2026 03 News: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 14:30, 31 March 2026
31 Mar 2026
[edit]- China targets 140 launches in 2026 amid commercial space surge
- Europe’s space sector faces power shift as funding grows
- Artemis 2 countdown underway
- After more than 53 years, humans may finally return to the Moon this week
- Starlink satellite breaks apart into “tens of objects”; SpaceX confirms “anomaly”
- This is my third Orion launch, but it feels totally different
30 Mar 2026
[edit]- Rocket Lab wins German approval for Mynaric deal
- Varda flies navigation payload, heat shield tests on sixth reentry mission
- ESA launches first Celeste satellites to test complementary LEO navigation layer
- SpaceX launches Transporter-16 rideshare mission
- China’s Kinetica-2 rocket debuts successfully, sending prototype cargo spacecraft to orbit
- Pentagon weighing termination of Raytheon GPS ground control contract after years of delays
- With Voyager’s help, Icarus Robotics to test free-flyer on ISS
- Starcloud achieves unicorn status with $170 million raise for orbital data centers
- Science finds a place on Artemis 2
- Live coverage: Falcon 9 booster to fly for record 34th time on Starlink delivery mission
- [https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/03/30/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-119-payloads-on-smallsat-rideshare-mission-from-california/ Live coverage: Falcon 9 booster to fly for record 34th time on Starlink delivery mission
SpaceX launches 119 payloads on smallsat rideshare mission from California]
29 Mar 2026
[edit]28 Mar 2026
[edit]27 Mar 2026
[edit]- ESA to decide by June on Europe’s Gateway contributions
- India’s Bellatrix raises $20 million following overseas expansion drive
- Industry says proposed NASA changes to commercial space station plans create confusion
- SBQuantum and Spire to send quantum diamond magnetometer into orbit
- ispace redesigns lunar lander, introduces lunar communications service
- No one is happy with NASA’s new idea for private space stations
- Rocket Report: Russia reopens gateway to ISS; Cape Canaveral hosts missile test
26 Mar 2026
[edit]- Space Command begins phased move to Alabama
- Government use of commercial procurement models has limitations in space
- Turning growth into profits remains a challenge as space demand grows
- Xona raises $170 million for satellite navigation network
- China sends radar mapping and GNSS augmentation sats into orbit with pair of launches
- Satlantis earnings grow alongside demand for Earth-observation satellites
- Hughes targets sovereign satcom demand with network control software
- NASA to test nuclear electric propulsion with 2028 mission to Mars
- Live Coverage: SpaceX to launch batch of Starlink satellites from the West Coast
25 Mar 2026
[edit]- Office of Space Commerce releases mission authorization proposal
- Telesat eyes defense role with laser comms test ahead of LEO debut
- Sift raises $42 million in Series B round
- Pave Space raises $40 million to develop European heavy kickstage
- NASA proposes new strategy for commercial space stations
- Geopolitical shifts bring opportunities and headaches for satellite execs
- China’s Astronstone raises $29 million for reusable rocket with chopstick-style recovery
- NASA outlines ambitious $20 billion plan for moon base
- Here is NASA’s plan for nuking Gateway and sending it to Mars
- We got an audience with the “Lunar Viceroy” to talk how NASA will build a Moon base
24 Mar 2026
[edit]- Geopolitical shifts bring opportunities and headaches for satellite execs
- Moog taps Redwire to provide solar arrays for Meteor
- China’s Astronstone raises $29 million for reusable rocket with chopstick-style recovery
- Space Development Agency slows satellite launches to focus on on-orbit performance
- NASA halts work on Gateway to develop a lunar base
- Space Force officer shares intelligence on threats to space systems
- SES orders 28 satellites from K2 Space for next-gen MEO network
- NASA kills lunar space station to focus on ambitious Moon base
- Orbital data centers, part 1: There’s no way this is economically viable, right?
23 Mar 2026
[edit]- Amazon Leo targets faster deployment cadence as deadline pressure mounts
- Parsons unveils new satellite antenna aimed at military market
- Sovereign demand and institutional capital reshape space economy
- Arianespace to launch Katalyst servicing spacecraft
- York Space rides defense demand as procurement changes cloud outlook
- Lunar lander developers say they are ready to meet anticipated increased NASA demand
- Swissto12 to build small optical relay GEO satellite for Space Compass
- A unique NASA satellite is falling out of orbit—this team is trying to rescue it
22 Mar 2026
[edit]- SpaceX offers details on orbital data center satellites
- SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
21 Mar 2026
[edit]20 Mar 2026
[edit]- Rocket Lab launches eighth Synspective radar imaging satellite
- Another GPS launch shifts from ULA to SpaceX as Vulcan investigation continues
- OHB Sweden wins €248 million contract to build EPS-Sterna constellation
- ESA to fly dedicated Crew Dragon mission to ISS
- Kayhan targets investors, insurers with expanded orbital intelligence platform
- Kratos wins $446 million Space Force contract for missile-tracking ground systems
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
- Jeff Bezos just announced plans for a third megaconstellation—this one for data centers
- NASA issues draft request for moving space shuttle Discovery—or Orion capsule
- NASA wants to know how the launch industry’s chic new rocket fuel explodes
- Rocket Report: Canada makes a major move, US Space Force says actually, let’s be hasty
19 Mar 2026
[edit]- Kratos wins $446 million Space Force contract for missile-tracking ground systems
- Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space plan debris removal service
- NASA considering sharp increase in robotic lunar landings
- ReOrbit sells two small GEO satellites to SLI
- Apex sells satellite for Japanese technology demonstration mission
- Space Command classified wargame to include 50 commercial players
- Solar array deal sheds more light on South Korea’s defense constellation
- Live coverage: NASA to roll its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2
- Dogfighting in space won’t look like the movies, but this company wants in on it
18 Mar 2026
[edit]- Space Command classified wargame to include 25 commercial players
- TransAstra aims to move 100-ton asteroid to stable orbit for processing
- Solar array deal sheds more light on South Korea’s defense constellation
- China signals new target for 2027 asteroid deflection test
- NASA grappling with planetary science funding shortfall
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
- A private space company has a radical new plan to bag an asteroid
17 Mar 2026
[edit]- Telesat pivots Lightspeed toward defense as delays push global service to 2028
- Office of Space Commerce weighing options for TraCSS user fees
- Space boom strains supply chain, industry report warns
- Golden Dome cost estimate rises to $185 billion as Pentagon expands space layer
- Canadian military invests in sovereign launch
- Innospace completes investigation into Hanbit-Nano launch failure
- Nvidia unveils AI computing module for space-based data centers
16 Mar 2026
[edit]- China launches new highly retrograde Yaogan satellite, KZ-11 rideshare deploys 8 satellites
- iMetalX emerges from stealth with technology to model resident space objects
- 100 years later, where is Robert Goddard’s first liquid-fueled rocket?
