March 2022 – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Astronauts complete spacewalk for space station maintenance and upgrades

March 23, 2022 William Harwood

Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday and installed refurbished ammonia jumpers in the lab’s cooling system to bring it back up to full efficiency, replaced a high-definition camera and made power and data connections on a European experiment platform.

China launches military spy satellite

March 23, 2022 Stephen Clark

China launched a classified military remote sensing satellite March 17 on a Long March 4C rocket. The three-stage rocket placed the Yaogan 34-02 satellite into an orbit at an altitude of 680 miles.

Video: Interview with Howard Hu, NASA’s Orion program manager

March 22, 2022 Stephen Clark

Howard Hu manages NASA’s Orion program, overseeing developing and operations for the space agency’s new deep space crew capsule. We spoke with Hu before the rollout of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission’s wet dress rehearsal.

Photos: SLS makes its debut at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

March 22, 2022 Stephen Clark

The first 322-foot-tall Space Launch System moon rocket arrived on launch pad 39B Friday after an overnight trek from the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

OneWeb signs with SpaceX to resume launching internet constellation

March 21, 2022 Stephen Clark

OneWeb said Monday it has reached an agreement with SpaceX to resume launching the company’s satellite internet constellation later this year, just 18 days after suspending launches on Russian Soyuz rockets.

SpaceX stretches rocket reuse record with another Starlink launch

March 19, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX flew one of its Falcon 9 rocket boosters for a record 12th time early Saturday, delivering 53 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit and closing out the first quarter of 2022 with 11 missions.

Soyuz carries three cosmonauts to station as Nelson touts cooperation

March 18, 2022 William Harwood

Three cosmonauts blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Friday, caught up with the International Space Station after a two-orbit rendezvous and moved in for docking at a newly arrived Russian module. The cosmonauts are replacing three crew members — two Russians and an American — who are heading home at the end of the month to close out a record-setting flight.

NASA’s most powerful rocket moved to launch pad for first time

March 18, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA’s powerful new moon rocket, standing more than 30 stories tall, arrived on the launch pad early Friday for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ready for a series of checkouts culminating in fueling test and simulated countdown in early April.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 fleet-leader with more Starlink satellites

March 18, 2022 Stephen Clark

Fifty-three more of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites rode into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket after midnight Saturday from Cape Canaveral. The reusable Falcon 9 booster completed its 12th successful mission to space, making it the fleet-leader in SpaceX’s inventory. Liftoff occurred at 12:42 a.m. EDT (0442 GMT).

Live coverage: Russian cosmonauts launch on Soyuz rocket

March 18, 2022 Stephen Clark

An all-Russian crew of three cosmonauts launched Friday at 11:55 a.m. EDT (1555 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, heading to orbit on a Soyuz rocket to begin a six-and-a-half month expedition on the International Space Station. The trio docked with the space station at 3:12 p.m. EDT (1912 GMT).