On February 11, 2013 at 20:35 UTC the Russian "Progress M-18M” unmanned supply spacecraft docked with the International Space Station. The docking was carried out in automatic regime to the "Pirs” module of the ISS. It is the third time for the Mission Control Center to use the fast-track docking instead of the traditional two-day trip. The "Progress M-18M” delivered about 2500 kg of supplies, including fuel, food, water, oxygen and various scientific and sports equipment for the space station crew.
On February 11, 2013 at 18:02 UTC the Atlas-5 rocket-carrier was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 30th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission) satellite. The spacecraft is the eighth satellite in the history of the Landsat program, a joint NASA/United States Geological Survey (USGS) project that has been monitoring forest loss, glacial retreat, urban sprawl and other phenomena continuously since Landsat 1 lifted off in July 1972.
On February 11, 2013 at 14:41 UTC the "Progress M-18M” unmanned supply spacecraft was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station. The spacecraft was orbited by the "Soyuz-U” rocket-carrier on a six-hour trek to the orbital station. Progress-M-18M is to deliver about 2500 kilograms of supplies, including food, water and scientific equipment, to a six-man crew onboard the space station.
On February 09, 2013 at 13:12 UTC the Russian Progress M-16M unmanned supply spacecraft undocked form the International Space Station. Later at the same day the "Progress M-14M” spacecraft was deorbited. Non-burnt fragments of the spacecraft sank in the South part of the Pacific.
On February 07, 2013 at 21:36 UTC the "Ariane-5ECA” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou launch site in French Guiana. The rocket orbited 2 telecommunications satellites. The "Amazonas 3” satellite made by Space Systems/Loral (California) was orbited for Spanish operator Hispasat. The "Azerspace/Africasat-1a” satellite produced by the "Orbital Sciences” American company was orbited for Azerbaijani operator Azercosmos and the Azerbaijani Communications Ministry.
On February 6, 2013 at 16:04 UTC the "Soyuz – 2.1a” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The Russian rocket equipped with the "Fregat” booster orbited six satellites for Globalstar's mobile communications network. The satellites will help keep Globalstar's two-way voice and data service for the company's subscribers in 120 countries.
On February 1, 2013 at 06:56 UTC the "Zenit-3SL” rocket-carrier was launched by Sea Launch consortium from its floating platform Odyssey at an equatorial launch site in international waters in the Pacific Ocean. In about 60 seconds after lift-off the Zenit-3SL rocket carrying an Intelsat-27 (IS-27) telecoms satellite crashed into the Pacific Ocean following an emergency shutdown of its first stage motor. The rocket fell into the sea not far from the Odyssey, which was not damaged in the failed launch.
On January 31, 2013 at 01:48 UTC the "Atlas 5” rocket-carrier was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site of US Air Force. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the TDRS-K (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K) telecommunication satellite.
On January 30, 2013 at 07:00 UTC the KSLV-1 (Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1) rocket-carrier also known as Naro-1 was launched from the Naro Space Center, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul. The rocket orbited the STSAT-2C research satellite. The Science and Technology Satellite 2C (STSAT 2C) will collect data on space radiation. Russia’s Khrunichev Space Center built the KSLV-1's first stage under a 2004 agreement. The solid-fuel second stage and the satellite payload were designed and built in South Korea. The launch comes just a month after rival North Korea launched a rocket with a satellite into space on December 29. South Korea joined a small group of countries with the ability to build and launch their own satellites into orbit. Seoul became the 11th member of an elite club of Space Nations. The former Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite
... Read more »
