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| Image credit: Vast |
Scrub of Secret Electron Mission
NOTAMs issued earlier this week indicated a surprise launch attempt of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Māhia in New Zealand, scheduled for today. The launch does not appear to have occurred, with further NOTAMs issued for tomorrow and Friday. [Source: Lukas C. H.]
International Space Station Activities
The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance. There is still no official word from Roscosmos on when the delayed Progress MS-35 cargo mission will launch to the station. [Source: NASA]
International Space Summit
The two-day International Space Summit in Paris began today, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, and a wide array of space leaders and astronauts. The event is part of a European push to increase investment in space to better compete with the United States, China, and other spacefaring nations. Several American companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, were cowed into snubbing the event by US President Donald Trump. Tomorrow's report will contain a summary of all the announcements made at the summit. [Source: Le Monde]
CASC Pushes for Quality Control
The state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has announced a campaign for improved quality control across all its subsidiaries, including rocket manufacturers CALT and SAST. This follows several failures relating to quality in recent months, including the launch failure of a Long March 7A, the disintegration in orbit of a military satellite and another LM-6C second stage, and the delay of Chang'e 7. The organisation's Party Group, which represents the Chinese Communist Party within the organisation, will lead efforts to enforce better quality control. [Source: CASC]
Terran R Joins NASA Launch Services II
NASA have announced that Relativity Space's Terran R rocket, which has yet to fly, has been awarded a NASA Launch Services II contract. This makes Relativity the fifth company to join the NLS II fleet, after Northrop Grumman (Pegasus XL), SpaceX (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship), Blue Origin (New Glenn), and ULA (Vulcan Centaur). [Source: NASA]
Artemis II Astronauts Retire from Astronaut Corps
Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, commander and pilot of the Artemis II mission, have become the first astronauts to join NASA's emeritus program, allowing them to pursue other careers while continuing to serve an advisory role at NASA. Since Jeremy Hansen quit the Canadian Space Agency in July, Christina Koch is now the only member of the Artemis II crew who can still be selected for future missions. [Source: NASA]
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