Free Republic

In another frustrating foul-up on the path towards converting Soviet-era military missiles into cash-paying satellite launchers, a military-industrial team in Moscow has announced the 'indefinite suspension' of plans to launch an earth resources survey satellite for Thailand. The reasons: at the last moment, for the second time, overflight permission has been revoked by a country downrange of the launch site. First Uzbekistan, and now Kazakhstan, denied permission for dropping the booster's spent first stage onto their territories. "We never thought we'd see a repeat of the Uzbekistan case," lamented Thongchai Charuppat, director of Thailand's "GeoInformatics and Space Technology Development Agency...

Launch going off at Kwajalein today 7pm EST. Live feed starts 1/2 hour before. The rocket has a new Spacedev satellite on it, built for the Air Force.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A NASA spokesman on Thursday said that the launch of its GLAST space telescope, which will allow scientists to look deep into the universe, has been delayed until Wednesday June 11 at the earliest. It is the third time the GLAST launch had been delayed, this time due to a battery in the system that would destroy the rocket in case it deviates from its course, said NASA spokesman George Diller. The launch window extends to August 7 and there could be further delays, Diller said. The GLAST -- the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope -- will...

May 15, 2008 With naval battles on the high seas now virtually extinct for the U.S. armed forces, the navy's role has become more one of infantry invasion and airstrike support - and with this new role comes a need for vessels more suited to littoral (just offshore) operations. The initial order was placed back in 2005, and the first delivery, the U.S.S. Independence, has just been launched, a speedy trimaran with helicopter decks, a stealthy radar profile and a healthy array of arms. It's configurable to suit a wide array of littoral combat missions, including minesweeping, anti-submarine and surface...

Date/Launch Time/Site: March 15, with a launch window of 2:09-2:23 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. If the launch slips, the next launch attempt is set for March 16, 2:05 – 2:19 a.m. EDT. View the Launch: The launch broadcast will begin approximately 20 minutes before launch. 100k, 300k

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The space shuttle Atlantis is tentatively set to launch February 7 on a mission to the International Space Station carrying the European lab Columbus, NASA said. "The team did a great job to isolate where (the cutting engine sensor) failure were (so that) the failure would not occur again," Bill Gerstenmayer, deputy administrator for space programs told reporters Wednesday. Gerstenmayer said that as "we head for the 7th of February for launch and we continue to follow the radiator retract hose over the next couple of days; there is a lot of work out to be done...

Nato 'must prepare to launch nuclear attack' Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 22/01/2008 Nato must prepare to launch pre-emptive nuclear attacks to ward off the use of weapons of mass destruction by its enemies, a group of former senior military officials has warned. Calling for a major change to Nato's approach to defending its members and their interests, the authors of the report, which has been handed to Nato and Pentagon chiefs, said the first-strike use of nuclear weapons was a "indespensible instrument". According to a report, the authors of the blueprint for reforming Nato include Lord Peter Inge, the former...

Ocean rocket returns to business The firm's Zenit rockets launch from a converted oil platform The Sea Launch company has returned to flight with a mission to loft a telecoms satellite to serve the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. The firm's Zenit 3SL rocket lifted off from its converted oil rig platform stationed in the Pacific at 1149 GMT. The Thuraya 3 satellite separated from the vehicle some 98 minutes later. The flight was the first for Sea Launch since the catastrophic explosion in January 2007 which destroyed a Zenit and its passenger on the pad. Sea Launch is...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA moved space shuttle Atlantis to its seaside launch pad on Saturday ahead of a planned early December mission to get Europe's first permanent space laboratory into orbit. Riding on top of a 3,000-ton Apollo-era crawler transporter, Atlantis left the Kennedy Space Center's massive assembly building before dawn. The 3.8-mile trek took about five hours. For a change, NASA has time to spare in its campaign to prepare the shuttle for the three-day launch countdown beginning on December 3. Whether the International Space Station will be ready for Atlantis' arrival is another question. Station commander...

The massive Delta 4-Heavy rocket is poised for its first operational launch Saturday evening from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 8:39 p.m. EST. The vehicle will deploy the final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite into geosynchronous orbit.

