AST SpaceMobile discloses further satellite delays and cost increases
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 21:53
AST SpaceMobile had planned to launch the first five BlueBird satellites by the end of this year. The company's cellphone-compatible broadband constellation has slipped into 2024. The Block 1 satellites are 50% smaller than originally planned to speed up development. The company has previously said it needs 110 BlueBirds in LEO to reach substantial mobile coverage.
Astrolab to send rover to the moon on SpaceX’s Starship
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 14:22
Astrolab says it has arranged to fly the Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover. It will be a payload on a Starship lunar lander mission scheduled for as soon as mid-2026. The companies did not disclose the value of the agreement.
South Korea sets record space budget to bolster industry, develop new rocket
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 12:28
South Korea will spend 874.2 billion won ($674 million) on space programs this year. It is a 19.5 percent increase from the previous year and the most South Korea has ever budgeted for space. President Yoon Suk-yeol has promised to double the government’s space budget in the next five years.
Astra says Rocket 4 development on schedule for late 2023 first flight
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 12:09
Astra plans to conduct a first launch of its Rocket 4 vehicle before the end of the year. Rocket 4 is significantly larger than Rocket 3.3, with a planned payload capacity of up to 600 kilograms. Astra is working to scale up production of its Astra Spacecraft Engine electric thruster.
Momentus successfully test-fires thruster on Vigoride-5
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 11:07
In-space transportation company Momentus says it has successfully started tests of its Vigoride tug. The company said it completed an initial test sequence of the Microwave Electrothermal Thruster. The MET uses microwaves to turn water into plasma to generate thrust.
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 10:43
China conducted a pair of launches across Thursday and Friday, sending interferometric synthetic aperture radar and reconnaissance satellites in orbit. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 6:50 a.m. Eastern, March 30, carrying four PIESAT-1 constellation satellites. China’s 14th launch of the year followed a day later, carrying the classified Yaogan-34 (04) reconnaissance satellite.
UPDATE 2: Abort again as SpaceX delays launch of SDA’s Tranche 0 mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 00:00
SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Saturday, April 1 for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 mission to low-Earth orbit. The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched one Starlink mission. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.
NASA’s Perseverance Collects First Mars Sample of New Science Campaign
One big puzzle is how Mars’ climate worked back when this area was covered with liquid water. By studying the carbonate in the Berea sample, the science team could help fill in the gaps. Because carbonates form due to chemical interactions in liquid water, they can provide scientists a long-term record of changes in the planet’s climate.
LandSpace readies for second flight of ZhuQue-2 amid launch salvo
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-31 14:41
LandSpace has confirmed that the second methane-based ZhuQue-2 is fully assembled. This could mean a second attempt to get a methane-fueled rocket to orbit is approaching. The company has not given an exact launch date yet, with the goal most likely being to launch over the course of Q2 2023.
SpaceX aborts launch with initial satellites for Space Development Agency
Original Publication Date: 2023-03-30 12:01
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a batch of 10 communications and missile tracking satellites on the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA) on Saturday, April 1, 2023. A first attempt on Thursday was aborted at T-3 seconds. The satellites will be placed into a 1,000 km orbit, inclined 80 degrees. This will be the first of two launches for SDA’s Tranche 0, the demonstration phase of the new Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.