📄Top Stories

SpaceX has set a new milestone by launching 21 additional Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on its 26th flight, featuring unprecedented reuse of the booster. Redwire has secured a contract to provide a Mako spacecraft for the US Space Force’s Tetra-6 mission, enhancing military capabilities in space. The deployment of the Athena-R spy plane in South Korea underscores continued interest in monitoring the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, exploration into hypervelocity projectiles signals new defense strategies for the US Army and Navy.

📰Detailed Coverage

Redwire Expands US Space Force Mission Support

Redwire Corporation has announced a new contract with Orion Space Solutions to supply a Mako spacecraft as part of the US Space Force’s Tetra-6 mission. The spacecraft will contribute to a mission agenda that includes satellite research and inferior orbit intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Redwire’s involvement reflects its ongoing commitment to enhancing US national security through advanced satellite technology.

Continuing from the Tetra-5 mission, Redwire’s contribution emphasizes the spacecraft’s role in extending the capabilities of the USSF, particularly in applying the learnings from Tetra-5 to Tetra-6. This partnership further solidifies the technological bridge between private enterprise and military objectives in strategic space operations.

Read the full story: Space War

Falcon 9’s Record 26th Launch with Starlink Satellites

SpaceX achieved a significant milestone with the Falcon 9 rocket launching for the 26th time, continuing the delivery of its Starlink satellites into orbit. This launch not only represents an advancement in reusable rocket technology but also expands the Starlink constellation, aiming to enhance global internet coverage.

The successful reuse of the Falcon 9, facilitating 21 Starlink satellites into orbit, underscores SpaceX’s persistence in reducing space launch costs while increasing access to space. This launch serves as a testament to the growing infrastructure supporting satellite tracking and Starlink’s promise of worldwide connectivity.

Read the full story: Space.com

Athena-R Spy Plane Deployed to South Korea

The first Athena-R spy plane has been deployed to South Korea as part of a multi-month operational assessment by the U.S. Army. Designed on the Boeing Global 6500 platform, this deployment evaluates the capabilities of the aircraft in intelligence-gathering operations specific to regional geopolitical dynamics.

The Athena-R represents the growing integration of aerial surveillance in military strategy, providing cutting-edge advancements to monitor and collect intelligence. The deployment underlines enhancements in surveillance methodologies and opens discussions on its synergy with satellite data collection.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Hypersonic Dynamics on Rise with Hypervelocity Projectile

Joint experimentation by the US Army and Navy highlights a potential shift in defense through hypervelocity projectiles, a concept being examined for its effectiveness against unmanned aerial threats. This innovation points to a broader defense strategy utilizing kinetic energy weapons for advancing aerial defense capabilities.

While still experimental, these projectiles could redefine military defenses, offering efficient, high-velocity responses to drone incursions either on land or at sea. As development continues, advancements like this could integrate with satellite tracking systems to optimize defense readiness and response times.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

🛰️Satellite Spotlight

• Satellite Name: USA 43
• NORAD ID: 20202
• Launch Date: 1989-09-04
• Mission: Communication
• Orbit: Inclination 13.3856, Period 0.986, Eccentricity 0.00183
• Operator: AFSSD2/DCA
• Fun Fact: USA 43, also known as DSCS II F-15, was launched to enhance military strategic communications and continues to hold a pivotal role despite far exceeding its designed lifetime.

Current TLE Data:

1 20202U 89069A   25045.36095773  .00000013  00000+0  00000+0 0  9996
2 20202  13.3856 339.7789 0018268 260.9234 279.2482  0.98609603 20996

Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: Track USA 43

🚀Upcoming Space Launches

February 17

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • NROL-57 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (13:18 UTC) Eighth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.

February 18

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (23:00 UTC) First Starlink launch to feature a Falcon 9 booster landing within The Bahamas waters.
• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • Fasten Your Space Belts (BlackSky Gen-3 1) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (23:15 UTC) The first of five BlackSky Technology missions to deploy its new next-generation BlackSky Gen-3 satellites.

February 20

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 15-1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (00:00 UTC) A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation, SpaceX’s project for a space-based Internet communication system.

February 21

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 12-14 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (00:39 UTC) A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation, SpaceX’s project for a space-based Internet communication system.

February 26

• Arianespace Ariane 62:
  • CSO-3 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (16:24 UTC) The CSO-3 satellite is the third of three high-resolution optical imaging satellites for the French military, replacing the Helios 2 spy satellite series.

February 27

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Nova-C IM-2 & Lunar Trailblazer from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA (00:17 UTC) This mission carries a NASA payload called PRIME-1, which aims to be the first demonstration of in-situ resource utilization on the Moon.
• ROSCOSMOS Soyuz 2.1a:
  • Progress MS-30 (91P) from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan (21:24 UTC) Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.

February 28

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • SPHEREx & PUNCH from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (03:10 UTC) SPHEREx is a two-year astrophysics mission to survey the sky in the near-infrared light. The mission aims to answer cosmic questions involving the birth of the universe and development of galaxies, and will also search for water and organic molecules in stellar nurseries and disks. PUNCH will focus on the Sun’s outer atmosphere and how it generates the solar wind, tracking coronal mass ejections to better understand their evolution.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.