Black holes often are thought of as just endless pits in space and time that destroy everything they pull toward them. But new findings confirm the reverse is true, too: Black holes can drive extraordinarily powerful winds that push out and force star formation and shape the fate of a galaxy. Supermassive black holes are suspected to lurk in the hearts of many—if not all—large galaxies. These holes drag gas inward, which accrues in rapidly spinning, glowing disks. Astronomers have long thought that such "accretion disks" give off mighty winds that shape the host galaxies, profoundly influencing how they grow....

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A computer sabotaged by a disgruntled worker for a NASA supplier has been repaired and loaded aboard the space shuttle Endeavour for a Wednesday liftoff. A top NASA manager said Monday it was apparently an isolated event and that there was no reason to believe anyone had tampered with anything else on the spacecraft. "We have found no other areas of concern," space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said. "We have thoroughly reviewed all the parts made by that contractor and gone back through our records to make sure that all the orbiter systems on board...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA began the countdown Sunday night for the launch of Endeavour after completing one final test to make sure the space shuttle's crew cabin was airtight. "The team is ready. Endeavour is ready," said NASA test director Stephen Payne. Last week, NASA replaced a leaky valve in Endeavour's cabin with one taken from the shuttle Atlantis. Engineers discovered that air had been escaping from the removed valve because of a small piece of debris on its seal, Payne said. The valve itself turned out to be fine. Because of the extra work to replace and test...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An independent health panel studying NASA astronauts found "heavy use of alcohol" before launch, according to a published report Thursday. Aviation Week & Space Technology, a weekly trade journal, reported the finding from the panel on its Web site. The weekly said that the committee found that on at least two occasions, astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so intoxicated that they posed a flight-safety risk. The alcohol use by astronauts was within the standard 12-hour "bottle-to-throttle" rule applied to NASA flight crew members, Aviation Week reported. The...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday prodded Pakistan to launch a military offensive against fighters hiding in tribal areas after Washington hinted at a lack of commitment from its ally to hunt down violent extremists. US officials said Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf should send his troops into the tribal border region with Afghanistan to flush out Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, following the collapse of a 10-month peace accord between Islamabad and tribal elders. "I think first and foremost we have to remember that some military action is necessary, and will probably have to be taken," Assistant Secretary...

/begin my summary N. Korea Fires Another Short-range Missile (3rd launch this year) one missile over East Sea(Sea of Japan) ... about 100km in range At 11:30 am, June 27, one short-range missile was fired from the coast of Hamkyong Namdo. More detailed investigation is under way. The type of missile has not been identified yet. /end my summary

North Korea fired a short-range missile toward waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, a South Korean intelligence official said Tuesday, amid signs of progress in ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The North "fired the short-range missile around 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT)," the South Korean official said, asking not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the issue. He said the range of the missile is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) but did not give further details. The missile launch, the second in as many weeks, came as the United States and South Korea and their regional partners explore...

Yonhap News quoting NHK of Japan. No follow up yet

North Korea may launch more missiles SEOUL: North Korea may be preparing for another missile launch as it has kept in place equipment used last week to fire off a short-range missile, a South Korean daily reported on Monday. Launch platforms and vehicles that can transport missiles, as well as the communications equipment needed for launches, have not been removed from an east-coast site used in Friday’s launch, the JoongAng Ilbo reported, quoting intelligence sources. “We are closely monitoring the situation to see if the North will fire additional missiles, but there have been no unusual movements,” a South Korean...

Missile research spacecraft soars into orbit from VirginiaBY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOWMinotaur launches with NFIRE. Credit: NASAA data-gathering research satellite for the U.S. missile defense program successfully launched into space from the Virginia coast aboard an Orbital Sciences Minotaur 1 rocket early this morning. The Missile Defense Agency's Near Field Infrared Experiment, or NFIRE, spacecraft lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island at 2:48 a.m. EDT (0648 GMT).... The Minotaur's first minutes of flight were powered by two left-over motor stages from decommissioned Minuteman 2 intercontinental ballistic missiles. They propelled the rocket on the way to space...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has pushed back the launch of space shuttle Atlantis until at least early June so that technicians can finish repairing its hail-damaged fuel tank, officials said Tuesday. The new launch date was set for no earlier than June 8 — a nearly three-month delay for the first shuttle mission of the year. NASA had been trying to decide whether to finish repairing the tank and use it for Atlantis' mission or swap it out with another tank. But NASA managers said they were pleased with the progress of repairs that already have been made. "We...

