In de twee voorbije weken was er weer heel wat ruimtevaartnieuws te rapen. Niet alleen qua lanceringen (vier in totaal, Cubesats vanuit het ISS niet meegeteld), niet alleen qua testen (een ballonlancering, parachutetesten voor zowel Orion als Starliner) maar uiteraard bleef ook de Maan in het centrum van de belangstelling. Niet onlogisch na de vele aankondigingen zoals te lezen in de vorige NUDR. Het is “vechten” om in de belangstelling te komen en Jeff Bezos en Blue Origin lukte daar de afgelopen dagen in met allerlei berichten rond de “New Glenn”

Na nog heel wat meer nieuwtjes over raketten en ballonlanceringen, het Chinese ruimtestation is er ook weer heel wat ruimte voor het (inter)planetaire nieuws met o.a. JUICE en de Europa Clipper. Afronden doen we met de 80ste verjaardag van Valentina Teresjkova, de eerste vrouw in de ruimte.

Europese Vega-raket lanceert Sentinel 2B.
ESA: Second “Colour Vision” Satellite For Copernicus Launched.
EC: Latest Copernicus launch will improve earth observation service.
DLR: Earth firmly in view – Sentinel-2B satellite successfully launched.
Spaceflight101: Sentinel-2B enjoys smooth Orbital Delivery atop Vega Rocket to join Europe’s Copernicus Fleet.
ESA: A Toast To Copernicus Sentinel-2B As Its Delivers Its First Images.

Een tweetal websites:
ESA Copericus – Observing The Earth. 
ESA – Sentinel Online. 

De persmap vind je hier (PDF). 

Spaceflight101: Impressive Photos of Vega’s Nighttime Blastoff from South America.

Filmpjes:
ESA: Sentinel-2B Liftoff.
ESA: Sentinel-2B Launch. Full Replay.
Airbus: Copernicus - Sentinel 2B.

Combinatie ballon/raket getest als mogelijk nieuwe lanceerder van kleine satellietjes.
Parabolic Arc: Zero 2 Infinity Successfully Launches First Rocket from Edge of Space.
SpaceCom: Zero 2 Infinity Conducts First Flight Test of Bloostar Balloon-Assisted Launcher.

SpaceX lanceert comsat. En ander SpaceX-nieuws.
Het begon met de motortest.
NasaSpaceFlight: SpaceX Static Fires Falcon 9 for EchoStar 23 launch as SLC-40 targets return.

Maar de lancering werd uitgesteld.
CBS News: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch delayed by high winds.

Uiteindelijk ging de lancering door. Maar zonder terugkeer van de eerste trap.
Spaceflight101: Expendable Falcon 9 successfully lifts heaviest Geostationary Payload to Date.

De filmpjes:
US Launch Report: SpaceX - EchoStar23 - Static Fire Test 03-09-2017.
Spaceflight Insider: SpaceX Falcon 9 EchoStar XXIII Launch.
SpaceX: Echostar XXIII Technical Webcast.

Over de lading van de vorige lancering:
NasaSpaceFlight: SpaceX science – Dragon delivers experiments for busy science period.

BloomBerg: SpaceX Will Launch Its First Reused Rocket Later This Month.
Space News: Shotwell on SpaceX launch backlog: “We will definitely catch up”.
SpaceCom: SpaceX Wins Its Second GPS 3 Launch Contract.

Space News: Hisdesat demanding refund as it dumps Dnepr for Falcon 9.

Japanse spionagesatelliet gelanceerd.
NasaSpaceFlight: Japanese H-IIA rocket launches latest IGS spy satellite.
Japan Today: Japan successfully launches spy satellite.

Filmpjes:
CGTN: Japan launches latest DPRK ‘spy’ satellite.
Lee Brandon-Cremer: Launch of JAXA HIIA-F33 rocket carrying the IGS-5 spy sat from Tanegashima

Delta IV lanceert militaire comsat.
ULA: United Launch Alliance Commemorates U.S. Air Force 70th Anniversary with Successful Launch of WGS-9 Mission.
NasaSpaceFlight: ULA Delta IV successfully launches WGS-9.
Spaceflight101: Delta IV thunders into the Night with Internationally-funded Military ComSat.

