Tag: Kennedy Space Center
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SpaceX Targets September 28 for Starship’s First Orbital Flight as Florida Pad Nears Readiness
SpaceX is targeting no earlier than September 28 for Starship Flight 14, pending regulatory approval, in what would be the vehicle’s first orbital mission after 13 suborbital flight tests. The mission is expected to carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites and comes as SpaceX moves Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center toward operational status,…
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NASA Opens State Competition for U.S. Space Academy as Congressional Questions Loom
NASA has invited U.S. governors to compete to host and sponsor the proposed United States Space Academy, issuing a Request for Information on September 10 that seeks details on potential locations, infrastructure and supporting aerospace ecosystems. States may submit one response each by 6 p.m. EDT on October 26, even as the institution’s legal authority,…
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Artemis III Booster Stacking Reaches Four of Five Segments as Orion Heat Shield Fix Is Confirmed
NASA has stacked the fourth of five major assemblies on each of the twin solid rocket boosters for Artemis III and completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the mission’s Space Launch System core stage at Kennedy Space Center. The processing milestones come as a five-month review of the Artemis II Orion heat shield…
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Euclid studies Milky Way center, supports future Roman observations
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released a new picture of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, an area known as the galactic bulge. Containing over 60 million stars, the picture, taken by ESA’s Euclid space telescope, represents the largest and most detailed photo of this region to date. Euclid observed the area outside…
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Blue Origin Targets New Glenn Return to Flight Before End of 2026 After Launch Pad Explosion
Blue Origin plans to return its New Glenn rocket to flight before the end of 2026 despite an explosion last week that generated shockwaves reportedly comparable to a small earthquake and caused damage at the company’s launch complex. Following an assessment of Launch Complex 36A and surrounding infrastructure, Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp…
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NASA Taps Brian Hughes for Senior Launch Operations Role at KSC
Who is Brian Hughes and why does his NASA appointment matter? NASA has appointed Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy Space Center, a position that will oversee the agency’s $3.9 billion launch infrastructure portfolio during a critical expansion phase. Hughes will report directly to NASA Headquarters in Washington while managing operational…
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Janet Petro Steps Down as Kennedy Space Center Director
What does Janet Petro’s retirement mean for Kennedy Space Center operations? Janet Petro, director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center since 2021, announced her retirement Friday after a 19-year career with the agency. Her departure comes as KSC manages the most ambitious launch manifest in decades, including multiple Artemis Program missions, Commercial Crew Program flights, and…
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SpaceX launches 6-ton ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on Falcon Heavy rocket
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 29, 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update April 29, 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 UTC): SpaceX confirms successful deployment of the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite. SpaceX’s most powerful operational rocket, the Falcon Heavy, lifted…
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All Points Logistics Secures KSC Payload Processing Deal
What does All Points Logistics’ new KSC agreement mean for commercial payload processing? All Points Logistics has secured a NASA agreement to construct commercial satellite processing facilities at Kennedy Space Center, marking another expansion of private infrastructure at the historic launch site. The deal positions All Points to capture growing demand from commercial satellite operators…
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Artemis II returns humanity to the Moon with launch on Wednesday evening
At 23:35 UTC on Dec. 16, 1972, the Apollo 17 command module, America, successfully completed its trans-Earth injection burn, sending it and its crew of NASA astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans on a return trajectory back to Earth. The moment marked the final time a crewed Apollo spacecraft was in orbit around…