March 2015 Space News

Russia Launches Three Telecoms, One Military Satellites Into Orbit Sputnik 31 Mar 2015 -- A Rokot carrier rocket lifted off on Tuesday from the Plesetsk space center in northwestern Russia to deliver a trio of Gonets-M communications satellites and an unspecified military satellite into orbit, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
South Korea to Spend $769Mln on Upgrading US-Made Missile Defense System Sputnik 31 Mar 2015 -- South Korea has signed a $769 million dollar deal to upgrade its Patriot air and missile defense system, Raytheon announced in a statement.
India successfully launches 4th navigation satellite People's Daily 29 Mar 2015 -- India on Saturday successfully launched a navigation satellite from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota, the state-owned space agency sources said.
India Launches Fourth Satellite in Effort to Develop Own Navigation System Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- The IRNSS-1D navigation satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the Sriharikota Island in the southern part of the country.
Russia, US to Jointly Prepare Mars, Moon Flight Road Map - NASA Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Russia and the United States will work together on a roadmap to send humans to Mars and the Moon, according to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Soyuz Carrier With Two Galileo Satellites Launched From Kourou Spaceport Sputnik 28 Mar 2015 -- Russian carrier rocket Soyuz-ST with two EU satellites aboard was successfully launched from Kourou space centre in French Guyana on Saturday, Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos told RIA Novosti.
Pair Begin Record-Setting Year in Space After 'Beautiful Launch' VOA 28 Mar 2015 -- An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut began a record-setting year in space Saturday, entering the International Space Station for a mission designed to study the long-term effects of zero gravity on the human body.
Russian, American Headed for Year in Space VOA 27 Mar 2015 -- A U.S. astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut are headed for a year in outer space, the longest stay ever at the International Space Station.
Top military officers of S. Korea, U.S. discuss no THAAD deployment People's Daily 27 Mar 2015 -- Top military officers of South Korea and the United States had no discussions Friday about whether to deploy on the Korean Peninsula the advanced U.S. missile defense system, called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), the South Korean Defense Ministry said.
Officials: Space no Longer a Sanctuary; Sequester a Threat AFPS 26 Mar 2015 -- The space domain is no longer the relative sanctuary it once was, and growing adversarial threats intend to deny the U.S. national security and economic benefits derived from space access, Defense Department officials told Congress yesterday.
Pyongyang slams U.S. plan to deploy THAAD in S. Korea People's Daily 26 Mar 2015 -- The foreign ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday blasted the United States for its plan to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea, the official KCNA news agency reported.
Eye in the Sky: Japan Launches Spy Satellite Into Orbit Sputnik 26 Mar 2015 -- Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a backup optical satellite for the government's intelligence gathering program.
Russia capable of responding to US missile shield deployment plans - diplomat TASS 26 Mar 2015 -- Moscow warns the countries intending to permit deployment of the US missile shield elements on their territories that Russia has all the necessary means to counter the threat, Alexander Lukashevich, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday.
9th-generation GPS satellite blasts off from 'The Cape' AFNS 26 Mar 2015 -- The 45th Space Wing supported the successful launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying the Air Force's ninth Block IIF-9 navigation satellite for the GPS March 25, 2015, from Launch Complex 37 here.
Syria crisis 'worsening' amid humanitarian funding shortfall, warns top UN relief official UN News 26 Mar 2015 -- The situation on the ground in Syria has "dramatically" worsened as the country enters its fifth year of war amid escalating fighting and targeted attacks against civilians, the top United Nations humanitarian official warned today as she urged the international community to bring the violence to an end.
Poland Requests US Patriot Missiles - US Missile Defense Commander Sputnik 26 Mar 2015 -- Poland has made requests for US Patriot surface-to-air missiles as it moves to complete a $10 billion integrated air and missile defense program, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command Commander David Mann said at a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on missile defense.
Russia warns US over deploying missile system in S Korea Press TV 24 Mar 2015 -- Moscow has warned Washington against plans to deploy a ballistic missile system in South Korea, saying it may further complicate the situation of the volatile Korean Peninsula.
UAE Moves to Purchase Russian Spacecraft Launch Platform Sputnik 24 Mar 2015 -- The United Arab Emirates expressed interest in the purchase of the international spacecraft launch platform 'Sea Launch".
US Missile Defense Systems in S Korea Could Spark Asian Arms Race - Moscow Sputnik 24 Mar 2015 -- Moscow believes that the possible deployment of US missile defense systems in South Korea could spark an arms race and hamper negotiations on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
AF releases results of Space Launch Process review AFNS 23 Mar 2015 -- The Air Force announced March 23, that the phase one results of the independent review panel tasked by Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James to review the process for certifying SpaceX as an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) provider.
