Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX, China, and Russia maintain busy launch manifests through the holidays
At the start of this week, Monday, Dec. 23, there had been 24 launch attempts worldwide. There was no let-up during the holiday period, with six further launch attempts taking place. The SpaceX launch manifest for this week included a single customer payload and three batches of Starlink satellites. SpaceX’s target of 136 launches for…
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SpaceX launches Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission on Falcon 9 rocket from California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off the pad at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Image: SpaceX Update 6:52 a.m. (1152 UTC): The Falcon 9 booster touched down at Landing Zone 4. SpaceX launched its second, mid-inclination rideshare…
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Mid-ignition issue forces a scrub of Falcon 9 launch with Astranis’ MicroGEO satellites
Four MicroGEO satellites from Astranis are integrated on a Falcon 9 payload adaptor prior to being incapsulate inside the payload fairings. Image: SpaceX Update Dec. 22, 8:45 p.m. EST (0145 UTC): SpaceX says “after further inspections of the launch vehicle and data review” the Falcon 9 launch of four satellites for Astranis is on hold.…
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SpaceX launches Bandwagon-2 rideshare from Vandenberg
On Saturday, Dec. 21st, SpaceX launched the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff occurred as scheduled at 3:34 AM PST (11:34 UTC). This flight carried 30 payloads for a variety of customers, including a synthetic aperture radar satellite for South Korea. The spacecraft were carried…
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FAA gives Flight 7 the Go Ahead, SpaceX to complete final steps ahead of launch
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved SpaceX’s Flight 7 of Starship. The news came shortly after Ship 33 completed engine testing at Masseys and rolled back into Mega Bay 2. SpaceX must now put the final touches on its vehicles before teams are ready. Flight 7 Regulatory Side On Dec. 17, the FAA released…
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SpaceX launches Starshield satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from California for the NRO
File: The Falcon 9 at sunrise Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 as final preparations were made for the NROL-167 mission. Image: SpaceX. Update 10:37 a.m. EST (1537 UTC): The first stage booster successfully landed on the droneship. Before sunrise Tuesday morning, SpaceX completed its final mission supporting the National Reconnaissance Office in 2024. The Falcon 9…
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U.S. Space Force launches expedited GPS mission using Falcon 9 rocket
The GPS 3 Space Vehicle 07 stands in a clean room at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Littleton, Colorado. Image: Lockheed Martin The latest third-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite launched to orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday night. Unlike previous GPS missions though, the launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket marked a…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX plans for five customer missions; Rocket Lab launch mission for Synspective
The orbital launch manifest for the week of Dec. 16 through Dec. 22 has been one of the busiest yet, with 10 of the 12 planned launches worldwide succeeding. SpaceX planned to launch seven Falcon 9 missions this week, with five customer missions, one rideshare mission, and one Starlink mission. Outside of the U.S., three…
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SpaceX launches RRT-1 mission from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket cruises by a nearly full Moon during the RRT-1 mission on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update 8:43 p.m. EST (0143 UTC): SpaceX landed the first stage booster on the droneship following liftoff. Against a cloudy Florida sky, SpaceX launched its latest Falcon 9 rocket with a…
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Starship and other launch site preparations in Florida moving into a higher gear
The long-awaited Starship ramp-up in Florida has begun, with work increasing at Pad 39A on the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) grounds. NSF obtained pictures of these preparations during a Cape flight, and companies like Stoke Space and Relativity are also proceeding with construction for flights scheduled for 2025 or 2026. Starship SpaceX started preparations for…