NOZZLE EROSION BLAMED FOR VEGA C LAUNCH FAILURE - Europe plans to return the Vega C rocket to flight by the end of the year after concluding an eroded nozzle component caused the failure of its previous launch last December. The European Space Agency announced March 3 it had completed an independent investigation into the failed Dec. 20 launch of the Vega C on the VV21 mission, which experienced a loss of thrust from its Zefiro-40 solid-fuel second stage. The failure resulted in the loss of two Pléiades Neo imaging satellites for Airbus Defence and Space.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 5)

AFTER SLIGHT DELAY, SPACEX ASTRONAUT CAPSULE DOCKS AT SPACE STATION - A crew of astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked at the International Space Station, concluding a one-day trip to rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory after launching from Florida early Thursday. The capsule made first contact with the space station at 1:40 a.m. ET Friday and began opening the hatches at 3:45 a.m. EST. The spacecraft was slated to dock with the ISS around 1:15 a.m. ET, but it was delayed as ground crews worked to troubleshoot an issue with a sensor on the capsule’s docking hardware, which is used to latch the vehicle onto its port.    More
(Source: CNN - Mar 4)

JAPAN TARGETING SUNDAY FOR 2ND TRY AT H3 ROCKET'S DEBUT LAUNCH - Japan's new H3 rocket will soon get a second chance to fly for the first time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) tried to debut the H3 on Feb. 16, but that attempt was aborted when the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters failed to ignite as planned.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 4)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 51 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT AFTER WEATHER DELAYS - SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Friday (March 3) after a series of weather delays. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base Friday at 1:38 p.m. EST (1838 GMT; 10:38 a.m. local California time).   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 4)

SPACEX ROCKET BOOSTS U.S.-RUSSIAN-EMIRATI CREW INTO ORBIT - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Kennedy Space Center with a four-man crew heading for a six-month stay on the International Space Station, including the first Arab astronaut to fly on a long-duration space mission. NASA’s Crew-6 mission took off from pad 39A at the Florida spaceport and arced northeast to line up with the space station’s orbit. Liftoff occurred at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT) Thursday, with the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine kerosene-fueled engines casting a brilliant orange glow visible across Central Florida.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 4)

HUBBLE TELESCOPE FACES THREAT FROM SPACEX AND OTHER COMPANIES’ SATELLITES - The Hubble Space Telescope, known for recording awe-inspiring images of the cosmos while advancing the field of astronomy, is under threat. Private companies are launching thousands of satellites that are photobombing the telescope — producing long bright streaks and curves of light that can be impossible to remove. And the problem is only getting worse.   More
(Source: The New York Times - Mar 3)

CHINA’S SHENZHOU-15 ASTRONAUTS CONDUCT SECRETIVE SECOND SPACEWALK - A pair of Chinese astronauts conducted their second extravehicular activity in recent days, with China for the first time providing no advance indication nor details of the event. China’s human spaceflight agency CMSA announced March 2 that Shenzhou-15 mission astronauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu had “recently” carried out a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 3)

CHINA LAUNCHES SECRETIVE HORUS 1 REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITE - China sent a secretive remote-sensing satellite named Horus 1 to orbit on Friday night (Feb. 23) as the country begins to ramp up its launch activity. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 11:01 p.m. on Friday (0401 GMT; 12:01 p.m. Beijing time on Feb. 24). Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket as it rose into the sky before carrying Horus 1 into orbit.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 2)

SPACEX LAUNCHES CREW-6 ASTRONAUT MISSION TO SPACE STATION FOR NASA - SpaceX's Crew-6 mission for NASA launched early Thursday morning (March 2) with a complement of four astronauts, on course to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) in a little over 24 hours. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:34 a.m. (0534 GMT) on Thursday, launching SpaceX's ninth crewed flight to date, and the fourth for the Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour. Riding Endeavour is an international crew that will replace the four Crew-5 astronauts currently inhabiting the ISS.    More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 2)

Previous Next