FALCON 9 DEPLOYS 56 STARLINK SATELLITES ON SPACEX’S 20TH LAUNCH OF THE YEAR - SpaceX continued launching satellites for the Starlink internet network Friday, sending a Falcon 9 rocket aloft from Cape Canaveral with 56 more older-generation broadband spacecraft as ground teams troubleshoot problems with a batch of upgraded Starlinks launched last month. The 56 satellites were packed on top of the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff at 11:43:10 a.m. EDT (1543:10 UTC) Friday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 25)
SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH SET FOR FRIDAY FROM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION - SpaceX is targeting Friday, March 24, at 11:33 a.m. ET for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. More (Source: SpaceCoastDaily.com - Mar 24)
SPACEX PAUSING LAUNCHES OF NEW-GENERATION STARLINK SATELLITES - SpaceX’s next two missions will revert to launching older versions of the company’s Starlink internet satellites, instead of new second-generation Starlink platforms as originally planned, while ground teams work out unspecified problems with the first batch of upgraded Starlinks launched in February. The next two SpaceX launches with Falcon 9 rockets will each carry more than 50 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, beginning with the scheduled liftoff of a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 UTC) Friday. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 24)
ROCKET LAB TO LAUNCH BLACKSKY SATS, TEST ELECTRON OCEAN RECOVERY - After successfully conducting back-to-back flights from their recently-inaugurated US launch site, Rocket Lab is returning to New Zealand for its second mission in March. Liftoff of “The Beat Goes On” mission is currently scheduled to take place no earlier than Friday, March 24 at 8:45 PM NZDT (07:45 UTC). This mission will mark the 35th total flight of the California-based company’s venerable two-stage Electron launcher, and the third mission launched by Rocket Lab so far in 2023. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Mar 24)
NASA WARNS OF “DEVASTATING” IMPACTS OF POTENTIAL BUDGET CUTS - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson claims proposed spending reductions for fiscal year 2024 could have “devastating and potentially unrecoverable” effects on NASA programs, delaying or canceling many missions. In a March 19 letter to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, Nelson outlined the effects on NASA of two budget-cutting scenarios being considered by House Republican leadership. DeLauro published the letter this week along with similar letters she requested from other federal agencies. More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 24)
RELATIVITY’S 3D-PRINTED TERRAN 1 ROCKET REACHES SPACE, BUT FALLS SHORT OF ORBIT - Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket reached space after lifting off from Cape Canaveral Wednesday night, but a failure on the upper stage prevented the launch from reaching orbit. Relativity Space, a company with ambitions to develop a fully reusable rocket, tried Wednesday night to launch its first 3D-printed, methane-fueled launcher from Cape Canaveral after two scrubbed countdowns earlier this month. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 23)
SPACEX EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH FIRST UPGRADED STARLINK V2 SATELLITES - The first set of larger second-generation Starlink satellites is experiencing problems that could require SpaceX to deorbit at least some of them. In a March 22 tweet, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said there were “some issues” with the set of Starlink satellites launched Feb. 27, confirming industry speculation over the last several days based on the changing orbits of the spacecraft. “Lot of new technology in Starlink V2, so we’re experiencing some issues, as expected,” he wrote. “Some sats will be deorbited, others will be tested thoroughly before raising altitude above Space Station.” More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 23)
BOEING DELIVERS FIRST VIASAT-3 SATELLITE AHEAD OF LAUNCH - Boeing delivered the first ViaSat-3 satellite to Viasat ahead of its upcoming launch, the company announced Monday. The satellite, a 702MP+ model, is the most powerful the manufacturer has ever built. The satellite was flown from Boeing’s factory in Florida to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where Boeing and Viasat teams will support launch and mission operations. It is set to launch the week of April 8 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy mission, Viasat announced last month. More (Source: Via Satellite - Mar 22)
ASTRONOMERS SOUND ALARM ABOUT SATELLITES' LIGHT POLLUTION - Astronomers on Monday warned that the light pollution created by the soaring number of satellites orbiting Earth poses an "unprecedented global threat to nature." The number of satellites in low Earth orbit has more than doubled since 2019, when U.S. company SpaceX launched the first "mega-constellation," which comprise thousands of satellites. More (Source: VOA News - Mar 22)
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