Astrum Mobile selects SWISSto12 to manufacture NEASTAR-1 GEO satellite – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-11 00:00
Astrum Mobile will operate the very first Satellite-to-Device (S2D) platform delivering 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) service. Astrum Mobile’s S2D service will leverage 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) NTN to deliver rich media, data casting, IoT, mass notification, and in addition, emergency notification services.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 sends NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH on their mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-11 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, March 11 for Falcon 9’s launch of NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory and PUNCH satellites. Liftoff is targeted for 8:10 p.m. PT, with a backup opportunity available on Wednesday, March 12 at the same time. The forecast calls for a temperature of 53°F, broken clouds, 63% cloud cover and a wind speed of 5mph. A live webcast of this mission will begin about one hour prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX.
SpaceX launch of Starlink Group 12-21 smallsats now on for Wednesday to include Direct to Cell – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-11 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, March 12 for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit. Liftoff is targeted for 10:20 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 2:20 a.m. On Thursday, March 13. A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.
RBC Signals acquires 10 antennas from Microsoft – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-11 00:00
RBC Signals has implemented a significant expansion of the firm’s global ground station network with the acquisition of ten, six-meter, S- and X-band tracking antennas from Microsoft. Strategically located across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, the antennas will bolster RBC Signals’ already robust global network.
Introducing HELIUS™ —a 249g coaxial nano UAV from Ascent AeroSystems – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-11 00:00
HELIUS is designed to be an affordable, American-made, NDAA-compliant option. It is small enough to fit in your pocket but powerful enough to meet the rigorous demands of public safety, emergency response, and critical industrial missions. Ascent’s HELIUS features: Ultra-portable, ultra-light weight airframe 4G/LTE connectivity.
40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Atlantis Makes its Public Debut
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-10 16:01
On March 6, 1985, NASA’s newest space shuttle, Atlantis, made its public debut during a rollout ceremony at the Rockwell International manufacturing plant in Palmdale, California. By the time NASA retired Atlantis in 2011, it had flown 33 missions in a career spanning 26 years and flying many types of missions envisioned for the space shuttle.
NASA Launches Missions to Study Sun, Universe’s Beginning
Ground controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages SPHEREx, established communications with the space observatory at 9:31 p.m. PDT. The observatory will begin its two-year prime mission after a roughly one-month checkout period. The two missions are designed to operate in a low Earth, Sun-synchronous orbit over the day-night line.
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.
Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Firefly set to launch amid busy launch manifest
Original Publication Date: 2025-03-10 22:04
SpaceX will launch the Crew-10 and Starlink Group 12-21 and 12-16 missions from Florida and the delayed SPHEREx/PUNCH and Transporter 13 missions from California. Firefly’s Alpha rocket is set to launch the new Lockheed Martin LM400 satellite bus, and Rocket Lab will fly an Electron from New Zealand. Outside of the United States, a Chang Zhang 8 rocket launched from a new commercial pad in China and a Russian Angara rocket will launch an unknown payload from Plesetsk.