Tag: 2025

York Space’s Dragoon Launches Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

Space News reports, “A U.S. military satellite built by York Space Systems launched to orbit June 23 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft, named Dragoon, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-14 mission — a rideshare flight carrying dozens of small satellites for government and commercial customers.”
Full Story (Space News)


 Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Transporter-14 rideshare from Vandenberg, California on June 23, 2025 (Launch at 30:10 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Student Rockets Soar at Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition

From the Institute
On the dusty plains of West Texas, over 2,000 university students from 22 countries gathered with a shared goal: launch the rockets they spent the past year building, testing, and perfecting. From liftoff to landing, 2025 IREC, hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association, offered a real-world proving ground for tomorrow’s aerospace professionals.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Opportunities in Defense, Healthcare, Cargo Offer Chance to Expedite Reality of Flying Taxis

Reuters reports, “Opportunities in defence, emergency healthcare and cargo could help make flying taxis a reality in the next few years after the sector recently received backing from the Trump administration, executives in the industry said at the Paris Airshow. President Donald Trump this month told regulators to speed up certification to accelerate the development of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), aiming to secure a U.S. lead over Asia in the technology.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Sat Tracking Firms Say Chinese Satellite Appears to be Trying First-ever On-orbit Refueling

Breaking Defense reports, “A Chinese satellite designed for refueling missions has been dancing awfully close to another Chinese bird in orbit, raising the possibility Beijing is about to pull off — or already has pulled off — the first-ever on-orbit gas-up, according to satellite tracking firms. Last week Slingshot Aerospace watched China’s experimental SJ-25, which Beijing launched in January and has said publicly was meant for refueling missions, approach another satellite, SJ-21. But the view from terrestrial telescopes wasn’t able to confirm docking, much less refueling, so Slingshot concluded the data was ‘inconclusive’ as to what exactly happened.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)



 Video

China launches Shijian-25 satellite
(CGTN; YouTube)

SpaceX Starship Upper Stage Explodes While Being Prepped for Next Engine Test Firing

CBS News reports a SpaceX Starship upper stage exploded in a spectacular conflagration during ramp-up to an expected engine test firing at the company’s Starbase manufacturing facility on the Texas Gulf Coast late Wednesday, destroying the rocket in what appears to be a major setback for the Super Heavy-Starship vehicle Elon Musk says is critical to the company’s future. “Video from LabPadre, a company that monitors SpaceX activities at Starbase, showed the Starship suddenly exploding in a huge fireball just after 11 p.m. CDT, 10 to 15 minutes before the anticipated engine test firing,” sending flaming debris shooting away into the overnight sky from a churning fireball that engulfed the test stand.
Full Story (CBS News)



 Video

SpaceX’s Starship explodes at its test site on June 18, 2025
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

FAA Partners with Regulators in Four Countries to Develop Air Taxi Certification ‘Roadmap’

Flight Global reports the Federal Aviation Administration and agencies in four partner countries have rolled out a ‘roadmap’ for the type certification of electric air taxis.  “The air taxi certification roadmap, revealed by [U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean] Duffy on 17 June, comes from the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK – all members of the National Aviation Authorities Network.”
Full Story (Flight Global)

SpaceX Completes 75th Falcon 9 Launch of the Year, Deploys 28 Starlink Satellites

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX completed its 75th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year with a mission that blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the predawn hours of Wednesday. The mission, dubbed Starlink 10-18, included the 9,000th Starlink satellite launched to low Earth orbit to date.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Spaceflight Now Update: June 18, 3:15 a.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites. 



 Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral at 1:55 a.m. EDT on June 18, 2025 (Launch at 1:00:05 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Saab Gripen E Jet Completes First AI-controlled Flight Tests

Aerotime reports, “Saab has completed a series of flight tests integrating artificial intelligence into its Gripen E fighter jet, the company announced on June 11, 2025. Conducted in partnership with the German-based defense AI firm Helsing, the flights over the Baltic Sea saw the AI agent, named Centaur, take autonomous control of the aircraft during simulated Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat scenarios.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 23 Starlink Satellites from Florida

Spaceflight Now reports SpaceX landed its 460th booster in the midst of the Starlink 12-24 mission, marking “the 460th booster landing to date.” Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 9:05 a.m. EDT.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)


 Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, June 10, 2025 (Launch at 1:00:00 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Boeing Books 303 New Orders in May in One of Highest Monthly Order Tallies in Company History

Reuters reports, “Boeing heads into the Paris Air Show after a blockbuster May that included booking 303 new orders and rolling out 38 new 737 MAX jets, a production rate it has been working to reach for more than a year. The company also delivered 45 aircraft last month, it said Tuesday. It was the sixth-highest monthly order tally in Boeing’s history, according to company data.”
Full Story (Reuters)