IM-2 lands on the Moon but its status is uncertain – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 00:00
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission landed on the Moon on March 6 shortly after 11:30 a.m. EST. The lander, nicknamed Athena, was meant to touch down on the plateau atop the mountain Mons Mouton roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the lunar south pole. As the craft neared the end of its 11-minute engine burn to slow its velocity and carry it to the surface, flight controllers lost contact with Athena.
SpaceX Starlink Group 12-21 smallsats now on for Saturday – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 00:00
SpaceX will launch of a batch of Starlink v2-mini satellites on Falcon 9 into low Earth orbit for their second generation high-speed low Earth orbit internet satellite constellation. The launch will take place at Space Launch Complex 40 which has witnessed the launch of 293 rockets, including 293 orbital launch attempts. Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, has been the site for 1008 rocket launches.
SpaceX Starship 8 test results — some good, some not so good – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 00:00
SpaceX’s eighth flight test proved to be similar to the seventh with Starship’s engine trouble. Unlike the seventh test flight the eighth test flight was able to return the Starship’s huge first-stage booster. The booster known as Super Heavy, returned to Starbase seven minutes after launch and was caught by the launch tower’s arms. The launch took place on Thursday, March 6, after the company stood down from a Monday launch attempt due to “too many question marks,” according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Arianespace’s successful top secret launch for French military – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 00:00
CSO-3 optical Earth-observation satellite successfully launched. Launched by Arianespace atop an Ariane 6 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. Carrying a very-high-resolution optical instrument built by Thales Alenia Space.
Es’hailSat expands channel lineup with Roya Media Group – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 00:00
Roya TV, Roya News and Roya Kids are now available via Es’hail-2 satellite. The move enhances RMG’s presence across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ensuring greater accessibility and an enriched viewing experience for audiences across the region.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Scientific Mission on Space Station Concludes
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-06 16:28
NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are preparing to return to Earth. Hague, Williams, and Wilmore completed more than 900 hours of research between over 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations.
NASA Turns Off 2 Voyager Science Instruments to Extend Mission
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 remain the most distant human-made objects ever built. Voyager 1 reached the edge of the heliosphere and the beginning of interstellar space in 2012; Voyager 2 reached the boundary in 2018. No other human-made spacecraft has operated in interstellar space.