Author: starpathwp-production
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to fly five missions during busy week
Five Falcon 9 missions launched this week, including the first-ever crewed mission to a polar orbit and several Starlink missions. Internationally, China also launched two missions, and Russia plans to send Soyuz to the International Space Station to conclude the week. The week kicked off with Falcon 9 launching Starlink Group 6-80 into low-Earth orbit…
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Isar Aerospace Launches from Continental Europe in Unsuccessful First Flight
Isar Aerospace’s first launch over the weekend was not successful, but it marked a milestone in European spaceflight as the first instance of a commercial launch taking off from continental Europe. Germany-based Isar Aerospace launched the first test of its Spectrum launch vehicle on March 30 from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway. After a successful…
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Fram2 astronauts begin historic polar orbit spaceflight following a launch from the Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A to begin the Fram2 polar orbit mission. This was the 200th orbital launch from LC-39A. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now A historic mission took flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night. Against the backdrop of an off-shore band of thunderstorms, four first-time astronauts…
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SpaceX launches Fram2 crewed mission to historic polar orbit
SpaceX launched its next private human spaceflight mission, Fram2, from Florida on Monday evening. The mission, featuring a collection of civilian scientists, entrepreneurs, and explorers flying onboard Crew Dragon Resilience, is the first-ever human spaceflight mission to fly to a polar orbit. Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Resilience occurred on Monday, March 31, at 9:46 PM…
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SpaceX launches Fram2 crewed mission to historic polar orbit
SpaceX launched its next private human spaceflight mission, Fram2, from Florida on Monday evening. The mission, featuring a collection of civilian scientists, entrepreneurs, and explorers flying onboard Crew Dragon Resilience, is the first-ever human spaceflight mission to fly to a polar orbit. Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Resilience occurred on Monday, March 31, at 9:46 PM…
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Thales Alenia Space Partners with ESA to Develop Digital Twin for Sustainable Agriculture
Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the SaveCrops4EU project. Part of ESA’s Digital Twin Earth programme, this pre-operational digital twin component will enhance agriculture’s resilience to climate change and support agricultural resource management. The SaveCrops4EU digital twin…
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NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for SpaceX Starship
NASA has awarded SpaceX of Starbase, Texas, a modification under the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to add Starship to their existing Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch service offerings. The NLS II contracts provide a broad range of commercial launch services for NASA’s planetary, Earth-observing, exploration, and scientific satellites. These high-priority, low and…
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Rocket Lab’s Neutron Rocket Joins US Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Program
Rocket Lab USA, a global leader in launch services and space systems, has been selected by the U.S. Space Force to compete for the Department of Defense’s highest-priority national security missions for its National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program. The firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has a five-year ordering period…
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SWISSto12 Announces High-Performance User Terminal for Continuous GEO Connectivity
SWISSto12, a leading manufacturer of satellite communication (SATCOM) products based in Switzerland and a pioneer in the aerospace industry with its small yet powerful geostationary (GEO) telecommunications satellite, HummingSat, announces the release of HummingLink-SOTP. This new type of terminal for GEO connectivity combines a small form factor, high portability, quick deployment, and high-throughput. Humming Link-SOTP…
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Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum, fails early in first stage flight
Isar Aerospace, based near Munich, Germany, made the first-ever launch attempt of its Spectrum two-stage rocket on Sunday, March 30, at 10:30 UTC from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andøya Space Center in Norway. An earlier attempt on Monday, March 24, was scrubbed due to high winds, and a second attempt on Saturday, March…