F. E. Warren conducts Minuteman III missile test launch from Vandenberg AFNS 23 Mar 2015 -- A team Airmen from Air Force Global Strike Command, launched an unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle March 23, from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Missile System Helps Counter N. Korea Threats, US Official Says VOA 23 Mar 2015 -- A senior Pentagon official says a U.S. missile defense called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a key part of efforts to counter North Korean missile threats.
Russian Envoy Warns Denmark Not to Join NATO Missile Shield Sputnik 21 Mar 2015 -- The Russian Ambassador to Denmark has warned that Copenhagen will face grave consequences if it joins the NATO missile defense shield.
Missile Agency Director: Budget Request Supports Development AFPS 18 Mar 2015 -- The Missile Defense Agency's fiscal year 2016 budget request continues the development of defenses for the nation, deployed forces and allies and international partners against increasingly capable ballistic missile threats, the agency's director told Congress today.
China to send over 40 spacecraft in 20 launches in 2015 People's Daily 18 Mar 2015 -- Chinese space authorities have announced plans to launch more than 40 different spacecraft into orbit this year.
Replacing Russian Rocket Engine to Take 7 Years - US Air Force Official Sputnik 18 Mar 2015 -- Developing an alternative rocket engine to the existing Russian RD-180 model will take the United States five to seven years because of technological challenges, US Air Force Assistant Secretary of William LaPlante said in a testimony.
UK to deliver secure communications with new satellite move Gov.uk 17 Mar 2015-- The UK will move one of its communication satellites to the Asia Pacific region for the first time to deliver protected and secure satellite communications services.
U.S., Poland to Conduct Patriot Missile Exercise AFPS 13 Mar 2015 -- U.S. and Polish forces will conduct an exercise later this month involving a U.S. Patriot missile battery and Poland's 3rd Warsaw Air Defense Missile Brigade, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren announced today.
Kosmotras Denies Reports of Suspending Russian-Ukrainian Rocket Launches Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras will launch a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr carrier rocket despite earlier media reports that the company's space contracts may be disrupted amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the company said Friday.
US Launches Atlas Rocket With NASA's Spacecraft for Magnetic Field Studies Sputnik 13 Mar 2015 -- The United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrier rocket has lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 with NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft (MMS) that will study magnetic fields around the Earth.
China plans to launch Chang'e-4 before 2020 People's Daily 12 Mar 2015 -- China will launch its Chang'e-4 lunar probe before 2020, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) said Thursday.
South Korea Says No to US Missile Defense System Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- South Korea does not intend to purchase a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, a US anti-ballistic missile system, to defend itself against the missile threat from Pyongyang despite growing support for the move in the ruling Saenuri Party.
Iron Dome is Not Enough Protection for Israel - Air Force Commander Sputnik 09 Mar 2015 -- The commander of the Israeli Air Force believes the country's much-touted Iron Dome air defense system cannot fully protect Israel and its citizens.
International Space Station 'Lost' Without Russia - NASA Chief Sputnik 07 Mar 2015 -- A top NASA official confirmed Wednesday that the US has no backup plan to maintain the International Space Station if Russia should decide to pull out of the joint operation.
U.S.-India Space Security Cooperation: A Partnership for the 21st Century US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2015 -- Remarks by Frank A. Rose, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
NASA Scientists Find Compelling Evidence of Large, Ancient Ocean on Mars Sputnik 06 Mar 2015 -- located in Hawaii and in Chile – to track changes to the Martian atmosphere over six years and specifically look at how different forms of water molecules in the Martian air varied in different places through changing seasons.
NASA's Dawn Mission Arrives to Mysterious Dwarf Planet Ceres Sputnik 06 Mar 2015 -- NASA's Dawn mission completed its trip to the dwarf planet Ceres, making the probe the first human-made object to visit one of the dwarf planets in our solar system.
China plans to launch space station in 2018 People's Daily 05 Mar 2015 -- China is planning to launch its space station in 2018 and complete the project by 2022, Zhang Bonan, chief designer of China's manned spacecraft system, told China News Service on Wednesday.
US Military Satellite Explodes, Sending Chunks of Debris Into Orbit Sputnik 03 Mar 2015 -- After detecting what has been described as a "sudden spike in temperature," a 20-year-old weather satellite used by the US military exploded, sending dozens of chunks of debris hurtling into Earth's orbit.
India to Launch 4th Navigation Satellite for Communications Security Sputnik 02 Mar 2015 -- India will launch the fourth of seven satellites in its navigation system in a move to join the ranks of space-faring nations, a senior official in the Indian Space Agency said on Monday.

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list