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 Commerce, Science, and Transportation plans to take up legislation on March 4 that would amend a NASA authorization bill with the ISS extension, and add a requirement that NASA build a base on the moon's surface as part of its Artemis program.   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 approximately 11:44 p.m. PST (2:44 a.m. EST Friday, Feb. 27), off the coast of California. NASA will not stream splashdown but will post updates on its space station blog.   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 Second Generation (MetOp-SG) mission relies on a duo of complementary satellites to strengthen Europe’s weather forecasting capabilities from polar orbit.   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 payload deployment an hour after liftoff. With this launch, SpaceX has flown 512 Starlink satellites to orbit in 2026.   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 mission sent another 29 satellites into low Earth orbit. Prior to liftoff, SpaceX had more than 9,700 Starlink satellites in space, according to stats maintained by expert orbital tracker and astronomer, Jonathan McDowell.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 25)

'SOME OF THE CRACKS HAD PENETRATED THROUGH': CHINESE ASTRONAUTS REVEAL NEW DETAILS ABOUT SPACECRAFT THAT 'STRANDED' THEM IN SPACE LAST YEAR - Crew members of China's Shenzhou-20 mission recently detailed their reactions upon finding cracks in their spacecraft's viewport during the nation's first spaceflight emergency. It has been billed as China's first emergency operation in the country's human spaceflight program. The three astronauts (or taikonauts) of China's Shenzhou-20 mission were originally slated to return to Earth last Nov. 5, but after discovering cracks in the viewport of their spacecraft, their landing was postponed.   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 25)

NASA TO COVER 33RD SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION STATION DEPARTURE - NASA and its international partners will receive scientific research samples and hardware when a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, Feb. 26, and returns to Earth. Watch NASA’s live coverage of the undocking and departure of the agency’s 33rd SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission starting at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content on a variety of online platforms, including social media.   More
(Source: NASA - Feb 24)

SPACEX’S MOST-FLOWN FALCON BOOSTER LAUNCHES ON RECORD 33RD FLIGHT - SpaceX’s most flown Falcon 9 rocket booster launched once again Saturday night, making its 33rd mission to space and back as the company works to certify its boosters for up to 40 flights each. The Starlink 6-104 mission added another 28 broadband internet satellites to SpaceX’s growing low Earth orbit constellation of more than 9,700 satellites. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 10:47 p.m. EST (0347 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 23)

WHAT'S THE POINT OF A SPACE STATION AROUND THE MOON? - The Lunar Gateway is planned space station that will orbit the moon. It is part of the NASA‑led Artemis program. Artemis aims to return humans to the moon, establishing a sustainable presence there for scientific and commercial purposes, and eventually reach Mars. However, the modular space station now faces delays, cost concerns and potential US funding cuts. This raises a fundamental question: is an orbiting space station necessary to achieve lunar objectives, including scientific ones?   More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 23)

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