Plus: Seraphim Space's new investment fund
| By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Space Force suspends Vulcan launches, Seraphim Space raises a new investment fund, a NASA astronaut says he was the reason for the early return from the ISS and more.
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The Space Force is pausing use of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket after an anomaly on a launch earlier this month. The service said Wednesday that it will not fly national security missions on Vulcan while an investigation continues into the USSF-87 launch Feb. 12, when ULA reported an "observation" with one of the rocket's strap-on boosters. The incident was similar to one on Vulcan's second flight in October 2024, when a nozzle on one of the solid boosters came off in flight. A halt in national security launches is a setback for ULA as it seeks to increase Vulcan's flight rate and establish a steady operational tempo. The company recently projected 18 to 22 launches this year. [SpaceNews]
A top NASA official is retiring from the agency. Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, said at the end of a speech at the ASCENDxTexas conference Wednesday that he would be retiring. He did not give a reason for the retirement or a timeframe, but suggested it would be imminent. Bowersox leads NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, responsible for the International Space Station, commercial crew and other programs. His announcement came less than a week after NASA released an independent report in the 2024 Starliner crewed test flight that identified problems with how NASA managed the issue. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said when the report was released that "there will be leadership accountability" but didn't elaborate. [SpaceNews]
Seraphim Space announced Feb. 25 it has completed fundraising for its second private early-stage venture fund. The British firm declined to disclose the fund's final size but said it exceeded a goal of $100 million. New investors include Saudi satellite operator Arabsat and the U.K. government-backed British Business Bank and National Security Strategic Investment Fund. They join existing strategic partners that include Eutelsat, SKY Perfect JSAT and Japanese technology company NEC. The new fund, named Seraphim Space Ventures II, has already invested in startups such as small geostationary satellite maker AscendArc and Hubble Networks, which is developing a constellation to connect Bluetooth devices. [SpaceNews]
The Golden Dome missile defense initiative will require unprecedented coordination among existing combatant commands. At the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium this week, leaders of U.S. Northern Command, Space Command and Strategic Command said they are part of an executive council supporting Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Golden Dome program manager. Golden Dome will have a significant space component, while Northern Command is responsible for defending the U.S. and Canada from attack and Strategic Command has global missile defense responsibilities. The leaders of the three organizations said Guetlein has been a "fantastic partner" in developing requirements for Golden Dome that could help accelerate deployment of the system. [SpaceNews]
A NASA astronaut said it was his medical condition that required an early return from the ISS. In a statement Wednesday, Mike Fincke said he had a "medical event" on the ISS last month that led NASA to bring him and the other three members of the Crew-11 mission back more than a month early. Fincke did not disclose details about the condition but said it required "advanced medical imaging not available on the space station." He added that he is "on the path to a complete recovery." NASA had declined to identify the crewmember with the medical issue or other details about it, citing medical privacy concerns. [SpaceNews]
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft is operating normally on its way to a near-Earth asteroid later this year. The spacecraft, launched last May, is scheduled to arrive later this year at the asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa. It will collect samples of the asteroid and return them to Earth by November 2027, a Chinese official said in a presentation to the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space earlier this month. After returning the samples to Earth, Tianwen-2 will use Earth's gravity to send it on a course for main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving in 2034. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | | Other News
A California launch placed more Starlink satellites into orbit Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:17 a.m. Eastern, deploying 25 Starlink satellites. With this mission SpaceX has launched more than 500 Starlink satellites this year. [Spaceflight Now]
Artemis 2 is back in the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. NASA rolled back the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B Wednesday, taking more than 10 hours to complete the trip. Once back in the VAB, engineers will examine a problem with the helium pressurization system in the rocket's upper stage. There are several potential causes for the problem, and NASA has not estimated how long the repairs might take. NASA will also replace batteries in the rocket. The next available launch window for the Artemis 2 mission is in early April. [CBS]
A valve malfunction prevented an Indian spacecraft from raising its orbit after launch more than a year ago. The Indian space agency ISRO released Wednesday the findings of an investigation into the NVS-02 spacecraft, which was stranded in a geostationary transfer orbit when its orbit-raising engine failed to fire. ISRO said that a pyro valve for an oxidizer line to that engine did not receive signals to open. The agency said corrective actions were demonstrated on another mission that launched in November. [SpaceNews]
Eutelsat is raising 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to refinance its debt. The company is selling five- and seven-year bonds, using the proceeds to redeem 1.2 billion euros in notes due in 2027 and 2029. The remaining proceeds of the bond sales will cover transaction fees and provide additional cash for the company. [Bloomberg]
Houston is bidding to host a major space conference in 2029. AIAA announced Wednesday its intent to bid on the 2029 International Astronautical Congress, one of the largest space conferences worldwide. AIAA said it is working with local organizations to host the conference, timed to the 60th anniversary of Apollo 11. Organizers hope to break the IAC attendance record of 12,000 set in 2024 in Milan, adding it has received more than 160 letters of support from agencies and organizations. The International Astronautical Federation will select the site of the 2029 conference at the 2026 IAC in Turkey in October. [AIAA]
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| "I can't just fly up one of my vehicles to Haven-2 and smash those two things together. It won't work. It would be a smash. It wouldn't be an attach."
| | – Jonathan Cirtain, CEO of commercial space station developer Axiom Space, discussing at the ASCENDxTexas conference Wednesday the difficulties of combining his company's proposed station with those planned by other companies, like Vast's Haven-2.
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