Tag: SpaceX
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NASA, SpaceX launch IMAP and rideshare payloads to study space weather at L1
NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the agency’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) from Florida on Wednesday morning. Joining IMAP on its way to Lagrange Point 1 are two additional rideshare payloads: NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) and the joint NASA/University of Illinois Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. Liftoff took place on Wednesday, Sept. 24,…
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NRO, SpaceX launch reconnaissance satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
A Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-48 mission from Vandenberg on Sept. 22, 2025. Image: SpaceX. The National Reconnaissance Office sent its 11th batch of small, reconnaissance satellites into low Earth orbit Monday morning. These are believed to be Starshield satellites, a government variant of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, though the NRO hasn’t confirmed this. The…
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SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Sunday sunrise Falcon 9 flight
A so-called ‘jellyfish effect’ could be seen by launch viewers as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage plume was illuminated by the light of sunrise. The Starlink 10-27 mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sept. 21, 2025. Image: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now Update Sept. 21,…
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Ship 38 on Pad 1 for Static Fire testing as Masseys rebuild continues
As SpaceX presses on with attempts to complete static fire testing with Ship 38 ahead of Flight 11, the company continues to repair its Masseys test site and build large amounts of infrastructure at Starbase. See Also SpaceX Starship Program L2 SpaceX Section NSF Store Click here to Join L2 Following the anomaly with Ship…
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SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from California following back-to-back weather scrubs
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 17-12 mission on Sept. 19, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Sept. 19, 3 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of the satellites. Update Sept. 18, 12:09 p.m. EDT: SpaceX scrubbed the mission and is targeting launch…
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Starship Block 3 development continues at Starbase and McGregor
SpaceX is gearing up for the next evolution of Starship, with Block 3 hardware on display at Starbase amid a flurry of engine testing at McGregor, highlighting both breakthroughs and challenges. SpaceX is set to begin launches with the Block 3 vehicle in 2026. Glimpses of Ship 39, the inaugural vehicle from the Block 3…
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Launch Roundup: Starlink, NRO, and New Shepard missions
Another busy week of launches has arrived, with SpaceX dominating the launch manifest with four missions for the week. Three of these missions saw new batches of Starlink internet satellites launched into the company’s Starlink constellation, with the fourth mission launching a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Blue Origin finally launched its uncrewed NS-35…
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SpaceX launches Cygnus XL to ISS on CRS NG-23 mission
Just days after the Progress MS-32 cargo ship launched to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan, SpaceX launched the first flight of a stretched Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship to the Station for an additional delivery of supplies. The Cygnus XL cargo ship, named S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool after the pilot of Columbia…
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New U.S. military satellite constellation takes shape with first launch from Vandenberg SFB
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 10, 2025. It carried 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer, part of the larger Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. Image: SpaceX The Space Development Agency…
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Department of the Air Force, FAA clear SpaceX to launch up to 120 Falcon 9 rockets annually from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Crew Dragon atop a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) for the first time on the Crew-9 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of the Air Force gave the green light for SpaceX to more than double its launch cadence from its…