RUSSIAN COSMONAUT HANDS OVER SPACE STATION COMMAND AS NASA ASTRONAUT BIDS FAREWELL - Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov handed over "the keys" to the International Space Station today (March 29) as NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei said goodbye to the international space crew. In a ceremony aboard the orbiting lab that NASA broadcast on a livestream this morning, Shkaplerov formally shifted his command of the station to NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 30)
SOYUZ MS-19 TO LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN AMID TENSE U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS - At 07:21 UTC on March 30, Soyuz MS-19 will undock from the International Space Station (ISS) and subsequently land on the Kazakh Steppe around 11:29 UTC later that day. This will conclude a five-month mission for the spacecraft, and the second-ever one-year mission by an American astronaut. The landing crew of Soyuz MS-19 consists of Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov – serving as the commander – and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos as well as American astronaut Mark Vande Hei of NASA. Both Dubrov and Vande Hei launched on Soyuz MS-18 on April 9, 2021, and have had long-term stays at the ISS. More (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Mar 30)
BIDEN’S 2023 DEFENSE BUDGET ADDS BILLIONS FOR U.S. SPACE FORCE - President Biden’s $773 billion budget request for the Defense Department for fiscal year 2023 includes $24.5 billion for the U.S. Space Force and the Space Development Agency — about $5 billion more than what Congress enacted in 2022. The White House on March 28 unveiled the president’s funding request for the coming fiscal year that begins Oct 1. The proposed $773 billion would give the Pentagon $17 billion more than what Congress enacted for 2022. More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 30)
SPUDNIK-1, A UPEI-MADE SATELLITE, BEGINS TESTS FOR SPACE ORBIT - A tiny satellite being designed at UPEI is one step closer to blasting off into orbit later this year. The team behind the satellite, dubbed SpudNik-1, met with members of the Canadian Space Agency last week to go over design and testing plans before starting the testing phase of the project. "It's exciting to actually get to the point where we'll be able to start hooking everything up together, seeing how it performs and doing the last modifications before it's ready for launch,"... More (Source: CBC - Mar 29)
TRIO SET TO GO HOME WEDNESDAY; FIRST PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION NEARS - Three Expedition 66 Flight Engineers are returning to Earth in less than two days as four private astronauts prepare for their mission to the International Space Station. The crew activities haven’t stopped the ongoing space research as the orbital residents studied biology, botany, and physics on Monday. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is nearing the end of his mission as he prepares to return to Earth on Wednesday after a NASA-record breaking 355 days in space. More (Source: NASA - Mar 29)
SPACEX'S AX-1 ASTRONAUT MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION DELAYED TO APRIL 6 - The first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station won't launch this weekend after all. Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission had been targeting a Sunday (April 3) liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. But on Monday (March 28), NASA officially approved Friday (April 1) through Sunday for the crucial "wet dress rehearsal" of its Artemis 1 moon mission, a practice session that's also taking place at KSC. So Ax-1 is getting pushed a few days. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 29)
CHINA'S TIANZHOU-2 CARGO CRAFT LEAVES SPACE STATION CORE MODULE - China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 separated from the core module of the country's space station Sunday afternoon, announced the China Manned Space Agency. At 3:59 p.m. Beijing Time, Tianzhou-2 left the core module of the Tiangong space station after completing all of its scheduled tasks, said the agency. During its operation in orbit, Tianzhou-2 carried out a series of extended application tests. It is now in good condition, and will enter the Earth's atmosphere at an appropriate time under ground control, the agency added. More (Source: xinhuanet.com - Mar 28)
BLAMING INFLATION, SPACEX RAISES STARLINK AND LAUNCH PRICES - SpaceX has raised prices for both its Starlink broadband service and for dedicated and rideshare launches, in some cases by up to 20%, citing inflation. The company advised customers of its Starlink service March 22 of a price increase for both the service itself as well as the terminal. The cost of the service, which had been $99 in the United States, increased 11% to $110. The terminal, which cost $499 in the U.S., increased to $549 for those who had already paid a deposit and $599 for new customers, the latter a 20% increase. Starlink customers in other countries have reported getting similar notices of price increases. More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 28)
SPACEX’S NEW DRAGON SPACESHIP NAMED ‘FREEDOM’ - SpaceX’s fourth human-rated Crew Dragon spacecraft has been named “Freedom” by the first team of astronauts who will ride it into orbit next month. “FREEDOM!! Crew-4 will fly to the International Space Station in a new Dragon capsule named “Freedom,” tweeted NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, commander of the Crew-4 mission set for launch to the International Space Station on April 19.” The name celebrates a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit.” More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 27)
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