Transporter 6 TLE Data Released; Qian
TLE orbit data now out for the Transporter 6 launch (Mar 30); nothing yet for last week's Qianfan launch.
Starlink Failure Creates Uncatalogued Debris, Orbit Now Decaying
Starlink 34343 failed on Mar 29 in a fatal energetic event which raised its apogee by 30 km and generated observed (but so far uncataloged) debris. Since then the orbit has undergone natural decay. Current orbit is...
Precise Data Shows CSS Farther From Artemis than ISS
A more precise calculation gives a max CSS-Artemis distance as 419643 km at 2220:08 UTC; max ISS-Artemis was 419581 km at 2222:05 UTC. My earlier calculation neglected a coordinate frame precession between the Artemis and ISS/CSS data...
Artemis–Chinese Space Station Distance Might Exceed Estimates
Oh, but wait.... A preliminary check suggests the Artemis- Chinese Space Station max distance may be even larger. I'll have to do a more careful analysis
Ukraine’s Yuzhnoe Previously Built Massive Solid Rocket Boosters
Very interesting. Do we know anything about these rocket boosters? They are new to me. Ukraine's Yuzhnoe did build the RT-23 and R-39 solid missiles (2.4m dia) in the Soviet era.
Artemis 2 Set Record: 413,145 Km From Earth
Artemis 2 was the furthest human voyage from Earth. Per the final JPL Horizons trajectory I estimate the max distance from the geocenter was 413145 km at 2304 UTC Apr 6 (about 4 km less and 1...
Heat Shield Fine Despite White Discoloration, Says Jared
Jared clarifies the status of the heat shield; some observers were concerned by an area of white discoloration but it's no big deal.
Falcon 9 Lifts ISS Cargo as China Readies Jielong‑3 Launch
LAUNCH at 1141 UTC Apr 11 of a Falcon 9 from Canaveral with the ISS Cygnus NG-24 cargo ship SS Steven R. Nagel. Also waiting to confirm LAUNCH at 1133 UTC of a Jielong-3 from the Yanjiang area in the South...
Starlink Group 17‑21 Launches From Vandenberg at 0504 UTC
LAUNCH at 0504 UTC Apr 11 of Starlink Group 17-21 from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Only One Artemis II CubeSat Achieved Orbit Boost, Others Failed
Three of the four Artemis II cubesats were meant to fire propulsion systems to raise perigee and stay in orbit. Only one (Saudi Arabia's SWC-1) managed to do so; TACHELES and K-RadCube reentered at first perigee.
NASA Celebrates Flawless, Triumphant Mission Success
Warmest congratulations to the entire @NASA family for an outstandingly successful and perfectly executed mission.
Capsule Lands Right-Side-Up: Stable One Confirmed
Glad to see the capsule is "Stable One". (There are two stable positions for a capsule after splashdown. "Stable Two" is NASA speak for "upside down".)
Command Module Executes 3 M/S Raise
Integrity CM 3m/s raise burn using the small thrusters on the command module to ensure good distance from the abandoned service module
US Space Force Launches STP‑S29A on Minotaur IV
LAUNCH of the US Space Force STP-S29A mission on a Minotaur IV from Vandenberg at 1133 UTC Apr 7
China’s CZ‑8 Lifts Qian
LAUNCH at 1332 UTC Apr 7 of a Chang Zheng 8 from Hainan with batch 7 of the commercial Qianfan internet satellite system - the first Qianfan launch since Oct 2025
