Space Calendar

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-46
2026-03-15 | SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window 07:11-11:11 EDT (01:11-05:11 HST) for 29 internet satellites; after this 11th re-use booster B1090 expected to land on ASDS barge ASOG in the Atlantic Ocean.

AIAA Los Angeles Section Town Hall: Movie Saturday with Michelle Evans
2026-03-14 | Lakewood CA, USA
Presenter / Speaker: Michelle Evans, AIAA Distinguished Speaker, at Iacoboni Library, 4990 Clark Avenue, 11:00 PDT. Evans is founder of Mach 25 Media (www.Mach25Media.com), and is a writer, photographer and communications specialist in aerospace, author of bestselling book “The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying the First Wings into Space”. She will show the science fiction movie X-15 (featuring Mary Tyler Moore in her first feature film role). It was directed by Richard Donner and released on November 21, 1961, in Washington, D.C. It also starred David McLean, Charles Bronson and James Gregory, with narration by James Stewart.
(The speaker will present in person.)
(X-15 movie viewing is for the In-Person attendees only, it’s not broadcast online.)

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-24
2026-03-14 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window 19:37-23:37 PDT (16:37-20:37 HST) for 25 internet satellites; after this 14th re-use, booster B1088 expected to land on ASDS barge OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean.

Goddard Memorial Dinner
2026-03-13 | Washington DC, USA
69th annual event held in honor of Dr. Robert H. Goddard, convenes ~2,000 participants for presentation of the Goddard Trophy and for awards recognizing accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management and education. 18:30 EDT at Washington Hilton.

Goddard Space Science Symposium (63rd AAS GSSS)
2026-03-12 - 2026-03-13 | Washington DC, USA
Bringing the space community together to discuss the latest in the industry, including Moon communications and 2026 space policy. At National Housing Center, 1201 15th St NW, Washington DC and online. Speakers include Nicky Fox, Steve Isakowitz.
Centennial of Robert Goddard’s launch of the 1st liquid-fueled rocket is March 16, 2026, being celebrated worldwide and in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts USA. See Goddard Centennial events here: https://firstlaunchcentennial.org/

NET March 12 Launch Long March 8A / Unknown Payload
2026-03-12 | Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China

Astronaut Kathryn Thornton Welcomes Awardees of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
2026-03-12 | Lawrence KS, USA
Kathryn C. Thornton has spent 975+ hours in space, including 21 hours of EVA, some of which was to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. At Burge Union, Forum C / D, 15:30 CDT, registration required.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-48
2026-03-12 | SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window 06:00-10:00 EDT (00:00-04:00 HST) for 29 internet satellites; after this 6th re-use, booster B1095 expected to land on ASDS barge JRTI.

Space Vehicle Design Courses
2026-03-11 - 2026-03-12 | Huntsville AL, USA
In the 2 days prior to 48th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, Launchspace offers:
Course 1: Fundamentals of Space Vehicle Mechanisms, https://www.launchspace.com/svm2026reg/
or
Course 2: Compliant Mechanism Design, https://www.launchspace.com/cmdreg2026/
Either course is $995.

Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series: Pictures of Distant Worlds
2026-03-11 | Los Altos Hills CA, USA
At Smithwick Theater of Foothill College, 19:00 PDT, Bruce Macintosh (Director of the University of California Observatories) will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture. No admission charge; the college is a 12345 El Monte Road.
In the past three decades, more than 6000 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars beyond our own solar system. However, we still don’t know if our solar system is rare or unique—the powerful techniques that detect extrasolar planets have discovered systems very different from our own. In recent years, advances in technology have allowed a handful of giant planets around other stars to be imaged directly. Find out about the first-ever images of other solar systems—and the technology that has allowed us to discover them, such as the Gemini Planet Imager—as well as the future planet-hunting space telescopes. The ultimate goal is detection of a second ‘pale blue dot’—an Earth twin where we could even see the biosignatures of extrasolar life.
Bruce Macintosh is the Director of the University of California Observatories in California and Hawaii. His research focuses on the study of extrasolar planets, in particular the study of such planets through direct imaging. Direct imaging of extrasolar planets involves blocking, suppressing, and subtracting the light of the bright parent star so that a planet hundreds of thousands of times fainter can be seen and studied in detail. Dr. Macintosh co-led the team that imaged the first extrasolar planets, and was the principal investigator of the Gemini Planet Imager, an advanced adaptive optics planet-finder for the Gemini South telescope.

