Tag: Falcon 9
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SpaceX launches first West Coast Starlink mission of 2026
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 21, 2026, to begin the Starlink 17-30 mission. Image: SpaceX Update Jan. 21 2:20 a.m. EST (0720 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 25 Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched its first West Coast Starlink mission of…
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SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites From Florida Despite Marginal Weather
SpaceX successfully launched 29 Starlink satellites from Florida on Sunday, overcoming weather concerns linked to a cold front moving across the peninsula. Forecasters with the 45th Weather Squadron, based at Cape Canaveral, had estimated a 60% chance of acceptable launch conditions at the opening of the window. The main risks included potential violations of launch…
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Launch Preview: Falcon 9 set to launch two missions from California, Isar to attempt second launch of Spectrum
The upcoming week will see seven rocket launches from six different launch sites across the globe. SpaceX has two Falcon 9 launches scheduled this week; both are Starlink missions launching from SpaceX’s California launch site. Blue Origin is also expected to fly New Shepard’s 17th crewed mission on Thursday. Internationally, China will launch two missions, while…
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SpaceX Launches NRO Intelligence Satellites on Falcon 9 From California
SpaceX late on Friday launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying an undisclosed number of intelligence-gathering satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office, continuing the agency’s push to expand its space-based surveillance network. The mission, designated NROL-105, lifted off at 8:39:51 p.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The payload was…
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NRO, SpaceX launch reconnaissance satellites from Vandenberg
A long exposure shot showing the ascent of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East and the return of the booster, 1100, to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base during the NROL-105 mission on Jan. 16, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update Jan. 17, 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC): SpaceX landed its…
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SpaceX breaks pad turnaround record at Cape Canaveral with midday Starlink launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the Starlink 6-98 mission on Jan. 14, 2026. The flight, which lifted off at 1:08 p.m. EST (1808 UTC) marked the fastest turnaround of SLC-40 to date with liftoff occurring just 45 hours after…
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U.S. Space Force switches rockets for upcoming GPS satellite launch
The GPS III Space Vehicle 09, the ninth GPS III spacecraft, is pictured traveling by road from Lockheed Martin facilities in Denver, CO, to Florida’s Space Coast. Image: Lockheed Martin The next Global Positioning System satellite is switching from a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket to a SpaceX Falcon 9, a spokesperson for the U.S.…
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Launch Preview: Launches from China, U.S., and Norway scheduled for upcoming week
Eight orbital launch attempts are scheduled for this week, with SpaceX and Chinese launches comprising a majority of the launch manifest. SpaceX is scheduled to launch two batches of Starlink satellites into the constellation’s Group 6 shell, as well as a batch of reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. Four rockets will launch from…
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SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission launches from Vandenberg
Fresh off a record-shattering launch cadence in 2025, SpaceX successfully launched its first rideshare mission of 2026 from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central California coast. This rideshare was the first of its kind for SpaceX, and not part of the Transporter or Bandwagon series. The Twilight rideshare mission, including…
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SpaceX deploys NASA’s Pandora, other smallsats amid 1st ‘Twilight’ rideshare mission
NASA’s Pandora spacecraft deploys from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket roughly 2.5 hours after the liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update Jan. 11, 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 UTC): SpaceX completed the deployment of all payloads. SpaceX debuted a new class of rideshare…