Soldiers of Japan's Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) stand in line for review at a ceremony to mark the launch of the Central Readiness Force at the JGSDF's Asaka Base, in Tokyo's Nerima Ward on March 31, 2007. (Xinhua Photo) Japan's Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the launch of Japan's Ground Self Defence Force's (JGSDF) Central Readiness Force at JGSDF's Asaka Base in Asaka, north of Tokyo March 31, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) A soldier of Japan's Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) walks past rows of guns before a ceremony to mark the...

An Atlas 5 loaded up with 6 sattelites is due to go tomorrow, weather permitting. The payload includes: Orbital Express spacecraft refueling demonstration utilising two vehicles -- the Autonomous Space Transfer and Robotic Orbiter (ASTRO) designed to service the NextSat. Also 4 smaller birds will be aboard: MidSTAR1, FalconSat3, STPSat1 & CFESat Should be a clear evening allowing a nice lightshow.

Japan began its satellite programme in 2003 Satellite launch Japan has launched its fourth spy satellite, which will give it the capability to monitor any location around the globe.An H-2A rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from a base in southern Japan at 0441 GMT, officials said. Tokyo began launching spy satellites in 2003, after North Korea fired a missile over Japan's main island in 1998. Japan sees itself as one of the top targets of the Communist state, which last year tested a nuclear bomb. Satoki Kurokawa, a spokesman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), said the...

Five NASA probes aimed at unraveling mysteries surrounding Earth's colorful auroras are set to launch Friday evening after a 24-hour weather delay. A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket carrying the five probes that make up the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) mission is scheduled to liftoff between 6:05 and 6:23 p.m. EST on Feb. 16 from Pad 17-B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The launch will set a new NASA record for the most number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. "We're complete through all of our...

At least three tubes that are used to launch military-grade missiles were found Tuesday at a moving company on Interstate 65 Service Road West in Mobile, authorities said. No missiles were found, police said, and no one was injured. Members of the Mobile Police Department's bomb squad were called to Paulk's Moving at 2051 I-65 Service Road West on Tuesday afternoon after employees found a "suspicious package," police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant said. At least three tubes used to launch missiles were uncovered in a shipping container at the business, Gallichant said. Authorities were still trying to determine who shipped...

Former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) announced the launch of an Internet-based grassroots organization aimed at raising money and uniting Republican activists to take back and hold the GOP majority in Congress, according to a release today. The new organization, comparable to the left’s MoveOn.org, is called GAIN (Grassroots, Action, and Information Network) and will be hosted on www.tomdelay.com, a blog that will feature comments from DeLay and other conservative bloggers and activists.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Flashes of flame from space shuttle Discovery lit up the darkened sky Saturday as the space shuttle blazed off the launch pad for the first nighttime liftoff in four years. The shuttle's seven astronauts are on a mission to rewire the international space station, one leg of a three-year race to finish construction on the orbiting outpost before shuttles are retired in 2010. The illumination from the shuttle turned night into day for the spectators at the Kennedy Space Center. A cloudy sky with blustery winds earlier in the day gave way to clear skies and...

DELTA IV LAUNCH Vandenberg AFB News Release Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. – Vandenberg is set to launch a Delta IV rocket carrying a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite from Space Launch Complex-6 Nov. 4. The launch will take place between 5:52 and 6:02 a.m. Col. Terry Djuric, 30th Space Wing vice commander, is the spacelift commander, or final “go for launch” authority, for this mission. The 30th Space Wing is the Air Force Space Command organization responsible for all Department of Defense space and missile launch activities on the West Coast of the United States.

Two NASA probes designed to take a continuous three-dimensional look at the Sun are poised to ride a Delta 2 rocket spaceward Wednesday. NASA's 1,364-pound (620ikilogram) STEREO spacecraft are slated to launch during a 15-minute window that opens at 8:38 p.m. EDT. The planned space shot has weathered a series of various delays, including a spacecraft fuel leak in August, and the need for future leak checks and other concerns on the Boeing-built Delta 2 rocket. One STEREO (short for Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft will take up an orbital position just ahead of Earth while the other is bound...

