Top Stories

ESA Proba-3 Spacecraft Goes Dark, Mission Status Uncertain

One of ESA’s two Proba-3 spacecraft went silent last month following an on-orbit anomaly. The mission requires both satellites to operate in precise formation — one projecting an artificial solar corona, the other observing it — so losing contact with either vehicle effectively halts science operations.

ESA has not confirmed whether the spacecraft is recoverable. If contact isn’t restored, the formation-flying demonstration that took years to develop is effectively grounded. Worth watching for any debris or fragmentation events if the anomaly involved a propulsion or power system failure.

Read the full story: Space.com

AFRL Awards BlackSky Up to $99M for Large Segmented Optical Payload

The Air Force Research Laboratory has contracted BlackSky for up to $99 million to develop and test a large segmented optical system intended for future surveillance satellites. The contract is a technology demonstration — not a production buy — focused on validating whether segmented mirror architecture can scale for operational ISR use.

Segmented optics allow larger apertures without the structural constraints of a monolithic mirror, which matters for high-resolution imaging from GEO or HEO orbits. BlackSky’s existing commercial imaging constellation operates in LEO, so this contract signals a potential expansion into larger government payload work.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Baikonur Site 31/6 Repaired, Progress MS-33 Launch Back on Track

Russia has completed repairs to Launch Pad 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, clearing the path for the Progress MS-33 ISS resupply mission. The pad had been taken offline following damage, creating uncertainty around the ISS cargo manifest.

Progress MS-33 will carry supplies to the International Space Station. Russia’s Soyuz and Progress vehicles both depend on Site 31/6, so the pad’s availability directly affects crew rotation and resupply schedules for the Russian segment.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight

Australia Confirms Sailors Aboard Sub That Sank Iranian Frigate

Australia confirmed three of its sailors were aboard the U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine that struck and sank an Iranian Navy frigate, though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied the Australians participated in the action. The incident has drawn sharp reactions from both Australia and India.

The episode highlights the force integration complexity of AUKUS and has prompted questions about allied rules of engagement when crew members are embedded in U.S. vessels during combat operations.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Germany Plans €150 Billion Annual Defense Budget by 2029

Germany is moving ahead with a defense spending package projected to reach €150 billion per year by 2029 — a sharp reversal after decades of NATO underfunding. Analysts describe it as an attempt to establish conventional military dominance within Europe.

The scale of that budget will almost certainly include expanded investment in military space capabilities, ISR assets, and satellite communications. European defense buildups at this level typically drive new government satellite procurement and create new tracked objects in the catalog.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Anthropic Disputes Pentagon “Supply Chain Risk” Designation

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the Pentagon’s restrictions on the company are less severe than Defense Secretary Hegseth had previously threatened, but he confirmed Anthropic will still sue to reverse its designation as a “supply chain risk.” Pentagon CTO Emil Michael publicly denied that any productive conversations are taking place, contradicting Amodei’s characterization.

The dispute matters for defense AI integration. Anthropic’s Claude models are used in several government and contractor workflows. A formal supply chain exclusion would force DoD contractors to find alternative AI vendors for classified and sensitive programs.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Trump Directs Defense Firms to Quadruple “Exquisite” Weapons Output

President Trump met with defense executives at the White House and directed companies to quadruple production of what he termed “exquisite” weapons — a reference to high-end precision munitions. Whether the meeting produced binding agreements beyond previously announced targets is unclear.

Munitions production capacity is directly linked to launch and satellite demand — precision strike systems depend on GPS and tactical satellite communications. Production surges at this scale typically drive parallel procurement of assured PNT and jam-resistant SATCOM capabilities.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

UNKCN 56850

This Chinese satellite launched on June 7, 2023, aboard a Lijian-1 vehicle from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. With a launch mass of just 10 kg, this compact box-shaped spacecraft operates in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at 97.333° inclination—a common choice for Earth observation missions that maintain consistent lighting conditions. While specific details about its payload remain limited in public sources, the orbital characteristics suggest it may be involved in remote sensing or Earth monitoring applications.

The Lijian-1 rocket, operated by China’s private space sector, continues to demonstrate China’s growing commercial launch capabilities. Small satellites like this one represent an increasingly important segment of the space domain, offering cost-effective solutions for imaging, communications, or scientific research without the expense of larger platforms.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track UNKCN 56850

Upcoming Space Launches

March 8

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-18 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (10:58 UTC) SpaceX will launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1080, flying for its 25th time, will land on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Watch Live Launch Preview

March 10

• Firefly Aerospace Firefly Alpha:

  • Stairway to Seven from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (00:50 UTC) Flight 7 is a return-to-flight test mission for Firefly Alpha following the vehicle’s April 2025 launch failure. This will be the final flight in Alpha’s current configuration, testing multiple Block II subsystems — including in-house avionics and thermal improvements — to validate lessons learned ahead of the full Block II configuration upgrade on Flight 8, which aims to enhance reliability and manufacturability. Watch Live Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • EchoStar 25 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (03:14 UTC) SpaceX will launch EchoStar’s EchoStar 25 direct broadcast satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission is a collaboration between EchoStar, its subsidiary Dish, and Laneris Space Systems — a subsidiary of Intuitive Machines. Booster B1085, flying for its 14th time, will land on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff. Watch Live

March 11

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-31 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (10:58 UTC) SpaceX will launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1080, flying for its 25th time, will land on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Watch Live Launch Preview

March 12

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-48 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:00 UTC) SpaceX will launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1080, flying for its 25th time, will land on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Watch Live Launch Preview

March 15

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-24 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (02:37 UTC) SpaceX will launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-46 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (11:11 UTC) SpaceX will launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

March 18

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-33 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:57 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 29 Starlink satellites for its space-based internet mega-constellation. Watch Live

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-15 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 25 Starlink satellites for its space-based internet mega-constellation. Watch Live

March 19

• Isar Aerospace Spectrum:
  • Onward and Upward from Orbital Launch Pad, Andøya Spaceport, Norway (20:00 UTC) Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket will fly its second test flight, carrying six payloads to a sun-synchronous orbit: CyBEEsat (TU Berlin), TriSat-S (University of Maribor), Platform 6 (EnduroSat), FramSat-1 (NTNU), SpaceTeamSat1 (TU Wien Space Team), and the Dcubed “Let it Go” experiment. Exolaunch is managing payload integration and deployment. The mission was delayed from January 21 due to a pressurization valve issue. Watch Live

March 22

• Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz 2.1a:
  • Progress MS-33 (94P) from Site 31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan (11:59 UTC) Uncrewed Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.

March 24

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • Daughter Of The Stars (LEO-PNT Pathfinder A) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) The European Space Agency’s LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) demonstrator mission will lift two Pathfinder A satellites — built by Thales Alenia Space and GMV — to a 510 km low Earth orbit. The pathfinder satellites will assess how a future 10-satellite LEO constellation can complement the Galileo and EGNOS navigation constellations in higher orbits, underpinning Europe’s own global navigation capability.

Schedule Changes

• New Launches Added: Two SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 Starlink missions were added to the manifest for March 18 — Starlink Group 10-33 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 10:57 UTC) and Starlink Group 17-15 (Vandenberg Space Force Base, 14:00 UTC), both with a status of Go for Launch.
• Status Update: Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven has been upgraded from To Be Confirmed to Go for Launch ahead of its March 10 return-to-flight attempt.

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