CHINA SET FOR ITS FIRST ONE-YEAR HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT MISSION, CONFIRMS PAKISTANI ASTRONAUT FLIGHT - China will begin its first one-year duration astronaut mission this year, while the first international astronaut will make a short visit to Tiangong space station. The country completed the three-module Tiangong space station in late 2022, with the orbital outpost hosting crews of three for six ... More (Source: Space News - Mar 2)
FEBRUARY FINALE: SPACEX WRAPS UP MONTH WITH THREE STARLINK LAUNCHES THIS WEEK - In what has become hardly a leap for the company, SpaceX concluded its Starlink satellite launches for February 2026 with a trio of flights this week. On Tuesday (Feb. 24) at 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 GMT), a Falcon 9 lifted the first 29 satellites into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC... More (Source: Space.com - Mar 2)
SPACEX FALCON 9 LAUNCHES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL WITH 29 STARLINK SATELLITES - SpaceX launched another 29 satellites for its Starlink internet service just after sunrise on Friday at fog shrouded Cape Canaveral. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 7:16:10 a.m. EST (1216:10 UTC), but views of the launch were obscured by a thick blanket of fog. SpaceX confirmed a... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 28)
NASA REVEALS THE ASTRONAUT WHO REQUIRED 1ST MEDICAL EVACUATION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - NASA has shed more light on last month's early end to SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), at the request of the astronaut who experienced the medical issue that caused their return. NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Crew-11 pilot and commander of the ISS' Expedition 74, h... More (Source: 25544 - Feb 27)
CONGRESS TO WEIGH EXTENDING SPACE STATION LIFE, NASA MOON BASE - A U.S. Senate committee next week will consider extending the planned life of the International Space Station by two years to give companies more time to develop a replacement, one of a few changes to a NASA bill focused on rivaling China's growing footprint in space. The Senate Committee on Commer... More (Source: Reuters - Feb 27)
SCIENCE-PACKED DRAGON DEPARTS STATION, HEADS FOR SPLASHDOWN - At 12:05 p.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft is scheduled to splash down at approx... More (Source: NASA - Feb 27)
FIRST METOP SECOND GENERATION-B SATELLITE SPREADS ITS WING - With launch planned for later this year, testing is well underway to ensure the MetOp Second Generation-B1 weather satellite is ready for its life in orbit around Earth. These checks include verifying that its spectacular four-panel, 11-metre-long, solar wing will deploy correctly. The MetOp Seco... More (Source: ESA - Feb 26)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 500TH STARLINK SATELLITE IN 2026 DURING WEDNESDAY FALCON 9 FLIGHT - SpaceX launched its 500th Starlink satellite of the year during a flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base Wednesday morning. The Starlink 17-26 mission added 25 broadband satellites to the growing constellation that’s nearing 10,000 spacecraft in low Earth orbit. SpaceX confirmed a successful p... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 26)
SPACEX’S TUESDAY TWILIGHT FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCH SENDS 29 STARLINK SATELLITES INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket late Tuesday afternoon with a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites onboard. The twilight flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was the company’s 18th launch of the year supporting its broadband internet satellite constellation. The Starlink 6-110 missi... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 25)
'SOME OF THE CRACKS HAD PENETRATED THROUGH': CHINESE ASTRONAUTS REVEAL NEW DETAILS ABOUT SPACECRAFT THAT 'STRANDED' THEM IN SPACE LAST YEAR - Crew members of China's Shenzhou-20 mission recently detailed their reactions upon finding cracks in their spacecraft's viewport during the nation's first spaceflight emergency. It has been billed as China's first emergency operation in the country's human spaceflight program. The three astronauts (... More (Source: Space.com - Feb 25)
NASA TO COVER 33RD SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION STATION DEPARTURE - NASA and its international partners will receive scientific research samples and hardware when a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, Feb. 26, and returns to Earth. Watch NASA’s live coverage of the undocking and departure of the agency’s 33rd SpaceX C... More (Source: NASA - Feb 24)
SPACEX’S MOST-FLOWN FALCON BOOSTER LAUNCHES ON RECORD 33RD FLIGHT - SpaceX’s most flown Falcon 9 rocket booster launched once again Saturday night, making its 33rd mission to space and back as the company works to certify its boosters for up to 40 flights each. The Starlink 6-104 mission added another 28 broadband internet satellites to SpaceX’s growing low E... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 23)
WHAT'S THE POINT OF A SPACE STATION AROUND THE MOON? - The Lunar Gateway is planned space station that will orbit the moon. It is part of the NASA‑led Artemis program. Artemis aims to return humans to the moon, establishing a sustainable presence there for scientific and commercial purposes, and eventually reach Mars. However, the modular space sta... More (Source: Space.com - Feb 23)
FALCON 9 LAUNCHES 25 STARLINK SATELLITES AFTER WEATHER DELAYS - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites from California early Saturday, after days of delay. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 1:04:19 a.m. PST (4:04:19 a.m. EST / 0904:19 UTC). The company had originally planned to launc... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 22)
SPACEX LAUNCHES SECOND FALCON 9 ROCKET TO RETURN TO A LANDING IN THE BAHAMAS - For just the second time, a Falcon 9 booster returned to Earth on a drone ship stationed among the islands of the Bahamas during a mission to deploy 29 Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s satellite internet service. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-34 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force St... More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Feb 20)
NASA CHIEF BLASTS BOEING, SPACE AGENCY FOR FAILED STARLINER ASTRONAUT MISSION - NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is blaming Boeing and his own agency for botching a test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, designed to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station. A 311-page report details the issues that led to the failure of Starliner's first crewed test fli... More (Source: NPR - Feb 20)
TOO MANY SATELLITES? EARTH'S ORBIT IS ON TRACK FOR A CATASTROPHE—BUT WE CAN STOP IT - On January 30, 2026, SpaceX filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission for a megaconstellation of up to 1 million satellites to power data centers in space. The proposal envisions satellites operating between 500 and 2,000 kilometers in low Earth orbit. Some of the orbits ... More (Source: Phys.org - Feb 20)
DOD EYES COMMERCIAL SATELLITES THAT CAN SPY ON OTHER SATELLITES - The Pentagon is looking for cheap commercial satellites that can maintain surveillance on other satellites in orbit, including close-range inspections, according to a Defense Innovation Unit solicitation published Tuesday. The Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaiss... More (Source: Defense News - Feb 19)
THIS COMPANY JUST INKED 1ST NASA DEAL TO SEND ASTRONAUTS TO THE ISS - More non-government astronauts are due to spend some time at the International Space Station under NASA's latest commercial partnership. California-based Vast inked a deal that paves the way for the aerospace company to send four private astronauts not affiliated with space agencies like NASA to ... More (Source: USA Today - Feb 19)
