Tag: Cape Canaveral
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9’s busy launch cadence struggles
Following an extremely eventful week in Spaceflight, this week was expected to be a return to “business as usual”, with two SpaceX Starlink missions, one each from Vandenberg and Florida, and a Falcon 9 launching a customer satellite making up the launch manifest for the week. Unfortunately, the weather led to delays and cancellations, and…
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We take a stab at decoding SpaceX’s ever-changing plans for Starship in Florida
There are a couple of ways to read the announcement from the Federal Aviation Administration that it’s kicking off a new environmental review of SpaceX’s plan to launch the most powerful rocket in the world from Florida. The FAA said on May 10 that it plans to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for SpaceX’s…
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Space Coast looks toward the future with port and factory expansions
The space facilities around Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast are being prepared for a major ramp-up in flight activity over the coming months, years, and decades. This increase in spaceflight activity not only requires new launch pads and upgrades to processing facilities but also expanded factories and new additions to Port Canaveral. The port…
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SpaceX’s most-flown reusable rocket launches for the 20th time
For the first time, SpaceX launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 boosters for a 20th time Friday night on a flight to deliver 23 more Starlink Internet satellites to orbit. This milestone mission lifted off at 9:40 pm EDT Friday (01:40 UTC Saturday) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force…
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Delta IV Heavy launches on final mission
United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket has successfully launched Tuesday on its final flight, the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff from SLC-37B at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has happened at 12:53 PM EDT (17:53 UTC) following a scrub on the initial attempt over a week ago. The launch marks the…
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The Delta IV Heavy, a rocket whose time has come and gone, will fly once more
This is the rocket that literally lights itself on fire before it heads to space. It’s the world’s largest rocket entirely fueled by liquid hydrogen, a propellant that is vexing to handle but rewarding in its efficiency. The Delta IV Heavy was America’s most powerful launch vehicle for nearly a decade and has been a…
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Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket finally makes an appearance on the launch pad
Anyone who has tracked the development of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has been waiting for signs of progress from the usually secretive space company. On Wednesday, engineers rolled a full-scale New Glenn rocket, partially made up of flight hardware, to a launch pad in Florida for ground testing. The first New Glenn launch is…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX launches two Starlink missions; China launches Chang Zheng 5
A brand new week of spaceflight is approaching with SpaceX preparing to launch three Starlink missions, China getting ready to send two payloads to orbit, including one on the powerful Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) rocket, and Roscosmos preparing to launch Russian-built satellites to orbit atop Soyuz. Late on Feb. 22, Starlink Group 7-15 took 22…
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U.S. Space Force Initiates Environmental Study for Potential SpaceX Starship Launches
The U.S. Space Force is embarking on environmental studies to assess the feasibility of SpaceX Starship launches from either the current Cape Canaveral facility or a potential new complex. The Department of the Air Force, inclusive of the Space Force, unveiled plans for an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate Starship launch operations at Cape…
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SpaceX wants to take over a Florida launch pad from rival ULA
One of the largest launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will become vacant later this year after the final flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket. SpaceX is looking to make the sprawling facility a new home for the Starship launch vehicle. The environmental review for SpaceX’s proposal to take over…