Astronauts can observe quarantine from their house in Houston instead of at the Johnson Space Center quarantine facility.

Artemis 2 crew began their health stabilization program (quarantine) on January 23.

A wet dress rehearsal for Artemis 2 is scheduled to start on February 2.

The move of Artemis 2 astronauts back to Cape Canaveral could occur as early as January 31 or February 1 and possibly February 2.

During quarantine NASA requires the crew to avoid public places, wear masks, maintain distance from others, and allows continued contact with friends, family, and colleagues who observe quarantine guidelines.

If Artemis 2 astronauts are in the Orion spacecraft and a short delay occurs, the crew will return to quarantine for the duration of that short delay.

Astronauts have become ill in past quarantines due to respiratory viruses that were not severe and did not affect missions.

Artemis 2 has a targeted first launch window on February 6 at 9:41 p.m. EST.

The Artemis 2 astronauts are in Houston for quarantine.

About six days before the February 6 launch window the Artemis 2 astronauts will return to Florida and continue quarantine in the crew quarters at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

NASA states that the Artemis 2 crew will continue final training activities during quarantine, including mission simulations and medical checkouts.

The Canadian Space Agency recommends isolating a crew for 14 days before a launch because most infectious diseases take 10 to 14 days to transmit.

Other customers on the Astranis Block 3 launch are Thaicom of Thailand and APCO of Mexico.

The Astranis MicroGEO satellite will expand satellite broadband capacity in key Middle East markets for governments, enterprises, and communities.

The Astranis MicroGEO satellite is set to launch on the Astranis Block 3 mission later this year.

The dedicated Astranis MicroGEO satellite will provide sovereign control for Oman.

Space Communication Technologies placed an Airbus OneSat order in November 2025 for OmanSat-1, making it the second recent commercial satellite order from Oman.

The contract for the Astranis MicroGEO satellite is a nine-figure contract and is part of a $200 million investment by MB Group in sovereign connectivity.

Astranis Block 3 was originally targeted for launch in 2025 but has been pushed to 2026.

Astranis announced the satellite deal in Oman with leaders from MB Group and officials from the Oman Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

Astranis purchased a dedicated Falcon 9 for its Block 3 mission a year before the announcement.

MB Group, Oman’s largest oil and gas conglomerate, has ordered an Astranis MicroGEO satellite to provide dedicated communications in Oman.

The Astranis MicroGEO satellite will support Oman’s digital infrastructure as part of the Oman Vision 2040 development plan.

The European Space Agency received a mandate from its member governments to prepare four in-orbit demonstrator missions.

The European Space Agency and the European Commission will prepare four in-orbit demonstrator missions together.

The four in-orbit demonstrator missions are intended to support a future intelligence and reconnaissance satellite network.

The European Space Agency will reimburse non-recurring costs of scaling technology for constellations.

Iris2 is the European Commission’s secure communications constellation.

The European Space Agency is expanding Iris2 network’s low-LEO segment.

The MB Group satellite will launch on Astranis’s Block 3 mission aboard a dedicated Falcon 9 targeting summer 2026.

Astranis signed a nine-figure contract with MB Group to provide Oman’s first dedicated communications satellite.

The satellite for MB Group will be one of Astranis’s roughly 400-kilogram MicroGEO spacecraft.

Oman is procuring a dedicated satellite from Astranis to obtain a private, secure communications network under its control.

MB Group’s $200 million investment in sovereign connectivity is intended to advance Oman’s Vision 2040 program.

Astranis is building Oman's first dedicated communications satellite for MB Group.

The deal to build Oman’s dedicated communications satellite is part of an overall $200 million MB Group investment in sovereign connectivity.

Astranis’s Block 3 satellite for MB Group is planned to move from contract to operations in months rather than years.

MB Group is the largest oil and gas conglomerate in Oman.

The Block 3 mission will carry a satellite for Thaicom of Thailand designated Thaicom-9.

The Block 3 mission will carry two satellites for Apco Networks of Mexico designated Apco-1 and Apco-2.

The Block 3 mission will carry a satellite for Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan.

Ace of Razgriz (@raz_liu) posted on Twitter on January 26, 2026 an image showing Astro stone’s AS-1 with mock-up engines on the first stage.

Astro stone’s AS-1 had mock-up engines installed on its first stage.

Hydraulic systems in a rocket utilize Pascal’s principle to transmit force through enclosed fluids for precise control of engine bells.

The landing struts must absorb the force of impact to translate kinetic energy into the structural frame without exceeding material yield limits.

Precise throttle control is required to manage structural loads during the launch phase.

Newton’s Third Law is utilized during landing maneuvers through retro-propulsive engine pulses to decelerate the vehicle.

As propellant is consumed and a rocket’s mass decreases, acceleration increases exponentially.

If the internal air pressure of the Payload Fairing is not vented, it can exceed external pressure, causing the fairing to 'pop' like a balloon.

Engineers must account for pressure differentials within the payload fairing during ascent to prevent structural breaches.