March 21 in Universe History: Space Missions, Satellites and Exploration

2022

On 21 March 2022, a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launched from Wallops with the BOLT-2 payload for the Air Force Research Laboratory, aiming to improve understanding of boundary-layer transition, turbulent heating, and drag in hypersonic conditions. NASA reported that the rocket and payload performed as planned and that good data were received.

2022

On 21 March 2022, OneWeb said it had contracted with SpaceX to launch its satellites after Russia forced an eleventh-hour cancellation of a planned Baikonur mission, shifting providers in the broadband-constellation market and showing how geopolitics can reshape access to launch services and deployment schedules for space networks.

2024

On 21 March 2024, NASA’s Wallops range supported a Rocket Lab Electron launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, sending small research satellites for the NROL-123 mission into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office. The flight highlighted how small-lift rockets and high-cadence coastal ranges are being used for government missions.