- A century after the first rocket launch, Ars staffers pick their favorites
15 Mar 2026
[edit]- OSTP taking on space policy coordination work in place of National Space Council
- Strait of Hormuz crisis drives demand for commercial geospatial intelligence
- Raytheon contract for protected satellite communications terminals raised by $2 billion
14 Mar 2026
[edit]13 Mar 2026
[edit]- Astroscale selects Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M mission
- China is developing low-cost lunar cargo options for its expanding moon program
- Ukraine will host first test for Leonardo’s Michelangelo security dome
- Eutelsat exits two Russian capacity leases after satellite failure
- Q&A: Rebecca Evernden on UK space strategy
- China ends month-long launch hiatus with separate Guowang and Shiyan-30 satellite missions
- Senate committee advances NASA deputy administrator nominee
- NASA working toward April 1 launch of Artemis 2
- Live coverage: SpaceX resets Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral for Saturday
- NASA ready for another shot at launching Artemis 2 moon mission
- SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base
12 Mar 2026
[edit]- Voyager opens defense and space tech hub in Long Beach
- Astranis taps retired Gen. John Hyten to lead advisory board
- York Space acquires satellite propulsion manufacturer Orbion Space
- Mantis Space emerges from stealth with $10 million for solar-power constellation
- Firefly Alpha returns to flight
11 Mar 2026
[edit]- Missile strike hits SES teleport in Israel
- Space Force officially terminates AeroVironment contract for satellite control antennas
- NASA disqualifies X-ray telescope from Probe mission competition
- Telesat expands Canadian landing station footprint for Lightspeed
- Large Series C signals scale-up of China’s laser satellite communications sector
- Anduril to acquire space-tracking firm ExoAnalytic Solutions
- Anduril, the autonomous weapons maker, doubles the size of its space unit
10 Mar 2026
[edit]- Suspended NOAA satellite chief warns of threats to federal science programs
- Impulse Space expands Colorado presence
- Lux Aeterna raises $10 million ahead of 2027 reusable satellite demo
- Landspace tests 220-ton methane engine for future heavy-lift launchers
- First Starship V3 launch slips
- NASA and SpaceX disagree about manual controls for lunar lander
09 Mar 2026
[edit]- Missile detection satellite designed by BAE Systems passes early review
- Voyager Technologies invests in Max Space
- First Starship V3 launch slips
- Chinese official calls for prioritizing Neptune orbiter mission
08 Mar 2026
[edit]07 Mar 2026
[edit]- Air Force lab awards BlackSky contract worth up to $99 million for large optical satellite payload
- NASA contract confirms selection of ULA’s Centaur 5 as new upper stage for the SLS rocket
06 Mar 2026
[edit]- Eutelsat completes $5.8 billion refinancing plan
- Rocket Lab launches satellite for undisclosed customer
- China designates space sector an “emerging pillar industry,” sets deep space ambitions in new economic blueprint
- Infinite Orbits acquires UK startup Lunasa to expand satellite servicing capabilities
- Live coverage: SpaceX plans mid-afternoon Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB
- Rocket Report: SpaceX launch prices are going up; Russia fixes broken launch pad
- With Gateway likely gone, where will lunar landers rendezvous with Orion?
05 Mar 2026
[edit]- General Galactic aims to become “the galaxy’s energy and logistics company”
- Infinite Orbits acquires UK startup Lunasa to expand satellite servicing capabilities
- UK announces £500 million package for industrial growth and national security
- Vast raises $500 million for commercial space station development
- Sierra Space raises $550 million in Series C funding
- Spanish launch startup PLD Space raises $209 million to scale its rocket production
- Congress extends ISS and tells NASA to get moving on private space stations
04 Mar 2026
[edit]- Mutable Tactics raises $2.1 million for AI drone coordination in satellite-denied environments
- SLS upper stage helium flow problem fixed
- PLD Space raises $209 million to shift into serial rocket production
- The US Senate empowers NASA to fully engage in lunar space race
03 Mar 2026
[edit]- Space Force modernization push runs into acquisition workforce shortfall
- Redwire unveils new solar array
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
- As Moon interest heats up, two companies unveil plans for a lunar “harvester”
02 Mar 2026
[edit]- Pentagon details cyber, space ‘first mover’ role in Iran operations
- Space Force rethinks satellite ground station strategy
- Open Cosmos unveils vision for imagery-linked sovereign satellite connectivity
- ESA announces 100 million euro satellite-mobile convergence initiative
- Former NASA chief turned ULA lobbyist seeks law to limit SpaceX funding