Tag: Cape Canaveral

ULA’s New Vulcan Centaur Rocket Successfully Launches in 2nd Test

SPACE reports, “United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) powerful new Vulcan Centaur rocket is two for two. Vulcan Centaur, the successor to ULA’s workhorse Atlas V, launched today (Oct. 4) at 7:25 a.m. EDT (1125 GMT)after a series of holds, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, kicking off a key test flight called Cert-2. The rocket could soon be certified for U.S. national security missions.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

Video

Vulcan Centaur rocket launches on 2nd test flight (Launch at 00:10 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Payload for AST SpaceMobile, Lands Booster

SPACE reports, “AST SpaceMobile’s first five commercial satellites have reached orbit. The huge spacecraft, called BlueBirds, lifted off today (Sept. 12) at 4:52 a.m. EDT (0852 GMT) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. … Each BlueBird sports a communications antenna that covers 693 square feet (64 square meters) when unfolded — the largest such array ever deployed by a commercial spacecraft.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

Video

SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn crew on first private spacewalk mission (Launch at 00:33 second mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites from Cape Canaveral

Spaceflight Now reports SpaceX has launched 22 more Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place “at 9:20 a.m. EDT (1320 UTC), which was the end of a four-hour launch window. The Starlink 10-5 mission was the 57th launch of the internet enabling satellites so far in 2024.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

ULA Launches Atlas 5 On Its 100th National Security Mission

Spaceflight Now reports, “United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket marked its swan song when it comes to launching critical missions connected to U.S. national security. A launch at dawn sent up a classified payload as part of the United States Space Force-51 (USSF-51) mission, marking the 100th such operation for ULA. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) happened Tuesday, July 30, 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on Falcon 9 rocket
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Delta Rocket Makes Final Flight

Ars Technica reports, “The final flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket took off Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The Delta IV Heavy, one of the world’s most powerful rockets, launched for the 16th and final time Tuesday. It was the 45th and last flight of a Delta IV launcher and the final rocket named Delta to ever launch, ending a string of 389 missions dating back to 1960.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

 

 

 

Videos

Delta IV Heavy launches for final time with secret US spy satellite, 9 April 2024
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

ULA Delta IV Heavy Set to Fly Once More

Ars Technica reports United Launch Alliance’s last Delta IV Heavy rocket is set to lift off Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the US government’s spy satellite agency. “Weather permitting, the Delta IV Heavy will light up its three hydrogen-fueled RS-68 engines at 1:40 pm EDT (17:40 UTC) Thursday, the opening of a four-hour launch window.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

SpaceX Launches Starlinks from East Coast, 10th Rideshare Mission from West Coast On Same Day

Aviation Week reports, “SpaceX completed a pair of overlapping Falcon 9 missions on March 4.”  One mission launched 23 Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida, while another, Transporter-10, launched from the West Coast on a mission to deploy rideshare satellites.  According to the report, “the launches occurred at 5:05 p.m. and 6:56 p.m. EST from Vandenberg’s SFB’s Space Launch Complex 4 East and Cape Canaveral SFS’s Space Launch Complex 40, respectively.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

 

Videos

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Transporter-10 rideshare mission
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)


SpaceX Starlink 143 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 4 March 2024
(SciNews; YouTube)

General Atomics’ XQ-67A Makes First Flight

Defense One reports, “General Atomics’ new air combat drone has flown, another step toward what the Air Force is calling the ‘first of a second generation’ of autonomous aircraft.”  First flight occurred February 28 from “General Atomics’ Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale California, AFRL officials announced.”
Full Story (Defense One)

 

Video

General Atomics introduces its XQ-67A
(General Atomics; YouTube)

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 Makes Rare Leap Day Launch

Spaceflight Now reports that at 10:30 a.m. EST Thursday, SpaceX launched 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.  The Starlink 6-40 mission marked a rare Leap Day launch from the Cape, as it “was just the fourth time in history that an orbital launch took place on Feb. 29.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Leap Day
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 24 Starlink Satellites

Spaceflight Now reports “SpaceX launched its biggest batch of second generation Starlink Satellites to date on Sunday.” The launch was the first featuring a batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, the most launched at once to date. Liftoff occurred at 5:06 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

 

 

 

Video

SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket with 24 second-generation Starlink internet satellites
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)