*Dragon docks with the International Space Station  A dragon cargo ship loaded with fresh supplies has successfully docked with the International Space Station two days after launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off into clear blue skies with the first stage returning to the launch facility following MECO main engine cut out and stage separation. See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg *Blue Origin test flight  Blue Origin has conducted a successful test flight of its new reusable New Shepard launch system. The flight saw the spacecraft blast off from the company’s West Texas launch pad on a ballistic sub orbital trajectory *Arianespace launches four new Galileo satellites  An Ariane 5 rocket has successfully carried four European Galileo navigation system satellites in to Orbit. See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iThcAxOaU6g   *China launches new spy satellite Beijing has successfully launched another LKW or Yaogan Weixing-32 series Earth observation reconnaissance satellite for the Chinese Military.  *SpaceX Iridium launch Space X capped off a busy 2017 with the launch of ten more Iridium-NEXT communications satellites. The mission gave SpaceX a record 17 launches for the year – more than half of all 29 flights carried out by the United States in 2017. See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZvUjKhvBw *Japan launches new climate change satellite Japan has launched an H-IIA rocket carrying a spacecraft designed to monitor the planet’s worsening problem of global warming. See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOtQ_k3aSmI *Oops another Russian satellite suddenly goes silent! The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says it’s re-established contact with a telecommunications satellite that suddenly went quiet a day after launch. However, ground stations lost all communications with the satellite shortly after its deployment from the launch vehicle. For enhanced Show Notes including photos to accompany this episode, visit: http://www.bitesz.com/spacetimeshownotes Subscribe, rate and review SpaceTime at all good podcasting apps…including Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), Google Podcasts, Stitcher, PocketCasts, Podbean, Radio Public, Tunein Radio, google play, Spreaker etc Would you prefer to have access to the special commercial free version of SpaceTime? Help support the show, subscribe at Patreon....and share in the rewards. Details at www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Help support SpaceTime : The SpaceTime with Stuart Gary merchandise shop. Get your T-Shirts, Coffee Cups, badges, tote bag + more and help support the show. Check out the range: http://www.cafepress.com/spacetime Thank you. Plus: As a part of the SpaceTime family, you can get a free audio book of your choice, plus 30 days free access from audible.com. Just visit www.audibletrial.com/spacetime or click on the banner link at www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com Email: [email protected] Join our mailing list at http://www.bitesz.com/join-our-mailing-list  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.