SPACE reports SpaceX launched 21 satellites for an advanced new U.S. military constellation this evening (Oct. 15). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base “today at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT; 4:06 p.m. local California time), on a mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA).”
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Falcon 9 Launches with 21 Communications Satellites (Launch occurs at the 17:13 mark)
Space Affairs; YouTube
AP News reports, “SpaceX launched another of its mammoth Starship rocketson a test flight Monday, successfully making it halfway around the world while releasing mock satellites like last time. Starship — the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built — thundered into the evening sky from the southern tip of Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending into the Indian Ocean. Nothing was recovered.”
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SpaceX Starship Flight 11, Oct. 13, 2025.
NASASpaceFlight; YouTube
FROM THE INSTITUTE
We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Space Systems Technical Committee Student Essay Contest. With the theme “Explore the growing population of objects in Earth orbit, identifying contributing causes, consequences, traffic management implications, mitigation approaches, and prospects for the future,” young minds from across the country demonstrated exceptional curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Their essays explored how space debris is formed, the risks it poses to satellites and astronauts, and the innovative solutions that could shape a safer future in space.
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SPACE reports, “Blue Origin launched its 15th space tourism flight” yesterday (Oct. 8), “sending six people on a brief trip to the final frontier, including a mystery passenger who only revealed his identity after the flight. The company’s New Shepard vehicle lifted off from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site [Wednesday] at 9:40 a.m. EDT (1340 GMT; 8:40 a.m. local Texas time), kicking off a suborbital flight known as NS-36.”
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FROM THE INSTITUTE
On 12 September, the 2025 AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Annual Technical Symposium (RMS ATS) was held at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Centered on the theme “Beyond the Boundaries: Aerospace Innovations for the Next Frontier,” the event drew over 350 attendees ranging from high school students to seasoned professionals and retirees. Throughout the day, speakers and presenters underscored the value of bringing together thought leaders, students, researchers, and enthusiasts in a shared forum to foster in-depth discussion and community building.
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SPACE reports a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday morning, Sept. 3, carrying 28 Starlink wireless internet satellites “into low-Earth orbit (LEO), deploying the satellites about an hour after liftoff,” which took place at 7:56 a.m. EDT.
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SpaceX launches 28 Starlink Satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Launch at the 0:14 mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA issued the following statement from CEO Clay Mowry:
“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on the incredible 10th test flight of Starship. Every flight pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in reusable launch systems. The onboard camera views gave us a front-row seat to witness progress on the world’s largest heavy-lift reusable space launch system.
This flight demonstrated several of Starship’s capabilities including the ability to successfully dispense test Starlink payloads. The SpaceX engineering teams have applied valuable lessons from their recent test flights and they are making progress on a number of fronts.
It’s exciting to see SpaceX breaking barriers in reusable launch! We applaud SpaceX on accelerating humanity’s journey back to the moon and onward to Mars.
AIAA salutes the thousands of SpaceX professionals whose engineering expertise and determination have made this bold step forward with Starship that is shaping the future of aerospace.”
Media contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
The New York Times reports, “SpaceX scrubbed the 10th test flight of Starship, the mammoth rocket that Elon Musk hopes to use to take people to Mars, for the second night in a row on Monday, The vehicle was fully loaded with propellants on the launchpad in Starbase, Texas. But persistent weather problems, particularly clouds that could put the vehicle at risk during flight, led to the launch being called off not long after 8 p.m. Eastern time.”
Full Story (New York Times)
SPACE reports a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida on Thursday morning (Aug. 14), carrying 28 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. “SpaceX now has more than 8,100 active Starlink satellites in its megaconstellation.”
Full Story (SPACE)
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral with 28 Starlink satellites (Launch at the 1:00:44 mark)
Spaceflight Now; YouTube