SPACEX NOTCHES FIRST ORBITAL LAUNCH OF 2025 WITH MISSION FOR UAE-BASED SPACE42 - SpaceX kicked off the year of orbital launches around the globe when it completed its first Falcon 9 flight of 2025. Onboard was a telecommunications satellite designed to serve regions in Africa, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Liftoff of the Thuraya 4-NGS (Next Generation System) mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened on Friday, Jan. 3 at 8:27 p.m. EST (0127 UTC), the opening of a four-hour launch window. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 4)
INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ON-ORBIT DOCKING DEMONSTRATION IN 5TH AND FINAL LAUNCH OF 2024 - India made another important leap forward in its space program with the launch of its first on-orbit docking demonstration mission on Friday, Dec. 30. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a PSLV C60 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 10 p.m. IST (11:30 a.m. EST, 1630 UTC). The late night launch carried the primary payloads, named SDX01 and SDX02, which will carry out the mission. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 3)
SPACE LAUNCH DELTA 45 BREAKS RECORDS, REMAINS WORLD'S BUSIEST SPACEPORT IN 2024 - Space Launch Delta 45 continued to “set the pace for space” as the world’s busiest spaceport in 2024. The SLD 45 team, composed of military and civilian Guardians and Airmen at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, enabled 93 launches from the Eastern Range in 2024. Collectively, this team, comprised of total force personnel, surged to send 93 rockets into space, delivering 1389 orbital assets into a critical warfighting domain. Their dedicated efforts on the Eastern Range enabled the U.S. to break the world record for annual space launches for the second year in a row, with a total of 93 successful launches. Previously, the U.S. set the world record for space launches in 2023 with 108 successful launches, breaking a record held by the Soviet Union since 1982. More (Source: Vandenberg Space Force Base - Space Force - Jan 3)
ISRO TO LAUNCH US SATELLITE TO ENABLE VOICE CALLS VIA SMARTPHONES FROM SPACE - The Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) will most likely launch an American communications satellite, which will allow phone calls to be made directly from space. This will be the first time when a US company introduces a massive communications satellite in a rocket from India, according to a report by NDTV. As of now, India has launched only small satellites manufactured by American entities. More (Source: Mint - Jan 2)
EARTH'S SPACE DEBRIS PROBLEM IS GETTING SO BAD IT'S JEOPARDIZING THE INTERNET AND ASTRONAUT MISSIONS - On October 19, the US Space Command revealed a troubling incident: the Intelsat 33e satellite broke into approximately 20 pieces, littering an already crowded space with large chunks of space debris. The cause remains unknown, but the event has reignited serious concerns about the increasing accumulation of space junk in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Experts warn that this growing problem could lead to the dreaded Kessler Syndrome, potentially rendering space exploration and satellite use impossible. More (Source: Earth.com - Jan 1)
OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD SPACE MISSIONS TO WATCH IN 2025 - In 2024, space exploration dazzled the world. NASA’s Europa Clipper began its journey to study Jupiter’s moon Europa. SpaceX’s Starship achieved its first successful landing, a critical milestone for future deep space missions. China made headlines with the Chang’e 6 mission, which successfully returned samples from the far side of the Moon. Meanwhile, the International Space Station continued to host international crews, including private missions like Axiom Mission 3. More (Source: PBS - Jan 1)
US PREPARES TO DEORBIT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AMID CHINA COMPETITION - Before the International Space Station was launched into orbit in 1998, the U.S. signed a document with several other countries to agree to the peaceful use of the orbital laboratory. The agreement included Russia, Japan, Canada and 11 European countries. China was left out of the plan. Nearly a decade later, China expressed interest in joining those on board the space station. The European Space Agency signaled support for the addition, along with South Korea. The final decision was ultimately opposed by the United States. More (Source: FoxNews - Jan 1)
SPACEX LAUNCHES 21 STARLINK SATELLITES DURING FINAL ORBITAL LAUNCH OF 2024 - SpaceX ended its orbital launch year in the same way it began, by launching a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites including multiple featuring direct to cell phone capabilities. The Starlink 12-6 mission launched onboard the company’s 132nd and final Falcon 9 flight of 2024. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened at 12:39 a.m. EST (0539 UTC) on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Launch was original scheduled for 1:02 a.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 30, but appeared to slip to the end of the window because launch preparations were running behind schedule. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 1)
THE BILLIONAIRES AND TECH BARONS VYING TO BUILD A PRIVATE SPACE STATION - After three decades circling Earth, in 2031 the International Space Station (ISS) will be handed its last rites. Some time in 2030, astronauts will depart the space station for the final time, and a docked SpaceX craft will provide a shunt of rocket thrust to move the ISS into a lower orbit. As it hits the outer atmosphere, the station will begin to break up, before a final descent in which the ISS, which is approximately the size of a football field, will be ditched somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. More (Source: The Telegraph - Dec 31)
Previous Next
