Space Brief 8 Jan 2025
Today's highlights include China's launch of the Shijian-25 for on-orbit refueling tests, major Pentagon contracts for solid rocket motors and hypersonic testing, and the US Space Force's record-setting year of launches.
NORAD ID
56201
International Designator
2023-054Z
Epoch
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:22:10 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
97.31°
Right Ascension
110.85°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
286.17°
Period
93.01 min
Mean Motion
15.48 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
NUSAT-39 (TIKVAH ALPER)
Alternative Name
Tikvah Alper
Type
Status
Owner
URUGUS
Country
Uruguay
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 56201U 23054Z 26200.76539615 .00015992 00000+0 30580-3 0 9994
2 56201 97.3078 110.8510 0001446 286.1660 73.9431 15.48165515183493
Source: Celestrak
Length
0.813
Diameter
0.508
Span
0.813
Dry Mass
38.5
Launch Mass
41.5
Shape
Box
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
NuSat-39
Purpose
Earth observation
Mission
Earth observation
Manufacturer
URUGUS
Life Expectancy
3-4 years
Bus
Newsat V
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
None
Equipment
Imaging payload (all), LUSEX U/V linear transponder payload (#1)
Power System
Solar cells, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Today's highlights include China's launch of the Shijian-25 for on-orbit refueling tests, major Pentagon contracts for solid rocket motors and hypersonic testing, and the US Space Force's record-setting year of launches.
Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess nominated to lead Space Force, becoming the third Chief of Operations since the service's 2019 founding. Pentagon clears 8 firms for classified AI access.
On April 21, 2026, the tenth and final GPS Block III satellite reached medium Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Named for Hedy Lamarr, the actress whose 1942 frequency-hopping patent underpins modern GPS, SV10 closes a procurement that took eight years to deliver hardware and opens the optical-crosslink era that will define the constellation's next decade.
Sixty-eight years ago, America's first satellite exploded on the launchpad in front of the entire world. But from the ashes of Vanguard TV-3 came the determination that would eventually win the Space Race.
Today's Space Brief covers major developments in Pentagon procurement methods, strategic satellite intelligence advancements, and increasing interest in drone technology within the defense sector.
When a 135-foot inflatable mirror bounced a radio signal from England to Russia, it became the first joint US-Soviet space venture - and changed how we think about satellite communication.
In November 2023, Earth's most distant spacecraft started speaking gibberish. Five months, one dead memory chip, and 30 billion miles of round-trip troubleshooting later, engineers got it talking again - using code written before most of them were born.
An overlooked thermostat, eight hours of overheating on a Florida launch pad, and 200,000 miles of coasting through deep space. Then Oxygen Tank No. 2 tore itself apart, and three men had to figure out how to come home alive in a spacecraft designed to land on the Moon.