Moscow (AFP) Oct 26, 2007 - Russia carried out its first launch on Friday of a Proton cargo rocket since a previous such rocket crashed on the Kazakh steppe, a launch official told AFP.
Houston TX (SPX) Oct 26, 2007 - Space Shuttle Discovery and the STS-120 crew arrived at the International Space Station at 8:40 a.m.Thursday, delivering a new module and crew member to the orbital outpost. After the hatches between the station and shuttle opened at 10:39 a.m., the two crews exchanged greetings and went to work preparing for almost nine days of joint operations. STS-120 and Expedition 16 crew members transferred to the station spacesuits and tools that will be used during STS-120's spacewalks. The first of five excursions planned for the mission will begin at 6:28 a.m. Friday.
Xichang, China (XNA) Oct 25, 2007 - China will not embark on any lunar probe competition in any form with any country and will share the results of its moon exploration with the whole world in its pursuit of a policy of peaceful use of airspace, said a chief commander of the country's first lunar satellite project. The decision on the lunar probe was made completely in accordance with China's own conditions, which is not meant to be compared with others, Luan Enjie, chief commander of the lunar satellite project, told Xinhua, acknowledging that a new wave of moon exploration has started in recent years and many capable countries have mapped out their own moon probe plans.
Paris, France (ESA) Oct 25, 2007 - A bold new mission to the Moon was launched today by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA). Chang'e-1 blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket. Chang'e-1 represents the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020. Chang'e-1 has four mission goals to accomplish. The first is to make three-dimensional images of many lunar landforms and outline maps of major lunar geological structures. This mapping will include the first detailed images taken of some regions near the lunar poles.
Houston TX (SPX) Oct 25, 2007 - The seven-member crew of STS-120 on board Space Shuttle Discovery is ready for Thursday's rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station. The STS-120 crew members completed Wednesday's scheduled inspections of Space Shuttle Discovery's heat shield before noon EDT. They used Discovery's robotic arm and an attached boom extension to check the spacecraft's underside, nose cap and leading edges of the wings as well as hard to reach shuttle surfaces.
Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Oct 25, 2007 - The launch vehicle for Arianespace's record sixth Ariane 5 flight of 2007 has been delivered to French Guiana, maintaining the company's sustained mission pace in response to growing customer demand for its Service and Solutions commercial offer. Completing a trans-Atlantic voyage from Europe, the Ariane 5 GS vehicle arrived yesterday (October 23) aboard the MN Colibri - one of two roll-on/roll-off cargo ships used in support of Arianespace mission operations.
Beijing (AFP) Oct 25, 2007 - China's rise as a space power poses no threat to the rest of the world, official media said Thursday, as it celebrated the successful start of the nation's efforts to send a man to the moon.
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Oct 24, 2007 - NASA officials and launch managers were pleased Tuesday following a clean countdown and flawless launch of space shuttle Discovery from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch Director Mike Leinbach said the launch team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was able to study a potential problem of ice buildup without jeopardizing the shuttle while still launching on time. It was one of the cleanest countdowns we've had since I've been launch director, Leinbach said.
Beijing (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 - China on Wednesday launched the Chang'e I satellite, the nation's first lunar orbiter, which will photograph and map the moon's surface.
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 - Breaking new ground in the history of space exploration, women are at the helm of the International Space Station and the space shuttle at the same time, as they orbit the Earth.
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 - Shuttle Discovery astronauts checked the orbiter's wings and nose for damage on Wednesday using lasers and a camera atop its robotic arm, a day ahead of its rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Beijing (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 - Asia's space race heated up on Wednesday as China launched its first lunar orbiter, an event hailed in the world's most populous nation as a milestone event in its global rise.
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 24, 2007 - Paolo Nespoli set off on his way to the International Space Station earlier this evening on board NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery. Inside the Shuttle's cargo bay is the Node 2 module, the first European-built module to be permanently attached to the Station. This evening, Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:38 local time (17:38 CEST) and successfully entered low Earth orbit after almost 8 minutes of powered flight. On this STS-120 mission, the third Shuttle flight this year, Discovery carries a crew of seven, including ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, from Italy.
Beijing (AFP) Oct 24, 2007 - China on Wednesday launched the Chang'e I, its first-ever lunar orbiter, as part of its quest to put a man on the moon by around 2020.
St. Louis MO (SPX) Oct 24, 2007 - Boeing is playing a significant role in the current 14-day Space Shuttle Discovery mission, which will deliver the European Space Agency's Harmony module to the International Space Station. Boeing has worked with Thales Alenia Space in Torino, Italy, for more than 10 years to assemble and prepare the Harmony module for launch. Formerly known as Node 2, Harmony will act as an internal connecting port and passageway for future international science labs and cargo spacecraft. Thales Alenia Space built the utility node, while Boeing provided many of the subsystem components essential to supporting life on the station.
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 23, 2007 - A successful re-ignition of the Ariane 5 upper stage engine performed during the most recent mission has consolidated Ariane 5's readiness for the launch of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle. The launch of ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which carries supplies to the International Space Station, will require multiple firings of the Ariane 5 ES upper stage engine. In this context, hundreds of re-ignition tests under various thermal conditions have been undertaken at the DLR Test Centre in Lampoldshausen to qualify the Aestus engine for several re-ignitions.
