Space Brief 28 Aug 2024
A Falcon 9 booster fails to land, increasing GPS and PNT significance for national security, and NASA's SLS mobile launch platform costs soar.
Launch Date
July 29, 2021
Launch Site
RLLB
Launch Pad
LC1A
Launch Vehicle
Electron
NORAD ID
49052
International Designator
2021-068A
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 05:22:08 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
37.02°
Right Ascension
161.88°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
327.91°
Period
95.41 min
Mean Motion
15.09 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
MONOLITH
Alternative Name
Monolith
Type
Status
Owner
STP
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 49052U 21068A 26185.22370581 .00007084 00000-0 44031-3 0 9991
2 49052 37.0215 161.8823 0003040 327.9129 32.1431 15.09313367269851
Source: Celestrak
Length
0.3
Diameter
0.2
Span
0.3
Dry Mass
20
Launch Mass
20
Shape
Box+truss
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
STP-27RM
Purpose
Technology
Mission
Technology
Manufacturer
AFRL
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Cubesat 12U
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
None
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
A Falcon 9 booster fails to land, increasing GPS and PNT significance for national security, and NASA's SLS mobile launch platform costs soar.
Virgin Media O2 launches Europe's first Starlink direct-to-smartphone service in the UK. SpaceX launches 29 more Starlink satellites. Dragon cargo capsule returns after 6-month ISS mission.
SpaceX confidentially files for a record-breaking IPO targeting a $1.75T valuation and $80B raise, while a Starlink satellite breaks apart in orbit.
SpaceX's S-1 reveals $18.7B in revenue as Starship Flight 12 debuts Block 3 hardware from Pad 2 on May 21, 2026.
Five spots in the Earth-Sun system where the gravitational tug of two massive bodies and the pull of circular motion all cancel out, creating gravitational parking spaces where spacecraft can sit for decades with almost no fuel.
Anticipated NISAR launch now scheduled for March 2025; Rivada persists in broadband constellation quest despite setbacks; SpaceX scrubbed RRT-1 launch holds mystery.
Today's top stories include SpaceX's latest Starlink launch, Blue Origin's FAA exemption request, and major acquisitions by Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace shaping the defense and space landscape.
SpaceX targets May 19 for Starship V3's first flight from Pad 2 as the FCC approves a $2.4B EchoStar spectrum deal for Starlink D2D.