CHINA EXPANDS SECRETIVE SATELLITE SERIES WITH LAUNCH OF TJS-15 - China launched the latest in a series classified satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit Sunday while disclosing little about the spacecraft. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 12:17 p.m. Eastern (1717 UTC) March 9 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced launch success within an hour of liftoff. While the launch was anticipated due to airspace closure notices, the payload was unknown. CASC’s announcement revealed the mission payload to be communication technology experiment Satellite-15, or Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-15 (TJS-15). More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 10)
FOR NASA ASTRONAUTS ON A 10-DAY SPACE MISSION THAT LASTED 9 MONTHS, A LANDING DATE AT LAST - Two NASA astronauts who launched on a short mission to the International Space Station last year that turned into a 10-month marathon finally know when they'll be coming home. The Boeing Starliner astronauts, who launched on the spacecraft's Crewed Flight Test on June 5, have been living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ever since their capsule returned to Earth without them. On Friday (March 7), NASA cleared a relief crew to launch on SpaceX Dragon next week, clearing the way for their long-awaited return to Earth. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 10)
NASA LAUNCH OF SPHEREX AND PUNCH SPACE MISSIONS DELAYED - Two NASA missions called "SPHEREx" and "PUNCH" will not be sharing a ride to space this weekend. The agency had planned to launch both missions at the same time on Saturday (March 8) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket; SpaceX is continuing to complete vehicle checkouts, delaying the liftoff. A new launch date will be announced once confirmed, according to an update posted to SpaceX's website. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 9)
ROCKET LAB UNVEILS PLAN TO LAND NEUTRON ROCKETS AT SEA, 1ST LAUNCH IN 2025 - The private space company Rocket Lab is on track to launch the first of its new reusable Neutron Rocket in the second half of 2025 and will eventually land them at sea, the company revealed. Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck shared updates on Neutron during the company’s Feb. 26 earnings call, saying its Neutron rocket will address the growing demand for launch services from defense, security, and science communities. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 9)
SPACEX DRAGON CAPSULE ARRIVES AT LAUNCH SITE FOR CREW-10 ASTRONAUT FLIGHT TO ISS - The capsule that will carry the next crew to the International Space Station has reached the SpaceX hangar at the mission's launch pad. The Crew Dragon Endurance will ferry the next set of astronauts to the International Station (ISS). That mission, called Crew-10, is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than March 12, with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov on board. The quartet are headed for a roughly six-month stay aboard the orbital lab, relieving the Crew-9 astronauts currently wrapping up their rotation. More (Source: Space.com - Mar 8)
X-37B ORBITAL TEST VEHICLE CONCLUDES SEVENTH SUCCESSFUL MISSION - The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Force’s dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, March 7, 2025 at 02:22 a.m. EST. The U.S. Space Force landed the X-37B at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, to exercise its rapid ability to launch and recover its systems across multiple sites. X-37B’s Mission 7 was the first launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket to a Highly Elliptical Orbit. While on orbit, Mission 7 accomplished a range of test and experimentation objectives intended to demonstrate the X-37B’s robust maneuver capability while helping characterize the space domain through the testing of space domain awareness technology experiments. More (Source: United States Space Force - Mar 7)
EUROPE'S ARIANE 6 DEPLOYS SPY SATELLITE IN FIRST FULL MISSION - Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully deployed a French spy satellite in its first fully operational launch on Thursday, completing a return to space for a continent facing questions over its role amid a security rift with the United States. The uncrewed launcher lifted off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 1:24 p.m. local time (1624 GMT). Controllers later said its CSO-3 reconnaissance satellite had separated smoothly, completing a trio of military platforms. More (Source: Reuters - Mar 7)
STARSHIP UPPER STAGE LOST IN SECOND MISHAP IN A ROW - SpaceX launched its huge Starship rocket on the program’s eighth test flight Thursday, but a malfunction of some sort triggered multiple upper stage engine shutdowns and for the second flight in a row, the vehicle failed to reach its planned sub-orbital altitude and broke apart in a shower of debris. “Obviously, a lot to go through, a lot to dig through. We’re going to go right at it,” said SpaceX launch commentator Dan Huot. “The primary reason we do these flight tests is to learn. We have some more to learn about this vehicle, but we’re going to be right back here in the not-too-distant future, and we’re going to get a ship to space.” More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 7)
ISS ASTRONAUTS REJECT CALL FOR EARLY RETIREMENT OF THE STATION - Astronauts on the International Space Station said they disagreed with Elon Musk’s claim that the station was past its prime and should be deorbited in as soon as two years. Speaking to reporters March 4, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the station since June on a flawed Starliner test flight, and Nick Hague, the commander of the Crew-9 mission that will bring the two back with him later this month, addressed political issues like an early retirement of the ISS and Musk’s claim he offered NASA an early return of the Starliner crew. More (Source: SpaceNews - Mar 7)
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