JAPAN'S 1ST HTV-X CARGO CRAFT LEAVES THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - Japan's new HTV-X cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station today (March 6) after a four-month stay. The vehicle — known as HTV-X1, because it's the first of its kind — was released by the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm today at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT), right on schedule. T... More (Source: Space.com - Mar 7)
IT’S TIME TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE UNCHECKED GROWTH OF SATELLITE MEGA CONSTELLATIONS - I remember the first time I saw a satellite. I was a teenager, standing in my mildly light-polluted suburban yard and doing my usual stargazing. The satellite was a faint “star” moving slowly and smoothly across the sky, and as I watched it, I felt a mix of awe and wonder that such a thing could... More (Source: Scientific American - Mar 7)
ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES MYSTERY SATELLITE FOR 'CONFIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL CUSTOMER' - An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today at 6:53 p.m. EST (2353 GMT; 12:53 p.m. on March 6 local time), kicking off a mission the company calls "Insight at Speed is a Friend Indeed." Rocket Lab announced the planned launch just a few hours before liftoff and provided... More (Source: Space.com - Mar 7)
TWO SATELLITES IN SES’S O3B MPOWER MEO CONSTELLATION COME ONLINE - The ninth and tenth satellites in SES’s mPOWER connectivity constellation in Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) are now operational, expanding the constellation’s capacity, the company announced on Thursday. O3b mPOWER provides connectivity services to the global market including governments, telcos, a... More (Source: Via Satellite - Mar 6)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 600TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF 2026 DURING PREDAWN FALCON 9 ROCKET FLIGHT FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 rocket soaring from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a pre-dawn liftoff on Wednesday with a batch of Starlink internet satellites onboard. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 5:52:20 a.m. EST (1052:20 UTC). The rocket flew on a north-easterly trajector... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 5)
RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY SAYS IT'S REPAIRED DAMAGED BAIKONUR LAUNCH PAD AHEAD OF SCHEDULE - Engineers have repaired a badly damaged launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Russia's space agency said, averting a potentially longer-term problem for supplying the International Space Station. In a statement on March 3, Roscosmos said workers swapped out damaged wiring and other equipment at ... More (Source: Radio Free Europe - Mar 4)
LOCKHEED MARTIN TO SUPPORT JAPAN’S NEXT-GENERATION DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE WITH ANTI-JAMMING CAPABILITY - Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), developer of space-based national security solutions, will provide a robust anti-jamming payload for Japan’s Next-Generation Defense Satellite Communication System which was awarded to Mitsubishi Electric by the Japan Ministry of Defense. Serving as a mission partner... More (Source: Lockheed Martin - Mar 4)
NASA, JAXA TO COVER HTV-X1 SPACECRAFT DEPARTURE FROM SPACE STATION - After delivering about 12,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, hardware, and other cargo to the International Space Station for NASA and its international partners, JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) uncrewed HTV‑X1 cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart Friday, March... More (Source: NASA - Mar 3)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 29 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX started the month of March with successful Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida on Sunday. The Starlink 10-41 mission saw the company return to Starlink flights heading off on a north-easterly trajectory, following a run of mostly south-easterly trajectory missions for the be... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 3)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 25 STARLINK SATELLITES FROM THE WEST COAST - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying another batch of satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service. Liftoff of the Starlink 17-23 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East occurred at 2:10:39 a.m. PST (5:10:39 a.m. EST ... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 2)
CHINA SET FOR ITS FIRST ONE-YEAR HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT MISSION, CONFIRMS PAKISTANI ASTRONAUT FLIGHT - China will begin its first one-year duration astronaut mission this year, while the first international astronaut will make a short visit to Tiangong space station. The country completed the three-module Tiangong space station in late 2022, with the orbital outpost hosting crews of three for six ... More (Source: Space News - Mar 2)
FEBRUARY FINALE: SPACEX WRAPS UP MONTH WITH THREE STARLINK LAUNCHES THIS WEEK - In what has become hardly a leap for the company, SpaceX concluded its Starlink satellite launches for February 2026 with a trio of flights this week. On Tuesday (Feb. 24) at 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 GMT), a Falcon 9 lifted the first 29 satellites into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC... More (Source: Space.com - Mar 2)
SPACEX FALCON 9 LAUNCHES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL WITH 29 STARLINK SATELLITES - SpaceX launched another 29 satellites for its Starlink internet service just after sunrise on Friday at fog shrouded Cape Canaveral. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 7:16:10 a.m. EST (1216:10 UTC), but views of the launch were obscured by a thick blanket of fog. SpaceX confirmed a... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 28)
NASA REVEALS THE ASTRONAUT WHO REQUIRED 1ST MEDICAL EVACUATION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA has shed more light on last month's early end to SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), at the request of the astronaut who experienced the medical issue that caused their return. NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot and commander of the ISS' Expedition 74, h... More (Source: 25544 - Feb 27)
CONGRESS TO WEIGH EXTENDING SPACE STATION LIFE, NASA MOON BASE - A U.S. Senate committee next week will consider extending the planned life of the International Space Station by two years to give companies more time to develop a replacement, one of a few changes to a NASA bill focused on rivaling China's growing footprint in space. The Senate Committee on Commer... More (Source: Reuters - Feb 27)
SCIENCE-PACKED DRAGON DEPARTS STATION, HEADS FOR SPLASHDOWN - At 12:05 p.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft is scheduled to splash down at approx... More (Source: NASA - Feb 27)
FIRST METOP SECOND GENERATION-B SATELLITE SPREADS ITS WING - With launch planned for later this year, testing is well underway to ensure the MetOp Second Generation-B1 weather satellite is ready for its life in orbit around Earth. These checks include verifying that its spectacular four-panel, 11-metre-long, solar wing will deploy correctly. The MetOp Seco... More (Source: ESA - Feb 26)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 500TH STARLINK SATELLITE IN 2026 DURING WEDNESDAY FALCON 9 FLIGHT - SpaceX launched its 500th Starlink satellite of the year during a flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base Wednesday morning. The Starlink 17-26 mission added 25 broadband satellites to the growing constellation that’s nearing 10,000 spacecraft in low Earth orbit. SpaceX confirmed a successful p... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 26)
SPACEX’S TUESDAY TWILIGHT FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH SENDS 29 STARLINK SATELLITES INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket late Tuesday afternoon with a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites onboard. The twilight flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was the company’s 18th launch of the year supporting its broadband internet satellite constellation. The Starlink 6-110 missi... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 25)