Inaugural Online AIAA Book Talk
2026-03-11 | Online
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Book Talks highlight books and authors published by AIAA. The Anatomy of Autonomy concerns autonomous aerospace flight, is by Michael S Francis, Ella Atkins and CE “Noah” Flood, who all will discuss it at 11:00-12:00 EDT(UTC-4), (05:00-06:00 HST).
The series provides a forum to introduce newly released titles, new editions, discuss key themes and contributions, and explore how these works support ongoing research, teaching and scholarship in aerospace science and engineering. Designed for researchers, practitioners, and students, AIAA Book Talks offers a concise way to engage with content and authors of new books from AIAA.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-31
2026-03-11 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window 03:58-07:58 PDT (00:58-04:58 HST) for 25 internet satellites; after this 32nd re-use, booster B1071 expected to land on ASDS barge OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean.

Meeting of the NOAA Science Advisory Board
2026-03-10 - 2026-03-11 | College Park MD, USA
Includes Space Weather subject on agenda as well as Data Assimilation / Machine Learning / A.I.; online option available, and in-person at NCWCP Conference Center, 5830 University Research Court. 09:00-17:00 EDT each day.

Satellite Building Workshop
2026-03-09 - 2026-03-13 | Singapore
For undergraduates in STEM-related courses. At Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), established in 2012 in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Launch Firefly Alpha / Stairway to Seven (Flight 7)
2026-03-09 | SLC-2W (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window open 17:50-19:50 PDT (14:50-16:50 HST) for test flight of multiple Block II systems including avionics and thermals although the last flight in the current configuration, ahead of the upgrade on Flight 8. Follows April 2025 launch failure.

Abstracts Due for Space Resources Roundtable XXVI
2026-03-09 | Online
To be held June 2-5, 2026, at Colorado School of Mines, to bring together participants around the world from space agencies, research organizations, academia, the space private sector, the mining supply chain, the energy industry, equipment manufacturers, and financial, policy, and legal experts to present innovative approaches in space resource identification, extraction, technology development, utilization, economic feasibility studies, public and private partnerships, and capability and regulatory regimes.
The SRR meeting will be organized to accommodate keynote speakers, technical presentations, expert panels, poster displays, and roundtable discussions on the following topics:
1. The Moon and Cislunar Space: Our nearest celestial destination for space resources
2. Mars: Preparing to live and work in the Red Planet
3. Asteroids: Stepping stones to develop a space resources infrastructure
4. Manufacturing and Construction: Building our future in space
5. Infrastructure: Power, communications, transport, and other services to support space resources activities
6. Economic, Legal, Policy, and Environmental Issues: The multidisciplinary nature of space resources

Mary Jackson Lecture: Fluid Mechanics with Ivett Leyva
2026-03-09 | Online
A Wondering Fluid Mechanics Scientific Career is Ivett Leyva’s title for description of her remarkable career, including preventing rocket explosions, testing propulsion and enhancing scientific understanding of hypersonic flight. Streaming live at 12:00-13:00 EDT (06:00 HST); registration required.

Ivett A. Leyva, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Dean for Research, Fort Worth Campus, College of Engineering Arthur McFarland Professor·Texas A&M Fort Worth

Ivett A. Leyva became the Associate Dean for Research at the new Texas A&M Fort Worth campus in August 2025. She is tasked with starting a new engineering research enterprise in this new campus. She was head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering from 2021 to 2025. Previously, she worked at the Air Force for 15 years. For 6 years, she was the program officer for Hypersonic Aerodynamics at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and prior to that she was a researcher at the AFRL Rocket Lab working on liquid rocket instabilities. Her technical expertise is in hypersonic aerodynamics and liquid rocket engines. Ivett holds a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree from Caltech. Her Ph.D. was in Aeronautics. Ivett has six patents and has authored numerous papers and two book chapters. She is a fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. She is a National Associate of the National Research Council of the National Academies, and a recipient of a Civilian Achievement Medal and two meritorious Civilian Service Awards and Medals from the Air Force.
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The Mary Jackson Named Lecture is given in honor of Mary Jackson (1921–2005), who became the first black female aerospace engineer at NASA in 1958. The lecture is jointly sponsored by the Royal Aeronautical Society and AIAA.

Launch Falcon 9 / EchoStar 25
2026-03-09 - 2026-03-10 | SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window EDT 23:14 Mar 9 – 01:43 Mar 10 (17:14-19:43 Mar 9 HST); going to GTO, EchoStar 25 is a direct broadcast satellite for the DISH network, built on the Maxar 1300 series platform to deliver content across North America via a high-power, multi-spot beam payload.

WM2026: Efficient and Innovative Nuclear Materials and Technology Solutions
2026-03-08 - 2026-03-12 | Phoenix AZ, USA
52nd annual Waste Management Symposia (WM) expects 2,500+ attendees, 900 organizations, 30 countries, and 200 exhibitors—to exchange insights, tackle key challenges, and explore groundbreaking solutions. This dynamic forum unites global experts to drive safe, cost-effective solutions for handling radioactive materials and decommissioning nuclear facilities. At Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third Street.

