LAUNCH OF U.S. SPACE FORCE MISSILE-WARNING SATELLITE DELAYED INDEFINITELY - The launch of a U.S. Space Force mission known as USSF-12 has been put on indefinite pause, for reasons that are not being disclosed. USSF-12 was planned as a two-satellite mission that United Launch Alliance was preparing to launch in April on an Atlas 5 rocket. The primary payload is the geosynchronous Wide Field of View mid-size satellite equipped with a missile-warning sensor. A rideshare spacecraft was expected to fly an unspecified number of small satellites for military experiments.    More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 18)

CHINA LAUNCHES SECOND YAOGAN-34 RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE - A Long March 4C rocket sent a new classified Yaogan satellite into orbit Thursday, marking China’s sixth orbital launch of 2022. The Long March 4C lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 3:09 a.m. Eastern (15:09 local time). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed launch success within the hour, also revealing the mission payload.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 18)

SATELLITE PHOTO SHOWS WORD 'CHILDREN' IN FRONT OF NOW-DESTROYED UKRAINIAN THEATER - A new Maxar Technologies satellite image of a now-destroyed theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol shows the word "children" in Russian (дети) written in front of and behind the building. Ukrainian officials said that roughly 1,000 people were inside the Drama Theater of Mariupol during its destruction Wednesday (March 16), and it was unclear how many had survived, according to a Thursday (March 17) report in The New York Times.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 18)

MILESTONE: GOES-T REACHED GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT, RENAMED GOES-18 - Launched on March 1, 2022, NOAA’s GOES-T satellite reached 22,236 miles above Earth in geostationary orbit on March 14, 2022. This was a milestone for the satellite. The satellite launched a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41. After reaching the geostationary orbit, the GOES-T was renamed GOES-18. It is now in a position to orbit at the same rate Earth rotates. From there, it can keep watch on the same region.   More
(Source: Tech Explorist - Mar 18)

RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACE STATION CREW LAUNCH SET FOR FRIDAY FOLLOWING TUESDAY’S SUCCESSFUL SPACEWALK - The International Space Station is set to welcome three new crewmates who are set to launch on Friday and arrive just over three hours later. In the meantime, the seven-member Expedition 66 crew turned its attention to science duties following Tuesday’s successful spacewalk. The next crew ship to launch toward the orbiting lab has rolled out and now stands at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft is counting down to lift off on Friday at 11:55 a.m. EDT.   More
(Source: SciTechDaily - Mar 18)

ASTRA LAUNCHES FIRST SUCCESSFUL MISSION WITH OPERATIONAL SATELLITES - Astra’s small satellite launcher returned to flight Tuesday and delivered an unspecified number of small satellites into orbit after a successful liftoff from Alaska, helping clear the way for a series of three launches for NASA in the coming months at Cape Canaveral. The 43-foot-tall (13.1-meter) launcher, named Rocket 3.3, lifted off from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska, at 12:22 p.m. EDT (1622 GMT; 8:22 a.m. AKDT) Tuesday. Astra scrubbed a launch attempt Monday due to the threat of lightning at the spaceport.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 18)

ONEWEB NOT EAGER TO TEAR UP LAUNCH CONTRACT WITH ARIANESPACE - OneWeb working with Arianespace, who owes the satellite internet firm six more Soyuz launches, to find rides to orbit for more than 200 of its spacecraft left grounded by an embargo on Western payloads flying aboard Russian rockets. But with launch capacity constrained outside of China and SpaceX, a major OneWeb competitor, the commercial satellite internet provider is facing an inevitable delay in completing its constellation, a milestone previously expected this summer.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 15)

FIVE NEW SATELLITES FROM SATELLOGIC TO LAUNCH ONBOARD THE SPACEX TRANSPORTER-4 MISSION - The upcoming launch includes the first deployment of Satellogic’s new Mark V satellite model. This new generation of satellites enhances the company’s constellation with improved cameras, radios, computers, and other subsystems compatible with all components from previous models, offering Satellogic’s customers higher quality products. The remaining satellites are four updated NewSats Mark IV. These improved satellites contain increased onboard storage and upgrades to the propulsion and navigation systems.   More
(Source: SatNews - Mar 15)

NASA CONFIRMS U.S. ASTRONAUT WILL RETURN WITH COSMONAUTS ON RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT LATER THIS MONTH - While Russian forces invade Ukraine and the West responds with unprecedented sanctions, an American astronaut is preparing to hitch a ride with two cosmonauts on a Russian spacecraft back to Earth from the International Space Station later this month. Mark Vande Hei, a retired Army colonel, is set to break the record on Tuesday for the longest continuous stay in space by a U.S. astronaut before he departs the ISS on March 30.    More
(Source: Fox News - Mar 15)

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