Plus: The Space Force plans to experiment with in-space satellite refueling
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| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 04/01/2025 | | | | | SpaceX launched a private astronaut mission Monday night that is the first crewed mission to fly over the Earth's poles. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:47 p.m. Eastern, placing the Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience into orbit. Resilience is flying a mission called Fram2 led by Chun Wang, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, with three others on board. The spacecraft is the first crewed mission to fly a polar orbit, taking it over the north and south poles. The mission, slated to last three and a half days, will include 22 experiments performed by the crew on topics ranging from observations of the aurora to medical tests. Dragon will splash down off the California coast, the first Crew Dragon spacecraft to return there after previous missions landed off the Florida coast. [SpaceNews]
Blue Origin has wrapped up the investigation into the failed booster landing on its first New Glenn launch. The FAA said Monday it approved the final report into the company-led investigation into the January launch, stating that the booster failed to land when it was unable to restart its BE-4 engines. Blue Origin said it is working on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements for the booster. The company reiterated a late spring date for the next New Glenn launch, but did not state what payload, if any, it will carry. The FAA said it also wrapped up the mishap investigation into the SpaceX Starship vehicle lost in a January test flight. An investigation into the failed March 6 test flight is ongoing. [SpaceNews]
The U.S. Space Force is preparing a series of experiments to test in-space satellite refueling technologies. The planned demonstrations, known as Tetra-5 and Tetra-6, will evaluate refueling hardware from Astroscale, Northrop Grumman and Orbit Fab. Tetra-5, involving Astroscale and Orbit Fab, is scheduled to launch next year with Northrop Grumman's Tetra-6 in 2027. For the Space Force, these experiments will provide crucial data to assess the viability of the emerging in-space logistics industry, including technologies and business models. [SpaceNews]
Space robotics GITAI has completed a study of a robotic arm that could be used on a lunar rover. California-based GITAI said its Japanese subsidiary finished its work for the Japanese space agency JAXA, designing a robotic arm system that could be used on JAXA's pressurized lunar rover. GITAI is anticipating a second phase of work from JAXA worth potentially millions of dollars. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | China launched a satellite overnight to test satellite internet technologies. The Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12 a.m. Eastern Tuesday, putting into orbit an unnamed satellite. The satellite will be used mainly for technical tests and verification for direct-to-cell satellite broadband and space-ground network integration. It is the sixth satellite in a series of such test satellites launched since 2023. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites hours before the Fram2 mission. A Falcon 9 took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:52 p.m. Eastern, putting 28 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was scheduled for Sunday but delayed by weather. [Space.com]
Two NASA astronauts say they are doing well after a nine-month stay in orbit. At a press conference Monday, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore said they were reacclimating to normal gravity after a stay on the International Space Station that went from just longer than one week to nine months because of problems with their Starliner spacecraft. They again rejected the notion that they were "stuck" and "abandoned" in space, stating they knew they would get back sooner or later and enjoyed their time in orbit. They added they were "very thankful, very amazed" that their mission got so much attention. [CNN]
The founder of a space startup is accused of spending investors' money for himself. According to a lawsuit, Christopher Craddock, founder of New York-based RocketStar, spent millions of dollars he raised from investors, intended to advance spacecraft propulsion technology, on himself and his family. That also included spending money on tickets to fly women from Italy to the United States for unstated purposes. That lifestyle caused RocketStar to run out of money last summer and furlough all its employees. Craddock denied the allegations in the suit but did not comment further on the claims. [The Independent]
| Nipped in the Bud | |
"I will give an anecdote of a contract that was canceled. It had to do with maintaining the plants at NASA Headquarters. I don't know how much that saved the government, but people came through one day and they took away all of our plants."
โ Charles Webb, acting planetary science division director at NASA headquarters, discussing contracts that have been canceled since the start of the Trump administration during a meeting Monday of a National Academies committee.
| | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? | | Don't forget to sign up for our next webinar! |  | | Join us April 3 for an exclusive one-on-one live interview with Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs. With decades of experience shaping global space policy โ including leadership roles at NorthStar Earth & Space and the Global Satellite Operators Association โ she understands the challenges and solutions that may be necessary for managing space sustainability. | | | | | | |
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