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Reuters • Kantaro Komiya

Space One's Kairos fails third straight attempt, Japan's commercial orbital launch delayed

Space One's Kairos small rocket self-destructed 69 seconds after liftoff on Thursday, marking the third consecutive failure to place a commercial payload and delaying Japan's bid for its first entirely commercial orbital launch. The setback raises questions about readiness of the domestic small-launch sector.

2026-03-12T02:12:23.113325-07:00

Space.com

Firefly Alpha returns to flight with Flight 7 'Stairway to Seven', validating Block II upgrades

2026-03-11T18:18:46.292108-07:00

Space.com

Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL freighter set to depart ISS March 12

2026-03-11T12:09:01.367071-07:00

Universe Today

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

2026-03-11T03:38:46.974388-07:00

News Timeline

Reuters

Space One's Kairos fails third straight attempt, Japan's commercial orbital launch delayed Space One's Kairos small rocket self-destructed 69 seconds after liftoff on Thursday, marking the third consecutive failure to place a commercial payload and delaying Japan's bid for its first entirely commercial orbital launch. The setback raises questions about readiness of the domestic small-launch sector.

2026-03-12T02:12:23.113325-07:00

Space One's Kairos fails third straight attempt, Japan's commercial orbital launch delayed

Space.com

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Firefly Alpha returns to flight with Flight 7 'Stairway to Seven', validating Block II upgrades On March 11, Firefly Aerospace's Alpha returned to flight with the Flight 7 'Stairway to Seven' mission, lifting off from Vandenberg more than 10 months after Flight 6's failure. The launch validated Alpha Block II upgrades, achieved orbital insertion and delivered a Lockheed Martin demonstration payload ahead of Flight 8.

2026-03-11T18:18:46.292108-07:00

Firefly Alpha returns to flight with Flight 7 'Stairway to Seven', validating Block II upgrades

Space.com

Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL freighter set to depart ISS March 12 Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station Thursday, March 12 at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT). NASA will stream the undocking live as the new Cygnus variant completes its resupply mission and prepares for post‑undock disposal operations.

2026-03-11T12:09:01.367071-07:00

Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL freighter set to depart ISS March 12

NASA

Expedition 74 conducts cardiovascular research, prepares EVA to upgrade ISS power as Cygnus XL readies to depart Expedition 74 crew carried out cardiovascular studies while preparing for a planned extravehicular activity to upgrade the International Space Station's power generation system. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft was packed and scheduled to depart the station later Thursday.

2026-03-11T12:08:59.218942-07:00

Expedition 74 conducts cardiovascular research, prepares EVA to upgrade ISS power as Cygnus XL readies to depart

Universe Today

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion Researchers Dimitar Dimitrov and Elijah Taylor Harris (Tuskegee University) report in the Journal of Nanophotonics a nanoengineered light sail that mitigates key thermal constraints of current designs, improving feasibility of solar‑ or laser‑driven, propellant‑free maneuvering for long‑duration space missions.

2026-03-11T04:53:25.493640-07:00

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion

Universe Today

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China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push Beijing has published a stepped‑up 2026 spaceflight plan featuring two crewed missions, a cargo resupply, a planned year‑long solo endurance experiment and the first Tiangong flight carrying astronauts from Hong Kong or Macao; parallel hypersonic tests and reusable‑rocket trials accelerate Beijing’s timeline toward a crewed lunar landing.

2026-03-11T03:38:46.974388-07:00

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

Ars Technica

NASA satellite reentry to exceed agency risk limits after late-stage design changes Late-stage design changes to a NASA satellite increased the likelihood of an uncontrolled reentry and pushed the mission’s modeled ground-casualty risk above agency safety limits, agency documents say. The breach of NASA thresholds requires further assessment of reentry behavior and possible risk-reduction measures.

2026-03-10T16:20:28.243638-07:00

NASA satellite reentry to exceed agency risk limits after late-stage design changes

NASA Spaceflight

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Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week Eight orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with SpaceX's Falcon 9 again accounting for the largest share of missions across the global manifest. The slate underscores Falcon 9’s continued operational cadence and market presence, and will shape this week's orbital-transport dynamics.

2026-03-10T14:19:44.137996-07:00

Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Space One's Kairos fails third straight attempt, Japan's commercial orbital launch delayed

Firefly Alpha returns to flight with Flight 7 'Stairway to Seven', validating Block II upgrades

Northrop Grumman’s first Cygnus XL freighter set to depart ISS March 12

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

News Timeline