Explore cutting-edge research, development, and operational insights across 12 specialized tracks. Engage in exclusive panel and paper sessions spotlighting our theme, “Efficient and Innovative Nuclear Materials and Technology Solutions,” and this year’s Featured Country – Finland, and Featured US DOE Site – Hanford, Washington.
Includes:
Track 5 Packaging and Transportation (PAT)
Track 11 Advanced Nuclear Reactors for Electrical Power and Other Application (ANR)

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-31
2026-03-08 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window 03:58-07:58 PDT (00:58-04:58 HST) for 25 internet satellites; booster B1071 after this 32nd re-use is expected to land on ASDS OCISLY.

47th IEEE Aerospace Conference (2026)
2026-03-07 - 2026-03-14 | Big Sky MT, USA
The international IEEE Aerospace Conference, with AIAA and PHM Society as technical cosponsors, is organized to promote interdisciplinary understanding of aerospace systems, their underlying science and technology, and their applications to government and commercial endeavors. The annual, week-long conference is set in a stimulating and thought-provoking environment.

Canadian CubeSat Conference (CCC 2026)
2026-03-07 - 2026-03-08 | Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Inaugural conference aims to enable resource sharing and collaboration while building next-gen engineers. Canadian Space Agency offers grants for attendance to postsecondary students to attend. At John Molson School of Business, Concordia University.

Goddard: 100 Years Anniversary Celebration
2026-03-07 | Greenbelt MD, USA
Goddard named his rocket “Nell”; celebrate the 100th anniversary of its flight. 13:00-15:00 EST, at NASA Goddard Visitor Center, ICESat Road. Opportunity to launch your own model rocket with the NARHAMS Rocket Club; rain date March 14.

Launch RV-X VTVL / Test flight
2026-03-07 | Noshiro Rocket Testing Center (~40°N), Akita Prefecture, Japan
1st test flight of vertical-takeoff-and-vertical-landing RV-X small rocket (6.76 m tall, 1.83 m dia., 3,138 kg); 2nd test flight planned for March 14.
RV-X is the first of two flight experiments planned by JAXA in developing a reusable 1st stage for a next-generation launch vehicle. A 2nd vehicle planned to fly NET early 2027 is under the Callisto program (for Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation for Toss-Back Stage Operation) with partners from France and Germany.
The RV-X and Callisto projects are intended to acquire technology for safely operating reusable launch vehicles using liquid hydrogen as a fuel. This offers a higher specific impulse than kerosene or methane, for a lighter vehicle, but poses handling challenges, JAXA says.

BIS West Midlands Branch: Pets in Space
2026-03-07 | Online
14:00-15:15 UT; For almost twenty thousand years, human beings have shared their lives with their animal companions. Cats and dogs have accompanied explorers and settlers wherever they have ventured, across deserts, through deepest jungles, to the frozen extremes of the poles and across (and even below) the world’s oceans. Cats and dogs have provided valuable service by joining humans in hunting game, guarding and herding livestock and controlling domestic vermin. But more than that, they have become an important part of families and communities, loved and valued simply for their company and companionship.

Wales and West Spacefest
2026-03-07 | Bristol, United Kingdom
09:30-17:00 UT at Aerospace Bristol Museum; The BIS will have a stand at this event, as astronomy societies from Bristol and Cardiff, and Bath Astronomers, alongside the Museum itself and the Herschel Museum present a full day of talks, lectures, children’s activities and show space hardware from the Museum’s collection.

Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-18
2026-03-07 | SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Launch window 02:59-06:58 PST (00:59-04:58 HST) for 25 internet satellites; after this 7th re-use, booster B1097 expected to land on ASDS barge OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee Meeting
2026-03-06 | Online
Online 13:00-17:00 EST (08:00-12:00 HST) U.S. National Science Foundation committee meets to provide advice and recommendations to NASA, National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy (DOE).
The committee will hear presentations by representatives from NSF, NASA, DOE and other agencies relevant to astronomy and astrophysics. The primary purpose of these presentations includes a discussion of current programming and potential areas of cooperation between the agencies, as well as recommendations for continued and new areas of cooperation and mechanisms for achieving them.

Abstract Submissions Due for 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026)
2026-03-06 | Online
Final extension. Congress will be in Antalya, Türkiye, October 5-9, 2026, under the ambitious and forward-looking theme: “The World Needs More Space”, and invites bold thinking, across disciplines, across sectors and across traditional boundaries. Creative crossovers and fresh perspectives are not only welcome but encouraged.
Conference website: https://www.iac2026.org/
Info video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gm3Xzk7Wrk

US Senate Confirmation Hearing for NASA Deputy Administrator
2026-03-05 | Online / Washington DC, USA
Matthew Anderson of Colorado, USA is nominated. 10:00 EST hearing will stream live on YouTube and on the website of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
