ARIANESPACE SCRUBS ARIANE 6’S FIRST COMMERCIAL LAUNCH DUE TO GROUND SYSTEMS ISSUE - Airanespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) had to stand down from the planned launch of the first Ariane 6 rocket of the year and the second in program history on Monday, March 3. David Cavaillolès, the CEO of Arianespace, confirmed there was a ground systems issue that prevented the launch... More (Source: SpoaceFlight Now - Mar 4)
THE MODERN ERA OF LOW-FLYING SATELLITES MAY BEGIN THIS WEEK - The idea of flying satellites in "very" low-Earth orbit is not new. Dating back to the dawn of the space age in the late 1950s, the first US spy satellites, as part of the Corona program, orbited the planet as low as 120 to 160 km (75 to 100 miles) above the Earth. This low vantage point allowed ... More (Source: Ars Technica - Mar 4)
UAF SCIENTIST DESIGNING SATELLITE TO HUNT SMALL SPACE DEBRIS - A University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist is participating in a U.S. government effort to design a satellite and instruments capable of detecting space debris as small as 1 centimeter, less than one-half inch. Debris that small, which cannot currently be detected from the ground, can damage sate... More (Source: Space Daily - Mar 3)
EUROPEAN SATELLITE LAUNCHER SET FOR FIRST COMMERCIAL BLAST OFF - After several postponements, Europe's Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space. The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe's efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the sh... More (Source: Space Daily - Mar 3)
CHINA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NEW 66-SATELLITE SPACE-BASED CARGO TRACKING SYSTEM - Chinese scientists have allegedly developed a new satellite network to track hundreds of millions of shipping containers worldwide. This technology, it is reported, could prove to be a big leap forward in monitoring global supply chains. The new system revolves around the Tiantuo-5 satellite, a c... More (Source: MSN - Mar 3)
RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DOCKS AT SPACE STATION WITH SCIENCE, SPACESUIT AND SUPPLIES - A new delivery of food, fuel and supplies has arrived at the International Space Station by way of a Russian supply ship. Roscomsos' Progress MS-30 (or Progress 91, as referred to by NASA) cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the aft port of the space station's Zvezda service module on Saturda... More (Source: Space.com - Mar 2)
EUROPEAN SATELLITE LAUNCHER SET FOR FIRST COMMERCIAL BLAST OFF - After several postponements, Europe's Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space. The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe's efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the sh... More (Source: Phys.org - Mar 2)
CHINA ADDS TO SUPERVIEW REMOTE SENSING CONSTELLATION WITH LONG MARCH 2C LAUNCH - China added to a commercial high-resolution remote sensing constellation early Thursday with the launch of a pair of SuperView Neo-1 satellites. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off at 2:08 a.m. Eastern, Feb. 27 (0708 UTC) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Insulation tiles fell from the rocketâ€... More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 1)
ROCKET LAB DEBUTS SATELLITE MODEL THAT COULD COMPETE WITH STARLINK - Launch provider Rocket Lab is introducing a new satellite model that could help it and other companies operate space-based internet systems to rival Starlink. Rocket Lab's Flatellite satellite is designed to be mass-produced for large constellations. The company aims to launch the satellites thr... More (Source: PCMag - Mar 1)
PROGRESS CARGO MISSION LIFTS OFF TO STATION FOR SATURDAY ARRIVAL - The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 91 spacecraft is safely in orbit headed for the International Space Station following a launch at 4:24 p.m. EST (2:24 a.m. Baikonur time) Feb. 27, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a two-day in-orbit journey to the station, the s... More (Source: NASA - Mar 1)
NASA’S SPACEX CREW-9 TO DISCUSS SPACE STATION MISSION, UPCOMING RETURN - Media are invited to hear from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts during a news conference beginning at 11:55 a.m. EST, Tuesday, March 4, from the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore will discuss their return to Earth on NASA+. Learn how to wat... More (Source: NASA - Feb 28)
CHINA’S 22,370-MILE DECLASSIFIED SPY SATELLITE ALARMS US AFTER 18-MONTH SECRET REVEAL - Chinese scientists have officially disclosed the sophisticated technology behind Ludi Tance 4-01, the world’s first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite. Deployed in August 2023, Ludi operates at an altitude of 22,370 miles (36,000 km), granting China persistent survei... More (Source: Interesting Engineering - Feb 28)
SPACEX LAUNCHES STARLINK 12-13 MISSION ON THIRD ATTEMPT - Following two days of scrubbed attempts, SpaceX managed to send 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 12-13 mission. SpaceX didn’t state a reason for the previous days of scrubs. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Laun... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 27)
SPACEX LAUNCHES INTUITIVE MACHINES’ 2ND MOON LANDER, 3 RIDESHARE SPACECRAFT - Intuitive Machines is heading back to the Moon following its first trip a year ago. The company based in Houston, Texas, sent another of its Nova-C class vehicles to attempt a landing no earlier than March 6 and begin a 10-Earth day-long mission. The mission began with a launch onboard a SpaceX F... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 27)
SCRUB: SPACEX STANDS DOWN FOR A SECOND DAY FROM THE LAUNCH OF THE STARLINK 12-13 MISSION - For a second time in as many days, SpaceX scrubbed a launch attempt to send 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX didn’t state a reason for the launch delay for its window that opened Tuesday evening. The company scrubbed a Monday la... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 26)
TELEDYNE SPACE IMAGING LAUNCHES NOT ONE BUT TWO IMAGING SENSORS IN SUN-SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT NASA EXPLORER MISSIONS - Sensors from Teledyne Space Imaging will play a key role in two prestigious NASA explorer missions that are ready to launch this month. Both missions launch on the same rocket on 28 February 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA. The PUNCH mission (Polarimeter to UNify the Corona ... More (Source: Satellite Evolution - Feb 26)
PROPELLANT LEAK BLAMED FOR FALCON 9 UPPER STAGE UNCONTROLLED REENTRY - SpaceX said that a Falcon 9 upper stage that reentered over Europe earlier this week suffered a propellant leak that prevented it from doing a controlled reentry. The upper stage was placed in orbit on a Feb. 1 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. After deploying its payload of ... More (Source: SpaceNews - Feb 25)
SPACEX TO LAUNCH 21 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX is preparing to launch 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday. The Falcon 9 rocket is targeting a liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at 2:11 a.m. EST (0711 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 25)
A CHINESE SATELLITE TESTS ORBITAL REFUELLING - Satellites often face a disappointing end: despite having fully working systems, they are often de-orbited after their propellant runs out. However, a breakthrough is on the cards with the launch of China’s Shijian-25 satellite which has been launched into orbit to test orbital refuelling operatio... More (Source: Universe Today - Feb 24)