ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES PRIVATE JAPANESE 'STRIX' SATELLITE - Rocket Lab launched an Earth-observing radar satellite for the Japanese company Synspective on Friday (March 20). An Electron rocket topped with one of Synspective's Strix satellites lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Friday at 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT; 7:10 a.m. on March 21 local New Zealand time), on a mission called "Eight Days a Week."   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 21)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 25 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SFB - SpaceX launched its 30th batch of Starlink satellites this year with a Friday afternoon launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 2:51:49 p.m. PDT (5:51:49 p.m. EDT / 2151:49 UTC). The rocket will fly on a southerly trajectory upon leaving the launch pad. The Starlink 17-15 mission carried 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 21)

BLUE ORIGIN JOINS THE RACE FOR ORBITAL DATA CENTERS WITH 51K SATELLITE PLAN - Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans on challenging SpaceX not just in rockets, but also in the emerging race to build orbiting data centers. On Thursday, Blue Origin filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission for “Project Sunrise,” the company’s own effort to operate space-based data centers. “Blue Origin’s Project Sunrise will serve the broad AI data center market and enable US companies developing and using AI to flourish,” the company wrote.   More
(Source: PCMag - Mar 21)

NASA TO COVER PROGRESS 94 SPACECRAFT LAUNCH, SPACE STATION DOCKING - NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the crew aboard the International Space Station. The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 94 resupply spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 7:59 a.m. EDT (4:59 p.m. Baikonur time) Sunday, March 22, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   More
(Source: NASA - Mar 21)

AN AI CYBERATTACK COULD TRIGGER A SATELLITE APOCALYPSE IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS. ARE WE PREPARED? - AI systems could soon be able to hijack satellites in orbit and cause them to collide with other spacecraft, potentially triggering a dangerous cascade of smash-ups that could render the environment around Earth unsafe for years, according to experts. Cyber security researchers are already using AI to identify so-called zero-day vulnerabilities — yet undiscovered security holes in code — to alert operators and help them patch the problems before hackers could exploit them. But attackers, too, can take advantage of those advanced systems to find those holes more quickly.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 20)

5 COMPANIES COMPETING TO REPLACE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA and its international partners plan to deorbit the International Space Station at the end of 2030, sending it to a fiery death as it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. But that doesn’t mean humanity will be giving up its sustained presence in low-Earth orbit. The demise of the ISS will usher in a new era of commercial space stations.    More
(Source: Gizmodo - Mar 19)

WATCH LIVE TODAY: NASA ASTRONAUTS CONDUCTING SPACEWALK DELAYED BY ISS MEDICAL EVACUATION - Two NASA astronauts will conduct a long-delayed spacewalk today (March 18), and you can watch the action live. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) today at around 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), kicking off a spacewalk expected to last about 6.5 hours.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 18)

SPACE LAUNCHES 29 STARLINK SATELLITES ON A FALCON 9 ROCKET ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY MORNING - SpaceX kicked off the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on Tuesday with a Falcon 9 rocket launch, flying from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Starlink 10-46 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 9:27 a.m. EDT (1327 UTC). The rocket flew on a north-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 18)

SPACEX REACHES 10,000 SIMULTANEOUS STARLINK SATELLITES IN ORBIT FOLLOWING FALCON 9 LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA - SpaceX crossed the threshold of having more than 10,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit simultaneously for the first time. The milestone comes less than seven years after launching its first batch of satellites in May 2019. Coincidently, the Monday night launch also coincided with the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s launch of the first liquid-propelled rocket, which was fueled by gasoline. A century later, SpaceX’s Monday night launch of a Falcon 9 rocket was the 615th flight of this kerosene-fueled rocket.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 18)

Next