Spacecraft Event
Aug. 1, 2020, 4 a.m.
OSIRIS-Rex Sample Collection
101955 Bennu
The OSIRIS-REx is a NASA asteroid study and sample-return mission. The mission's main goal is to obtain a sample of at least 60 grams from 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid, and return the sample to Earth for a detailed analysis.
Rehearsals will be performed before the sampling event, during which the solar arrays will be raised into a Y-shaped configuration to minimize the chance of dust accumulation during contact and provide more ground clearance in case the spacecraft tips over (up to 45°) during contact. The descent will be very slow to minimize thruster firings prior to contact in order to reduce the likelihood of asteroid surface contamination by unreacted hydrazine propellant. Contact with the surface of Bennu will be detected using accelerometers, and the impact force will be dissipated by a spring in the TAGSAM arm.
Upon surface contact by the TAGSAM instrument, a burst of nitrogen gas will be released, which will blow regolith particles smaller than 2 cm (0.8 in) into the sampler head at the end of the robotic arm. A five-second timer will limit collection time to mitigate the chance of a collision. After the timer expires, the back-away maneuver will initiate a safe departure from the asteroid.
Falcon 9 Block 5
Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USAWhen the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket reaches Max-Q (maximum dynamic forces), the launch abort system of the Crew Dragon spacecraft will be triggered. ...
Ariane 5 ECA
Eutelsat Konnect & GSAT-30
Ariane Launch Area 3 - Kourou, French GuianaEutelsat Konnect is an all-electric, Ka-band geostationary communications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for Eutelsat. It will provide broa...
Kuaizhou
Kuaizhou
Jiuquan, People's Republic of ChinaLong March 2D
Long March 2D
Taiyuan, People's Republic of ChinaLong March 3
TJS-5 (TJSW-5)
Unknown - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaTJS-5 is a geostationary communications satellite. It offers satellite communication, television and broadcasting services, while also verifying h...
Falcon 9 Block 5
Starlink 2
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USAA batch of 60 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Long March 5
Shijian 20
Wenchang - Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaShijian 20 is an experimental geostationary communications satellite. This is also a return-to-flight launch for Long March 5 after a July 2017 fai...
Rokot / Briz-KM
Gonets-M24, Gonets-M25, Gonets-M26 & Blits-M
133/3 (133L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian FederationGonets-M are an upgraded version of Gonets satellites, derived from military communications system Strela-3. Gonets-M constellation is tasked with...
Proton-M
Elektro-L No.3
81/24 (81P) - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of KazakhstanElektro-L is a series of meteorological satellites developed for the Russian Federal Space Agency by NPO Lavochkin. They are designed to capture re...
Atlas V N22
CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test (Uncrewed)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USAThis is the first test flight of Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. Although Atlas V and Centaur upper stage successfully put...
