jun 21 — KARI, Launch Korean Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II) / Multi Payload, Naro Space Center, S Korea: Three-stage indigenous KSLV-2, also known as Nuri, to attempt launch of satellite and CubeSats to LEO.

● Jun 21 — NASA, Online / Washington DC: Artemis 1 Wet Dress Rehearsal post-test virtual media teleconference; 11:00.

● Jun 21-23 — NASA Planetary Science Advisory Committee, Washington DC: Planetary Science Advisory Committee Meeting; at NASA HQ.

☆ Jun 21 — Moon: 2.46° SE of Jupiter, 07:00.

☆ Jun 21 — Mars: At perihelion, 1.3813 AU from Sun, 03:00.

WEDNESDAY

☆ Jun 22 — Arianespace, Launch Ariane 5 / MEASAT-3d & GSAT-24, Guiana Space Center, Kourou, French Guiana: Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA257, NSIL (India) and MEASAT (Malaysia) communications satellites launching to GEO, window open from 21:03 to 22:43 UTC.