📄Top Stories

China’s plans for a new Long March 9 rocket reveal designs reminiscent of SpaceX’s Starship, indicating a push for more reusable rocket technology. Meanwhile, NASA continues to withhold details on the Crew-8 astronaut’s health issue, emphasizing privacy and caution. In the world of aviation, Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 jet has achieved a new speed milestone, moving one step closer to breaking the sound barrier.

📰Detailed Coverage

China’s Starship-Like Long March 9 Rocket

China’s unveiling of the Long March 9 rocket at the Zhuhai Air Show showcases a potential rival to SpaceX’s Starship. This new rocket’s design, with flaps for enhanced maneuverability and a reusable configuration, suggests a significant stride toward sustainable and flexible space travel for China. The Long March 9 is expected to have three versions, each advancing China’s capability to undertake ambitious lunar missions.

Technically, the Long March 9 will have a first-stage booster powered by 30 YF-215 engines, using liquid oxygen and methane as propellants, drawing parallels to Starship’s Super Heavy. The Long March 9 aims to debut in 2033, shaping up to be a significant player in global lunar exploration.

Read the full story: Space.com

NASA Remains Quiet on Crew-8 Astronaut’s Health

NASA has yet to disclose the specifics of a Crew-8 astronaut’s medical issue following their return from the ISS on October 25. The astronaut was hospitalized as a precaution after splashdown, but NASA remains tight-lipped to protect privacy and allow thorough medical review. This highlights the unpredictable nature of spaceflight and the ongoing exploration of its effects on human health.

Barratt, Crew-8’s pilot and a medical doctor, emphasized the complexity of space medicine and NASA’s commitment to long-term health studies in this domain. The incident underscores the importance of satellite tracking and monitoring for astronaut safety in our web app’s suite of tools.

Read the full story: Space.com

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Achieves New Speed Record

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 jet has achieved a new speed record during its seventh test flight, reaching Mach 0.82. This flight is a part of a series designed to test the aircraft’s performance at subsonic speeds before attempting to break the sound barrier. The flight also expanded the jet’s altitude capabilities, showing progression toward reaching its target altitude of 30,000 feet.

Further flutter testing and cockpit pressurization checks were successfully completed, demonstrating readiness for higher speeds and altitudes. XB-1’s performance is critical as it lays the groundwork for the Overture, Boom’s future supersonic airliner project.

Read the full story: Space.com

Hera Burns Towards Mars

ESA’s Hera mission, focused on planetary defense, has successfully completed its first major trajectory maneuver since launching on October 7, defining its path toward the Didymos asteroid system. This marks a significant step in Hera’s mission to assess asteroid deflection strategies, a cornerstone of ensuring planetary safety in the future.

The mission showcases high-precision operations and advances in deep space navigation, crucial for future European and global asteroid exploration efforts.

Read the full story: Phys.org

🛰️Satellite Spotlight

• Satellite Name: COSMOS 755
• NORAD ID: 08072
• Launch Date: 1975
• Mission: COSMOS 755 was part of a series of Soviet communications satellites launched for relay and broadcast purposes in the 1970s.
• Orbit: Inclination 82.9051°, Period 104.79 minutes, Eccentricity 0.002769
• Operator: OKB10
• Fun Fact: Part of the early Soviet efforts to establish reliable orbital communication networks during the Cold War era.

Current TLE Data:

1 08072U 75074A 24310.62398021 .00000149 00000-0 14255-3 0 99995
2 08072 82.9051 162.4475 0027690 345.7168 67.9889 13.74136198467671

Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: Track COSMOS 755

Upcoming Space Launches

November 10

• SpaceX Falcon 9:
  • Starlink Group 6-69 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (21:28 UTC) A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

November 11

• CAS Space Kinetica 1:

  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (03:51 UTC)

• SpaceX Falcon 9:

  • Koreasat 6A from Kennedy Space Center (17:07 UTC) The Koreasat 6A spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space, will have 20 transponders for fixed satellite services and six for TV broadcasting to replace the Koreasat 6 launched in 2010.

November 13

• SpaceX Falcon 9:

  • Starlink Group 6-68 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (11:00 UTC) A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 4C:

  • Unknown Payload from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (22:34 UTC)

November 14

• SpaceX Falcon 9:
  • Starlink Group 9-11 from Vandenberg Space Force Base (04:21 UTC) A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

November 17

• SpaceX Falcon 9:
  • Optus-X from Kennedy Space Center (00:00 UTC) An unannounced geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman, nominally for the Australian telecommunications operator Optus.

November 18

• SpaceX Starship:
  • Integrated Flight Test 6 from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (22:00 UTC) Sixth test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.