SPACEX LAUNCHES 25 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Friday morning, carrying 25 broadband internet satellites for SpaceX’s low Earth orbit megaconstellation. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 6:57:59 a.m. PDT (10:57:59 a.m. EDT / 1457:59 UTC). This was the company’s 25th mission supporting its low Earth orbit constellation so far this year. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 14)
SPACEX PLAN FOR 1 MILLION ORBITING AI DATA CENTERS COULD RUIN ASTRONOMY, SCIENTISTS SAY - SpaceX's plan to launch one million orbiting data centers to space worries astronomers,who say the satellite streaks caused by the proposed constellation would severely impair observations. Just as astronomers began to learn how to coexist with broadband megaconstellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), such as SpaceX's Starlink, a new threat has emerged, causing significant concerns. Elon Musk's envisioned constellation of one million orbital data centers would result in possibly tens of thousands of moving objects as bright as stars that are visible in the night sky at any given moment, even to the naked eye, according to astronomer and dark sky consultant John Barentine. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 14)
NORTHROP GRUMMAN'S 1ST 'CYGNUS XL' CARGO SPACECRAFT DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION - The first mission of Northrop Grumman's big new cargo spacecraft is nearly over. That freighter, known as Cygnus XL, left the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday morning (March 12), ending a nearly six-month orbital stay for the 23rd Northrop Grumman (NG-23) resupply mission to the orbital laboratory. Secured on the station's Canadarm2 after detaching from its berth on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module, the spacecraft was released at 7:06 a.m. EST (1105 GMT). More (Source: Space.com - Mar 13)
FIREFLY AEROSPACE'S ALPHA ROCKET REACHES ORBIT ON 1ST LAUNCH SINCE EXPLOSIVE ACCIDENTS LAST YEAR - Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is celebrating today (March 11) after successfully launching its Alpha rocket for the first time in nearly a year. Today's mission, called "Stairway to Seven," was the seventh flight for Alpha, which suffered two major mishaps during 2025. The first occurred during the "Message in a Booster" mission last April, which carried a technology-demonstrating satellite for Lockheed Martin but failed to deliver it to orbit after an anomaly occurred during stage separation. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 12)
A NASA SPACECRAFT IS SET TO MAKE AN UNCONTROLLED PLUNGE BACK TO EARTH. HERE ARE THE RISKS - A massive space probe could plummet into Earth’s atmosphere as soon as Tuesday evening — years earlier than expected. And while most of the spacecraft will likely disintegrate in a flaming blaze during reentry, a few components could survive, according to NASA. Early analyses predict the 1,323-pound (600-kilogram) vehicle will strike the atmosphere around 7:45 p.m. ET Tuesday, “with an uncertainty of +/- 24 hours,” according to NASA and the US Space Force. More (Source: CNN - Mar 11)
SPACEX LAUNCHES DIRECT TELEVISION SATELLITE FOR ECHOSTAR - A direct television satellite for Dish Network, a subsidiary of EchoStar, headed into geostationary Earth orbit on Monday night aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral. The satellite, EchoStar 25, flew to a geosynchronous transfer orbit before maneuvering to its operation position at 110 degrees West above the equator. Liftoff of the 70-meter-tall launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 12:19 a.m. EDT (0419 UTC). The rocket flew due east upon leaving Florida’s Space Coast. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 10)
INCOMING! 1,300-POUND NASA SATELLITE WILL CRASH TO EARTH ON MARCH 10 - A big NASA satellite will crash back to Earth on Tuesday (March 10) after nearly 14 years in orbit, experts say. The spacecraft in question is the 1,323-pound (600-kilogram) Van Allen Probe A (RBSP A), which launched in August 2012 along with its twin, Van Allen Probe B, to study the radiation belts around Earth for which they're named. Both spacecraft were deactivated in 2019, and Van Allen Probe A's time off Earth is now nearly up. As of Monday afternoon (March 9), the U.S. Space Force predicted that the satellite will reenter Earth's atmosphere on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT), plus or minus 24 hours. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 10)
SPACEX LAUNCHES FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH FROM VANDENBERG SFB SUNDAY - SpaceX launched its latest Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Sunday morning following a mission scrub on Saturday. The Starlink 17-18 mission added 25 more broadband internet satellites to the company’s megaconstellation of more than 9,900 spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 4:00:19 a.m. PDT (7:00:19 a.m. EDT / 1100:19 UTC). The rocket flew on a southerly trajectory upon leaving the launch pad. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 9)
EUROPE'S SOLAR MISSION HIT BY SATELLITE BLACKOUT - ESA’s Proba-3 solar mission has lost contact with its Coronagraph spacecraft after a mid-February anomaly caused it to lose orientation and power. The satellite, part of a dual-spacecraft system to study the Sun’s corona, is now in survival mode with communications cut. Engineers are exploring using the healthy Occulter satellite to approach and assess the Coronagraph for possible recovery. More (Source: MSN - Mar 9)
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