Huge 'launch ring' to fling satellites into orbit 16:00 03 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga A ring of superconducting magnets fires a projectile off a ramp at 8 kilometres per second, fast enough to reach orbit (Artist’s conception: J Fiske/LaunchPoint) A cone-shaped shell would protect the payload during its passage through the atmosphere into space, and includes a rocket at the back end to adjust its trajectory (Illustration: J Fiske/LaunchPoint Technologies) An enormous ring of superconducting magnets similar to a particle accelerator could fling satellites into space, or perhaps weapons around the world, suggest the findings of a...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA makes its fifth attempt to get Atlantis off the launch pad at 11:15 a.m. EDT on Saturday. If the mission is scrubbed again, the space agency must abandon for a few weeks its efforts to send the shuttle off on a construction mission at the international space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA will try to launch the space shuttle Atlantis on Friday after clearing a technical problem with a power generator that forced a two-day delay, officials said on Thursday.The U.S. space agency had planned to launch Atlantis on Wednesday on the first construction mission to the International Space Station since the 2003 Columbia disaster, but a problem in a motor inside one of the shuttle's onboard fuel cells prompted managers to delay the launch.The flight was previously postponed by a lightning strike and a storm."The team came to the conclusion today that the cloud we...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – The Afghan government is implementing a new national security system designed to strengthen the country’s security apparatus, U.S. officials reported. The entire National Security Coordination System is to be fully operational by the end of 2008, officials said. The system will improve coordination among Afghan military and law enforcement agencies and enhance regional stability. The system will consist of a National Coordination Center, five Joint Regional Coordination Centers and 34 Joint Provincial Coordination Centers. The centers will provide Afghan army and police leaders with operational information they can use to better-allocate security forces. Current and...

Photo #1: 060728-N-7241L-026 Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006) - An F-14D Tomcat, aircraft number 100, assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31) makes a near supersonic fly-by above the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The F-14 will officially retire in September 2006, after 32 years of service to the fleet. Theodore Roosevelt is completing Joint Task Force Exercises with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird (RELEASED). Caption Source: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37555 - Big Image Link: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060728-N-7241L-026.jpg Photo #2: 060728-N-7241L-015 Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006)...

Families of soldiers killed in Iraq launch party to challenge ministers · More than 70 candidates to contest Labour seats· Bereaved to meet within two weeks to plan strategy Steve Boggan Saturday August 5, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Whenever news of British military deaths in the Middle East flashes on to their TV screen, Reg and Sally Keys become silent and you can see anxiety wash across their faces. This week has been particularly tough; three soldiers killed in Afghanistan, one in Iraq. Each time it happens, it reminds them of their son, Thomas, one of six royal military policemen...

N. Korea missile thought to have flown less far than Japan estimated TOKYO, July 30 KYODO The United States has told Japan that North Korea's long-range Taepodong-2 missile, fired July 5, exploded in midair within 1.5 kilometers of the launching pad, Japanese government sources said Saturday. Japan had estimated the missile had reached a Sea of Japan area 400-600 kilometers away. The sources also told Kyodo News the Japanese and U.S. governments have tracked the flight paths of four other ballistic missiles North Korea launched the same day. The findings could enable Japan to release a report on the incident...

Blair and Bush launch peace plan By George Jones and Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 29/07/2006) Tony Blair and President George W Bush last night launched a fresh diplomatic initiative to try to end the conflict in the Middle East as they shrugged off criticism of their record in the crisis. At an emergency summit in the White House, they agreed that Condoleezza Rice, the United States secretary of state, would fly back to the region today in an attempt to persuade the Lebanese and Israeli governments to agree on a peace plan and the deployment of an international force...

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of prominent political strategists on Tuesday announced an Internet information venture designed to interact with America's opinion leaders and serve as an antidote to the right-left clash that typifies political discourse on the Web. The site, called Hotsoup.com, will debut in October and will be edited by Ron Fournier, former chief political writer for The Associated Press. Hotsoup is the brainchild of some of the best-known practitioners of partisan politics in Washington, including Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004, and Joe Lockhart, former White House press secretary under President Clinton and...

We have no evidence that the U.S. was able to sabotage North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile, which malfunctioned 42 seconds into launch on Tuesday and crashed. But we do note that special operations forces (SOF) are playing an increasing role, overt and covert, in the world under Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's rule. We also note that one of the reasons that SOF procured the powerful .50- caliber Barrett's sniper rifle was to have the capability to disable ballistic missiles. It's a scenario for missile defense you won't see in any literature from the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency: insert a commando...

