SPACEX LAUNCHES 60 NEW STARLINK INTERNET SATELLITES, NAILS LATEST ROCKET LANDING AT SEA - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit early Wednesday (March 24) and nailed a landing at sea to top off the company's latest successful mission. The veteran Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 40 here at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:28 a.m. EDT (0828 GMT).    More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 25)

GALILEO SATELLITE CHECKS OUT, DODGES SPACE DEBRIS, RETURNS TO ACTIVE SERVICE - For the first time, a Galileo constellation satellite has performed a collision avoidance maneuver in orbit. On February 25, the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) system transmitted to the European GNSS Agency (GSA) a collision risk alert between GSAT0219 and an inert Ariane 4 upper stage launched in 1989. Following this warning, GSA’s partner the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) started to closely monitor the risk, in close cooperation with SST that was refining its predictions.   More
(Source: Inside GNSS - Mar 25)

SCIENCE SPEEDS UP ON STATION, NEXT CREW TRAINS FOR LAUNCH - The residents living aboard the International Space Station resumed their advanced space research activities today following a well-deserved break on Monday. The Expedition 64 septet conducted vision tests, explored genetic expression, and set up a cinematic virtual reality camera inside the orbital lab.   More
(Source: NASA - Mar 25)

20 YEARS AGO: SPACE STATION MIR REENTERS EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE - On March 23, 2001, after 15 years in orbit, Russia’s space station Mir reentered over the Pacific Ocean following a controlled deorbit maneuver. Despite highly publicized incidents late in its orbital life, Mir secured its place in history as the first modular space station that enabled semi-permanent human habitation in low-Earth orbit. The destination for a generation of Russian cosmonauts, Mir, provided opportunities for astronauts from other countries and space agencies to conduct research for their national programs on a commercial basis.    More
(Source: NASA - Mar 25)

DEFUNCT US WEATHER SATELLITE BREAKS UP IN EARTH ORBIT - A U.S. weather satellite that retired eight years ago has fallen apart in orbit, breaking into at least 16 pieces of space junk, according to government representatives. The satellite, dubbed NOAA-17 after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that operated it, launched in 2002 and was decommissioned in 2013 after its instruments began to fail. NOAA-17 broke up on March 10, according to the Space Force's 18th Space Control Squadron based in California, as was first reported by SpaceNews.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 24)

STARLINK AND ONEWEB SATELLITES READY FOR LAUNCH ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WORLD - SpaceX and OneWeb — space industry rivals and owners of two of the largest fleets of commercial satellites — are set to add more spacecraft to their internet networks Wednesday with launches from Cape Canaveral and Russia. A Falcon 9 rocket is standing on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for liftoff at 4:28 a.m. EDT (0828 GMT) Wednesday with the next batch of 60 Starlink satellites, bringing the total number of Starlink spacecraft launched to date to 1,385.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 24)

ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES 7 SATELLITES TO ORBIT - Rocket Lab just launched seven small satellites to Earth orbit, including one of its own spacecraft designed to help pave the way for future missions to Venus and the moon. A Rocket Lab Electron booster lifted off from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand Monday (March 22) at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT, or 11:30 a.m. March 23 local time), on a mission dubbed "They Go Up So Fast."    More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 24)

THEY GO UP SO FAST… ROCKET LAB LAUNCH UPDATE… - The Rocket Lab launch team is gearing up for the company’s 19th mission, that being a rideshare launch taking place from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula as early as tomorrow, March 22, with the launch window ranging from 22:20 to 23:30 UTC, 18:20 to 19:30 ET and 15:20 to 16:30 PT, and March 23, from 11:20 to 12:30, New Zealand Time. The launch opportunities will continue through March 31st, should such become a necessity.   More
(Source: SatNews - Mar 23)

RUSSIA LAUNCHES MULTI-SATELLITE RIDESHARE MISSION ON COMMERCIAL SOYUZ FLIGHT - Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos launched its first dedicated commercial launch through its GK Launch Services subsidiary, using a Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat vehicle to deliver a cluster of satellites to orbit, including South Korea’s CAS500-1. Soyuz – sporting a new blue and white livery – lifted off from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Monday, 22 March at 06:07 UTC, which was 12:07 local time and 02:07 EDT. This followed a scrub about 30 minutes before launch on Saturday’s attempt.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Mar 22)

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