Aviation Week reports, “In a relatively complex mission, the first Ariane 6 medium- to heavy-lift launcher placed payloads into orbit in its debut flight July 9 and partially demonstrated its technology features. In a two-booster version, the so-called Ariane 62 lifted off at 4 p.m. local time (3 p.m. EDT) from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.”
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First launch of ESA’s Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
The Washington Post reports, “Odysseus, the first privately developed spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface, has only hours left to live, the company that operates it said Tuesday, bringing an end to a historic mission…”
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CBS News reports that SpaceX is maintaining a rapid-fire launch pace while gearing up to launch four fresh crew members to the International Space Station. Marking the company’s 16th launch this year, a SpaceX “Falcon 9 blasted off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:11 p.m. EST,” Tuesday, “putting a powerful Indonesian communications satellite into orbit.”
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Falcon 9 launches Merah Putih 2 and Falcon 9 first stage landing
(SciNews; YouTube)
CBS News reports “Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The report adds that “the launch is a boost for Japan’s space program following a recent streak of successes, including a historic precision touchdown on the moon of an unmanned spacecraft last month.”
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Japan Successfully Launches H3 Rocket, 17 February 2024
(Firstpost; YouTube)
Spaceflight Now reports “a small satellite that will inspect a discarded rocket body in orbit lifted off Sunday/Monday on a mission to develop techniques for removing space debris.” Built by Japan-based Astroscale, the satellite “launched atop a Rocket Lab Electron” rocket from New Zealand at 9:52 a.m. EST
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Rocket Lab – Electron Launch, 18 February 2024
(Space Affairs; YouTube)
The New York Times reports that a robotic lunar lander built by Intuitive Machines was launched into space by SpaceX early Thursday morning. If all goes well, it will become the first American spacecraft to set down on the moon’s surface since 1972.
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Official NASA Broadcast
(NASA; YouTube)
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the first human spaceflight “of the year is headed home as the four crew of the Axiom Space Ax-3 mission climbed aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom and departed the International Space Station on Wednesday heading for a planned Friday morning splashdown off Florida’s coast.” The astronauts “spent nearly 18 days docked to the ISS after launching from KSC on Jan. 18 and arriving two days later.” On board “are Axiom chief astronaut and mission commander Michael López-Alegría along with Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey and European Space Agency project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.” Departing the ISS “at 9:20 a.m. EST, they now have just over a 47-hour ride home set to splash down off the coast of Daytona Beach targeting 8:30 a.m. Friday.”
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The Orlando Sentinel reports that “delayed two days because of weather, a NASA satellite that will look at the tiniest parts of the air and ocean blasted off early Thursday morning and shook households in Central Florida when the rocket’s booster unleashed a massive sonic boom during its landing.”
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches NASA’s PACE-Payload
(NASASpaceflight; YouTube)
Aviation Week reports that “Northrop Grumman’s 20th Cygnus resupply mission capsule successfully berthed to the International Space Station (ISS) early Feb. 1, delivering a more than 8,200-lb. cargo that includes a wide range of science and technology investigations.”
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Space News reports, “Starlab Space, a joint venture of Voyager Space and Airbus Space and Defence, announced Jan. 31 it reached an agreement with SpaceX to launch the Starlab station on Starship. The companies did not disclose terms of the agreement or a projected launch date, although a spokesperson for Starlab Space said the company was confident that Starlab would be launched before the decommissioning of the International Space Station, currently scheduled for 2030.” Voyager Space Chairman and CEO Dylan Taylor said in a statement, “SpaceX’s history of success and reliability led our team to select Starship to orbit Starlab. … SpaceX is the unmatched leader for high-cadence launches and we are proud Starlab will be launched to orbit in a single flight by Starship.”
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Starlab Space Station Update
(The Space Race; YouTube)