Space News for Thursday, January 11, 2024

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:25) Japanese Mars mission launch delayed to 2026(00:53) Ovzon 3 successfully deploys solar arrays in geostationary orbit(01:22) Whiting takes helm of U.S. Space Command(01:44) SpaceX targets February for third Starship test flight(02:10) Iridium pivots to standardized direct-to-device satellite services(02:40) China’s Chang’e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission(03:17) NASA and JAXA troubleshooting glitch with new X-ray astronomy satellite(03:43) Disappointment as Astrobotic’s Peregrine has “no chance of soft landing on the Moon” – SatNews(04:11) Northrop Grumman’s solid rocket boosters help power first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket – SatNews(04:45) UPDATE #2 Another delay for SpaceX launch of 22 Starlink smallsats – SatNews(05:12) SmallSat Symposium: New Keynotes + Presenters – SatNews(05:36) iDirect Government establishes Engineering Center of Excellence to combat EW, TRANSEC + Cyber Attacks – SatNews(06:06) NASA’s Webb Finds Signs of Possible Aurorae on Isolated Brown Dwarf(06:39) This US-Indian Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s Changing Frozen Regions(07:05) NASA’s Webb Discovers Dusty ‘Cat’s Tail’ in Beta Pictoris System