/begin my translation Exclusive: One of Missiles N. Korea Test-fired is SS-22Its range is extended to 1,000 km, and can carry 500 kg nuclear warhead2006-07-10 04:18:47   Of six missiles N. Korea launched on July 5th, which are suspected to be Nodong and Scud missiles, one could be N. Korean version of SS-22 medium range missile(s.) A high-level N. Korean defector I met told me about what Japanese Defense Agency suspects to be 'new type of Scud' as follows: "N. Korean military prefer Scud to Nodong. Nodong requires a lot of time for injecting (liquid) fuel and charge, making easy to be detected. Starting...

Japan mulls preemptive stike on N Korea missile bases Associated Press Tokyo, July 10, 2006 Japan is considering whether a preemptive strike on North Korean missile bases would be an acceptable form of self-defence under the pacifist Japanese constitution, the government spokesman said on Monday. "If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defence. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said. Abe added that the ruling party might take up the...

N. Korea blocked radio signals 2 days before missile launch: report (Kyodo) _ North Korea had blocked part of military radio and changed electronic signals two days before it test-fired the Taepodong-2 long-range missile, leading Japan and the United States to raise alert level early, the Sankei Shimbun reported Saturday in its online edition. On Tuesday, a day before the launch, North Korea also cordoned off a triangular area in the Sea of Japan, a move Japan and the United States took as signs of an imminent missile firing, the report said. Citing several intelligence sources in Japan and the...

Pyongyang's Missile Launch 'Was Sales Pitch' North Korea’s test-launch of several types of missile Wednesday was an export blitz, some experts say. Missile exports are one of Pyongyang’s few sources of hard currency since the heavily militarized nation has precious few other export industries. North Korea has been exporting Scud missiles to the Middle East and Africa for up to US$4 million a pop. There is speculation that Iranian officials, who have been in the North since early this month according to press reports, were observing the launches on the spot to see whether they want to buy. According to...

/begin my summaryN. Korean Embassy in Australia, "(We) Can hit Australia, too" N. Korea is angrily responding to Australia, which rebuked the N. Korean missile launches, insisting  that N. Korean missiles and nuclear warheads can also hit Australia, according to Australian newspapers on July 6th. The reports say that, the unofficial spokesman of N. Korean Embassy, Kim Myung-chul brought up (possible)  military action while assailing the remarks by PM John Howard and FM Alexander Downer in which they criticized N. Korean launches and demanded firm response by international community. Mr. Kim said that PM Howard and FM Downer are free to express their...

/begin my summaryN. Korea: Launch Prep Complete for Additional 3 or 4 MissilesGovernment sources said, "In addition to missiles already launched, N. Korea has set up three or four of Nodong and Scud B & C missiles on mobile launcher, with all launch preparation complete. N. Korea declared the prohibited sea-travel zone which is in effect from July 5th to 11th, due to missile launches, and banned fishing boats from leaving port. Theoretically, more launches are possible for next five days. N. Korean missile launches so far./end my summary

More N Korea tests 'expected' July 05, 2006 AUSTRALIA expects the North Korean government to conduct further missile tests in coming days, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. Mr Downer said the Government believed North Korea had fired six missiles overnight, being five short-range missiles and one longer range missile. The Government condemned the tests, and had spoken to North Korea's ambassador in Australia, Chon Jae Hong, to register its displeasure, Mr Downer said. "I told the North Korean ambassador that we condemn the testing of missiles, that it did very much heighten concerns about security in North Asia," Mr...

/begin my translation N. Korea May Have Fired Up To 12 Missiles Six launches including Taepodong-2 were confirmed...the additional launches were being investigated It is possible that N. Korea launched six additional launches of short-range and shore-to-ship missiles, in addition to six launches of Taepodong-2, Nodong, and Scud surface-to-surface missiles, during dawn and morning hours of July 5th. Senior government sources said, "The confirmed launches so far by N. Koreans are one Taepodong launch and five launches of Nodong and Scud missiles, totaling six. However, we have indications that, between 7am and 8:13am, six additional missiles are launched, which we...

North Korea fires series of missiles By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer 6 minutes ago A defiant North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday that may be capable of reaching America, but it failed seconds after launch, U.S. officials said. The North also tested four of shorter range in an exercise the White House termed "a provocation" but not an immediate threat. The audacious military tests by isolated communist nation came despite stern warnings from the United States and Japan — and carried out as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July and launched the space shuttle. None of the...