Mission Control
The defining moments of the NewSpace era — 14 events tracked.
Venus Life Finder Probe Enters Venus Atmosphere
The VLF probe arrives at Venus and begins a 3-minute descent through the cloud layer to scan for organic molecules.
Starship IFT-10: First In-Orbit Propellant Transfer Demo
SpaceX attempts to transfer cryogenic propellant between two Starships in LEO, a critical path milestone for Artemis.
SpaceX Launches Starlink Group 10-62 on Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral
Falcon 9 with 29 V2 Mini Starlink satellites in Group 10-62 targets liftoff from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS on March 22 at 14:43 UTC (10:43 EDT). Booster on ~27th flight with RTLS landing planned. Continues megaconstellation expansion to 10,000+ satellites.[web:34]
Roscosmos Progress MS-33 Cargo Mission Launches to ISS
Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Progress MS-33 (94P) resupply vehicle targets 11:59 UTC liftoff from Baikonur LC-31/6 on March 22, carrying 2.5 tons of food, fuel, water, and science cargo. Automated docking to ISS Rassvet module ~2 days later. Supports multinational station operations amid crew rotations.[web:27][web:36]
SpaceX Launches 25 Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg SFB
Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 20 at 21:51 UTC with 25 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on northeast trajectory. First stage separated and RTLS landed successfully. Adds to constellation growth pace of 35+ missions in 2026 YTD.[web:37]
NASA X-59 Completes Second Test Flight Despite In-Flight Issue
NASA's X-59 Quesst quiet supersonic demonstrator flew its second test mission on March 20 from Edwards AFB, California, lasting ~1 hour at speeds up to 260 mph and 20,000 ft. A cockpit warning prompted early termination, but the aircraft landed safely after envelope expansion objectives. This advances validation of low-boom tech for future overland supersonic travel.[web:33][web:35]
NASA Rolls SLS + Orion Stack to Launch Pad 39B for Artemis II
After helium leak repairs and final close-outs, NASA began the ~4-mile rollout of the fully stacked SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Rollout started ~8 p.m. EDT March 19 (delayed slightly by winds) and is expected to complete within 12 hours. This positions the vehicle for the April 1 targeted crewed lunar flyby: the first humans around the Moon since Apollo 17.
NASA Astronauts Complete U.S. Spacewalk 94 to Prep for New Solar Arrays
On March 18 astronauts Jessica Meir (4th EVA) and Chris Williams (1st EVA) conducted the first U.S. spacewalk of 2026 from the Quest airlock. They prepared the 2A power channel for future IROSA rollout solar array installation. The 6.5-hour EVA successfully completed all primary tasks. Spacewalk 95 (3B channel prep) is scheduled for the coming days.
7-Ton Meteor Explodes Over Northeast Ohio, Sonic Boom Heard Across Multiple States
At ~8:56 a.m. EDT March 17 a ~6-ft, 7-ton meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere over Lake Erie traveling ~45,000 mph. It fragmented over Medina County, Ohio, releasing energy equivalent to ~250 tons of TNT and generating a pressure wave felt as loud booms and shaking homes across northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and parts of 10+ states. NASA’s fireball network confirmed the event; potential meteorites may have reached the ground in a strewn field south of Valley City.
New Glenn NG-2 Achieves Full Mission Success, Lands Booster at Sea
Blue Origin's second New Glenn flight on November 13, 2025 achieved full mission success: the ESCAPADE twin spacecraft were deployed to their loiter orbit en route to Mars, and the first stage booster "Never Tell Me the Odds" landed on the Jacklyn platform vessel in the Atlantic — making Blue Origin only the second company ever to recover an orbital-class booster. The flight certified New Glenn for NASA and set up future Blue Moon lunar lander missions.
Geolava Raises $4.3M Pre-Seed for Spatial AI Platform
San Francisco-based Geolava closed a $4.3M pre-seed round in July 2025 led by Luge Capital and others. The funding accelerates development of its satellite + street-view AI world model for real-estate and infrastructure valuation.
Starship Flight 8: Booster Caught, Ship 34 Lost Over Atlantic
SpaceX's eighth Starship flight test on March 6, 2025 achieved a third consecutive Super Heavy booster catch at Starbase (Mechazilla), but Ship 34 lost attitude control 8 minutes into ascent due to Raptor engine failures and broke apart over the Bahamas/Atlantic, triggering FAA ground stops at Florida airports. Root cause: hardware failure in a Raptor engine causing propellant mixing. FAA closed the mishap investigation June 12, 2025 after SpaceX identified 8 corrective actions.
Intuitive Machines IM-2 Athena Lander Tips Over at Lunar South Pole
Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander Athena touched down at Mons Mouton near the lunar south pole on March 6, 2025 — the southernmost lunar landing ever — but settled on its side inside a small crater ~250 m from the target site after an altimeter failure. Power depleted within 13 hours. NASA's PRIME-1 drill could not operate, though 250 MB of data was returned. The company's second consecutive sideways landing.
Firefly Blue Ghost Completes First Fully Successful Commercial Moon Landing
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander touched down at Mare Crisium on March 2, 2025 — the first fully successful commercial soft landing on the Moon. All 10 NASA CLPS science payloads powered on and collected data over a 14-day surface mission (346 hours), transmitting 120 GB back to Earth. The mission concluded March 16 when batteries depleted at lunar sunset.