Spaceflight101: Photos: Nighttime Delta IV Liftoff with ninth WGS Communications Satellite.

Filmpjes:
ULA: Delta IV WGS-9 Launch Highlights.
ULA: LIVE Launch Broadcast: Delta IV WGS-9.
ULA: Delta IV WGS-9 Mission Profile.

En er werden weer Cubesats gelanceerd vanuit het ISS.
Spaceflight101: Video: CubeSats Deployed from International Space Station.
Parabolic Arc: Astronauts Deploy Experimental Exo-Brake Satellite From ISS.

De volgende bevoorrading van het ISS uitgesteld.
SpaceCom: Rocket Issue Delays Orbital ATK's Next Cargo Launch for NASA.
SpaceCom: Orbital ATK, ULA Target March 24 for NASA Cargo Launch.

Parachutetesten voor zowel Orion (NASA) als Starliner (Boeing).
NASA: NASA's Orion Spacecraft Parachutes Tested at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.
SpaceCom: NASA's Orion Space Capsule Prototype Aces Parachute Drop Test.

SpaceCom: NASA Tests SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule's Life-Support Systems.

Boeing: Up, up and away, Boeing’s Starliner completes first parachute test.
NasaSpaceFlight: Chute tests for Starliner as ASAP worry about RD-180 certification.
SpaceCom: Boeing's Starliner Capsule Lands 'Gently' in Successful Parachute Test.

En een paar filmpjes:
SciNews: NASA Orion parachute test, 8 March 2017.
Boeing: Boeing Tests Starliner's Parachute System.

Terug naar de Maan.
Inverse: NASA Should Continue Snubbing the Moon.
LA Times: Don't expect a space race. SpaceX and NASA need each other.

The Planetary Society Blogs: NASA, ISS partners quietly completing design of possible Moon-orbiting space station.

SpaceCom: Private Space Stations Could Orbit the Moon by 2020, Robert Bigelow Says.

Ook de Chinezen doen mee.
Space Daily: China Develops Spaceship Capable of Moon Landing.

Net als de Russen:
TASS: Roscosmos starts recruitment of cosmonauts for future lunar missions.
De Morgen: Russen willen naar de maan.
The Guardian: Moon shot: Russia launches recruitment drive for lunar mission.

De “New Glenn” en zijn eerste klanten. De “New Shepard” en zijn eerste bemanning.
SpaceRef: Blue Origin Introduces New Glenn Rocket Video at Satellite 2017.
Ars Technica: Blue Origin releases details of its monster orbital rocket.

Spaceflight101: Blue Origin shows off first complete BE-4 Engine, announces first New Glenn Customer
SpaceCom: Jeff Bezos Unveils Engine for Blue Origin Megarocket (Photos).

Ars Technica: Blue Origin’s new rocket engine isn’t good enough for some politicians.

SpaceRef: Blue Origin Announces First Customer for New Glenn Launcher.
Space News: Eutelsat first customer for Blue Origin’s New Glenn.

Space News: Blue Origin signs OneWeb as second customer for New Glenn reusable rocket.

SpaceCom: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Plans Crewed Launch Within a Year.

En nog wat filmpjes:
Blue Origin: Introducing New Glenn.
Video From Space: For Blue Origin, Rocket Size Does Matter.

China en zijn ruimtestation.
GB Times: China's Space Station: Tianhe-1 module to be followed by Tianzhou-2, Shenzhou-12.

Wat filmpjes:
CCTV+: A Close Look at China's First Cargo Spacecraft Tianzhou-1.
CCTV+: Launch Monitoring System of Tianzhou-1 Spacecraft Enters Preparation Stage.
CCTV+: China's Long March-7 Rocket Arrives at Site for Pre-launch Testing in Hainan.

