📄Top Stories

In a thrilling new development, SpaceX executed a historic Starlink mission, landing a rocket off the coast of The Bahamas for the first time. Meanwhile, Japan’s Resilience moon lander successfully completed a lunar flyby, preparing for an anticipated touchdown. The US Space Force has enlisted Firefly Aerospace for a classified mission, heightening the intrigue around space-based defense operations.

📰Detailed Coverage

SpaceX Starlink Mission Achieves New Milestone

Today, SpaceX advanced its Starlink project, launching 23 satellites and making a pioneering landing in the Atlantic Ocean near The Bahamas. This mission marks the first time the company has landed a rocket in this location, showcasing their evolving capabilities in space launch and recovery.

This development highlights SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to expand their launch repertoire and improve their space logistics, which can be tracked in our web app under real-time launch missions and outcomes.

Read the full story: Space.com

Japan’s Resilience Moon Lander Approaches Historic Landing

Resilience, a lunar lander by Japan’s ispace, successfully conducted a lunar flyby on February 14, skimming just 5,220 miles from the moon. This maneuver sets the stage for an expected landing attempt, an endeavor that could mark a significant achievement in lunar exploration by a private company.

This flyby is part of ispace’s ambitious mission to prove its technology and capability to deliver payloads to the lunar surface, opening new opportunities for moon resource utilization.

Read the full story: Space.com

Firefly Aerospace Chosen for Secretive Space Force Mission

The US Space Force has selected Firefly Aerospace to execute the Victus Sol mission, a “responsive space” initiative designed for rapid deployment. Although specific details about the payload and mission objectives remain undisclosed, this project represents a strategic maneuver to enhance national defense capabilities in space.

This mission involves an intricate implementation of military satellite operations, reinforcing the importance of tracking such activities within our web app.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

UAE Partners with Calidus for Advanced Missile System

The UAE has entered into a substantial $1 billion agreement with local firm Calidus to procure an advanced missile system. This alliance is set to boost local defense capabilities, with the announcement following a demonstration of new equipment at an international defense exhibition.

This cooperation further underscores the strategic importance of satellite-supported defense systems, potentially enhancing the region’s security through advanced satellite technologies.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Testing Continues on Vulcan’s GEM-63XL The Fail-Safe Technology

NASA and ULA conducted a test fire of the GEM-63XL motor at Promontory, Utah, as part of the Vulcan Cert-2 investigation. Although Vulcan’s certification mission had a successful launch, it faced challenges, prompting this comprehensive examination to ensure robust propulsion systems for future missions.

The test’s outcomes are crucial for Vulcan’s operational reliability, potentially affecting satellite launch schedules monitored via our web platform.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight

🛰️Satellite Spotlight

• Satellite Name: NOVASAR 1
• NORAD ID: 43619
• Launch Date: 2018-09-16
• Mission: Earth observation, radar
• Orbit: Inclination: 97.5761°, Period: 14.96 rev/day, Eccentricity: 0.0001417
• Operator: SSTLA
• Fun Fact: NovaSAR 1 is equipped with S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, enabling detailed earth observation regardless of weather conditions.

Current TLE Data:

1 43619U 18071B   25049.92421967  .00000698  00000-0  66832-4 0  9992
2 43619  97.5761 294.9934 0001417  12.5394 347.5863 14.96207619350679

Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: Track NOVASAR 1

🚀Upcoming Space Launches

February 18

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • Fasten Your Space Belts (BlackSky Gen-3 1) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (23:17 UTC)
    The first of five BlackSky Technology missions to deploy its new next-generation BlackSky Gen-3 satellites, capable of producing imagery with 50-centimeter resolution and hosting multiple sensors, including in shortwave infrared (SWIR).

February 21

• SpaceX Falcon 9:
  • Starlink Group 12-14 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (11:31 UTC)
    A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

February 22

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 3B/E:

  • Unknown Payload from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (12:01 UTC)

• SpaceX Falcon 9:

  • Starlink Group 15-1 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (22:24 UTC)
    A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

February 24

• SpaceX Falcon 9:
  • Starlink Group 12-13 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (04:42 UTC)
    A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

February 26

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

February 27

• SpaceX Falcon 9:

  • Nova-C IM-2 & Lunar Trailblazer from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA (00:17 UTC)
    This is the second mission of Nova-C lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines, carrying a NASA payload PRIME-1 for the first demonstration of in-situ resource utilization on the Moon.

• Russian Federal Space Agency 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:
  • Starlink Group 12-20 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (02:52 UTC)
    A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

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