We’re keeping an eye on space news, so you don’t have to.
Here is our round-up of the most important, and interesting, space news stories of March from across the web:
Money money money:
NASA gets significantly less than what it wanted with space and planetary science especially suffering as Congress passes final fiscal year 2024 spending bill for NASA, NOAA and FAA
Russia’s own space agency/conglomerate Roscosmos finds itself forced into a fire sale to raise cash Roscosmos To Sell Over $124m In Assets Due To Sanctions
On a much smaller scale, in its March budget, the UK Government granted £10 Million to SaxaVord Spaceport
GEO satellites still have a future say makers at Satellite 2024 but probably noting other orbits have good prospects Lockheed Martin makes its play to acquire small spacecraft maker Terran orbital
Astra gives up on stock market and goes private
In its first acquisition Iridium Announces Plan To Acquire Satelles as GPS backup provider
Japan’s ispace company has raised US$53 million for its next lunar landers including APEX 1.0 and Reslience and two lunar communications relay satellites
Military Space:
Raytheon’s seven missile warning satellites for SDA’s Tracking Layer are no longer in Tranche 1 plan
Human Spaceflight:
Starliner crewed test flight is delayed until May 2024 by ISS schedule
Blue Origin is making genuine progress with its robotic/remotely controlled lunar lander (one that will be modified for its later human carrying version).
But it might not just be lander delays which hold up Artemis programme as NASA is studies issues with Orion hatch design
Move over Apollo’s Hasselblad, Nikon is the Artemis camera of choice as NASA Picks Nikon To Document Humanity’s Return To The Moon
Notable Launches & Future Launches:
SpaceX flew its 53 satellite Transporter mission on a Falcon 9. Notable spacecraft aboard such as MethaneSat are noted here: SpaceX launches tenth Transporter rideshare mission as Iceye launched three SAR sats on same flight and announces new service to monitor high seas
While NASA/ESA have their Mars Sample Return Mission (MSRM) delayed even further as China targets 2030 for Mars sample return mission
While not strictly a spaceflight, Stratolaunch carries the launch of the Talon hypersonic vehicle airdropped from the Stratolaunch aircraft.
EU does deal with USA to have its security guards at launch sites when its Galileo satellites are launched by SpaceX
Space Technology and Exploration:
Imitation is the best form of flattery for SpaceX as China plans to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026
Sino-Russian lunar base effort goes nuclear as Russia says it is working With China for lunar nuclear power plant
China’s lunar relay satellite Queqiao-2 enters lunar orbit
Space conjunctions and anomalies:
NASA’s TIMED satellite nearly collides with old Soviet satellite Cosmos 2221
NASA’s SWIFT mission has gyro issue but a software work around should work
Space Agencies:
The UK Space Agency has decided to move its HQ from Swindon to Harwell
On a sadder note:
NASA notes the death of Gemini and Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
On a lighter note
There’s lies, damned lies…and PR statements: Astra Rocket 3.0 testing “anomaly” was a little more totally destructive than was portrayed
Slingshot Aerospace News:
Slingshot Aerospace is aiming not just at US government users, it is also aiming at the world with its satellite identification and tracking services via new UK base.
Sources include BBC, CNBC, msn.com, NASA, Orbitaltoday, Payload, phys.org, Politico, scmp.com, SpaceNews and The Register with links provided to each story.