Nog meer raket- en ballonnieuws.
Space News: Firefly Space Systems assets to be sold.
Parabolic Arc: Ukrainian Entrepreneur Ventures From Online Dating to Space. 

Space News: Orbital ATK expects decision on new rocket by early 2018.

Space News: Lockheed Martin halts Athena effort, plans some Atlas 5 overlap with Vulcan.

Space News: ILS plans larger Proton payload fairing, defers work on smaller Proton variant.

Space Daily: Iran Postpones Rocket Carrier Launch Fearing US Threats.

Spaceflight Insider: Pathfinder for first Minotaur IV flight conducted at Cape Canaveral's SLC-46 (een filmpje).

TASS: Russian traveler plans to fly to stratosphere in hot air balloon from Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The Planetary Society: This company launches balloons to the edge of space. Will the business float?

USC News: Record-breaking flight: USC students’ rocket shoots up, up and away.

Het (inter)planetaire nieuws.

Aarde:
SpaceCom: New Satellite Beams Back Its 1st Photo of Lightning from Space.
SpaceCom: This Student Film of a NASA Earth Science Mission is Simply Adorable.
NASA: NASA's ICESat-2 to Provide More Depth to Sea Ice Forecasts.
JPL: GRACE Mission: 15 Years of Watching Water on Earth.
JPL: 15 Years of GRACE Earth Observations.
NASA: NASA Satellite Identifies Global Ammonia ‘Hotspots’.
NASA: Relativistic Electrons Uncovered with NASA’s Van Allen Probes.
NASA: Leaky Radiation Belts (filmpje).
ESA: Etna Erupts.

Maan:
New Scientist: Moon’s hidden craters detected by gravity mapper.
JPL: New NASA Radar Technique Finds Lost Lunar Spacecraft.
The Science Times: Missing Indian Spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 Found by NASA, Poor Design Blamed For Its Lost 8 Years Ago.

Mars:
The Planetary Society Blog: MAVEN dodges Phobos, with (maybe) a little help from Curiosity.
Video From Space: Dodging Phobos - MAVEN’s Thrusters Fired To Avoid Mars Moon (filmpje).
Parabolic Arc: NASA Issues RFI for Commercial Payloads to Mars.
SpaceRef: Potatoes Can Grow on Mars.
JPL: NASA Mars Orbiter Tracks Back-to-Back Regional Storms.
ESA: ExoMars: Science Checkout Completed And Aerobraking Begins.

Jupiter:
ESA: ESA’s Jupiter Mission Moves Off The Drawing Board.
ESA: Juice’s Journey To Jupiter (filmpje).
JPL: NASA Mission Named 'Europa Clipper'.
SpaceCom: Meet 'Europa Clipper': NASA Mission to Icy Jupiter Moon Officially Named.

Saturnus: 
The Planetary Society Blog: Cassini, with only a half-year to go at Saturn, just keeps dropping awesome images.
JPL: Cassini Reveals Strange Shape of Saturn's Moon Pan.
The Planetary Society Blog: You’ve met Saturn’s ravioli-shaped moon, Pan. Now learn how it was discovered.
JPL: Cassini Sees Heat Below the Icy Surface of Enceladus.

Ceres:
JPL: Dawn Identifies Age of Ceres' Brightest Area.

En om af te ronden: 80 jaar Teresjkova.
TASS: First woman in space.
TASS: Russia’s first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova turns 80.
CollectSpace: Valentina Tereshkova, first woman to fly in space, celebrated in London exhibit.

The Hindu: Women in space.

The Science Times: Will SpaceX Bring The First Woman In Space ?

En in Duitsland zijn ze op zoek naar een vrouwelijke ruimtevaarder.
DW: Rocketwoman: Space race is on to find Germany's first female astronaut.

En om echt af te ronden, vind je hier nog een filmpje met archief beelden over de ruimtemissie van Teresjkova.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen