BIG, DEAD SATELLITE'S CRASH WAS A SPACE-JUNK WAKEUP CALL, EXPERTS SAY - There is some interesting residual fallout from the recent nosedive to Earth of the European Remote Sensing satellite, or ERS-2. Following its launch in April 1995, ERS-2 studied our planet for nearly 16 years. Then, in 2011, the European Space Agency (ESA) decided to bring the radar-toting spacecraft's mission to an end. The agency commanded a series of deorbit maneuvers, which lowered the satellite's average altitude and mitigated the risk of collision with other satellites or space debris.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 8)

SPACEX LAUNCHES PIONEERING METHANESAT SATELLITE TO TRACK WORST POLLUTING OIL AND GAS SITES - A new satellite to monitor oil and gas projects leaking greenhouse gases has been successfully launched by an NGO and Elon Musk's SpaceX space company. MethaneSAT will measure methane emissions from wide areas that other satellites can't detect and "identify large emitters in places they aren't looking", said US non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which developed the satellite with the New Zealand Space Agency.   More
(Source: Sky News - Mar 7)

EXOTRAIL DEPLOYS FIRST SATELLITE FROM ORBITAL TRANSFER VEHICLE - Exotrail announced March 6 it has successfully deployed a satellite from its first spacevan orbital transfer vehicle. The company said it deployed the 8U cubesat, called EXO-0 and built by Endurosat, from its spacevan-001 orbital transfer vehicle Feb. 28. That tug had been in orbit since a launch in November on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 rideshare mission into sun-synchronous orbit.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 7)

CREW DRAGON DOCKS WITH SPACE STATION AFTER SMOOTH RENDEZVOUS - A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft caught up with the International Space Station early Tuesday after a 28-hour orbital chase, bringing three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the outpost for a six-month tour of duty. The docking capped an exceptionally busy “day” for SpaceX that included the Crew Dragon’s launch Sunday at 10:53 p.m. EST, followed by two back-to-back Falcon 9 flights Monday, one from Florida and the other from California, that put a total of 76 satellites into orbit.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 6)

SPACE FORCE EYES SMALLER, CHEAPER GPS SATELLITES TO AUGMENT CONSTELLATION - The U.S. Space Force is reviewing ideas from the private sector on how to augment the Global Positioning System constellation with smaller, lower-cost satellites. The Space Force’s procurement arm, the Space Systems Command, last month issued a request for information probing the capabilities of the private sector to design a a more affordable GPS spacecraft that is also interoperable with existing GPS infrastructure. A network of 31 GPS satellites 12,000 miles above Earth broadcast positioning, navigation and timing signals.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Mar 5)

SPACEX LAUNCHES ITS 50TH PERSON TO SPACE ON ISS-BOUND CREW-8 MISSION - For the second time this year, SpaceX sent a quartet of people up to the International Space Station using its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. They had to wait another day given that weather along the ascent corridor did not permit a launch late Saturday night. Liftoff of the Crew-8 mission from historic Launch Complex 39A occurred on Sunday, March 3 at 10:53 p.m. EST (0353 UTC Monday). The launch was also delayed from March 1 due to poor weather in the downrange area off shore where crew would be rescued in the unlikely event of a mid-ascent mission abort.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 5)

WATCH SPACEX'S CREW-8 ASTRONAUT MISSION ARRIVE AT THE ISS EARLY MARCH 5 - SpaceX's Crew-8 astronaut mission will arrive at the International Space Station early Tuesday morning (March 5), and you can watch the action live. The four-person Crew-8 launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday (March 3) at 10:53 p.m. EST (0353 GMT on March 4). The mission's Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday around 3 a.m. EST (0800 GMT). Watch the orbital rendezvous live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the space agency. Coverage will begin at 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT).   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 5)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 53 SATELLITES ON TRANSPORTER-10 RIDESHARE FLIGHT, NAILS ROCKET LANDING - SpaceX launched a big batch of satellites for a variety of private customers today. The company's Transporter-10 mission lifted off right on time at 5:05 p.m. ET (2205 GMT) on Monday (March 4) from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Today's launch will place 53 payloads into various orbits including True Anomaly's Jackal spacecraft, a wide range of cubesats and nanosats, and the Aires satellite built by spacecraft-manufacturer Apex which will carry multiple payloads itself. If all goes well, all 53 satellites should be deployed from SpaceX's upper stage about 2 hours after liftoff.   More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 5)

SPACEX LAUNCHED FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL WITH 23 STARLINK SATELLITES - Coming on the heels of the successful launch of the four-person Crew-8 mission heading up to the International Space Station, SpaceX pulled off another Falcon 9 launch from the Cape. The Starlink 6-41 mission saw another batch of 23 internet satellites head up to join the growing constellation in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened 6:56 p.m. EST (2356 UTC). The mission rounded out the third Falcon 9 launch in just over 20 hours across the company’s three launch pads between Florida and California.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 5)

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