ASTRONAUT’S CONDITION THAT LED TO SPACE STATION EVACUATION REMAINS A MYSTERY - The astronaut who was inexplicably left unable to talk during an International Space Station mission and whose medical episode prompted an unusual evacuation back to Earth said this week that doctors still don’t know what happened. In multiple interviews on Friday, Michael Fincke identified himself as the astronaut who had the medical emergency in January. It was not clear how long he was unable to speak or when he regained his ability to talk. NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. More (Source: The New York Times - Mar 30)
POLAND’S SECOND MILITARY SATELLITE SET TO LAUNCH, BUILDING ‘SPACE ADVANTAGE’ - The second of three satellites from the Polish-Finnish tech firm ICEYE is set to launch on Monday as Poland looks to build its “advantage in space”, the country’s deputy defense minister has announced. In May 2025, Poland’s defense ministry signed a €202 million contract to acquire three radar satellites from ICEYE as part of its MikroSAR program, a project designed to give the Polish Armed Forces independent reconnaissance capabilities. More (Source: TVP World - Mar 30)
SPACEX LAUNCHES BATCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES FROM THE WEST COAST - SpaceX launched another batch of satellites for its Starlink internet service Thursday. Liftoff of the Starlink 17-17 mission occurred at 4:03:19 p.m. PDT (7:03:19 p.m. EDT / 230319: UTC). The mission was originally scheduled for March 24 but was delayed two days for unknown reasons, presumably payload or vehicle issues. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 29)
IOD-2 SATELLITE, BUILT BY THALES ALENIA SPACE FOR ESA’S CELESTE MISSION, LIFTED OFF TODAY FROM NEW ZEALAND - Two satellites, part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Celeste in orbit demonstration mission, were launched at 10:14 CET today, atop a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. The two satellites separated from the launcher about an hour later. This marks the beginning of their early operations phase, during which mission control gets them ready for life in orbit. One of them, named IOD-2, was built by Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%). More (Source: Thales Alenia Space - Mar 29)
CHINA LAUNCHES TEST SATELLITE FOR SPACE ENVIRONMENT EXPERIMENT - China launched a new test satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Friday. A Long March-2C rocket, attached with the Yuanzheng-1S (Expedition-1S) upper stage, blasted off at 12:11 p.m. It has sent the Shiyan-33 satellite into the preset orbit. More (Source: CGTN - Mar 28)
EUROPE PLANS EPIC SPACEX MISSION TO SEND 4 ASTRONAUTS TO THE ISS BEFORE ITS RETIREMENT - The European Space Agency is planning to buy a dedicated SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to send its astronauts to the International Space Station to boost their time and experience in space. European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher announced the plan to charter a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on March 19, following a decision at an ESA Council meeting in Interlaken, Switzerland. The ESA Provided Institutional Crew (EPIC) project is planned to launch in early 2028 with the aim of providing more opportunities for the agency's astronauts to get to space before the International Space Station is retired, SpaceNews reported. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 27)
CHINESE SATELLITE PERFORMS LANDMARK REFUELLING TEST IN LOW EARTH ORBIT - A Chinese commercial satellite has completed a refuelling test in low Earth orbit using a flexible “octopus tentacle” robotic arm, advancing efforts to extend spacecraft lifespans and develop in-orbit servicing abilities. The Hukeda-2, or Yuxing-3 06, demonstration satellite used its flexible arm to carry out compliance control and refuelling tests after blasting off from Jiuquan in China’s northwestern Gansu province last week, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. More (Source: South China Morning Post - Mar 27)
THOUSANDS OF PICO-SATELLITES MAY TRANSFORM HOW PHONES CONNECT TO SPACE - Swarms of pico-satellites could work together as a single large antenna for direct-to-smartphone communications, as reported by researchers from Japan. Instead of relying on a single large satellite with a phased-array antenna, the team showed that pico-satellites orbiting Earth in formation could each carry individual phased-array elements and be synchronized wirelessly. The proof-of-principle experiment demonstrated reliable, high-quality data transmission, paving the way for cheaper, more reliable network coverage worldwide. More (Source: Tech Xplore - Mar 26)
DDNRO WARNS OF RISKS FROM SPACE DEBRIS AT TECH SYMPOSIUM - A dramatic rise in the number of satellites on orbit is increasing the amount of space debris, posing a critical threat to the capabilities of America’s national space systems, Maj. Gen. Chris Povak, deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, said Monday. More (Source: NRO.gov - Mar 25)
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