Tag: launch

SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL on its First Mission

SPACE reports, “SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s new “Cygnus XL” cargo ship on its debut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday evening (Sept. 14). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Cygnus freighter lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EDT (2211 GMT).” NG-23’s Cygnus XL “is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday (Sept. 17) at 6:35 a.m. EDT (1035 GMT).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Video

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches CRS NG-23 to the ISS. (Launch occurs at the 58:58 mark)
NASASpaceflight; YouTube

SpaceX Launches 1,900th Starlink Satellite to Orbit in 2025

Spaceflight Now reports SpaceX continued its blistering pace of orbital launches with its ninth and final Starlink launch of August. Liftoff of its Falcon 9 rocket “from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station” took place “at 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149 UTC). It flew on a north-easterly trajectory upon departure from Florida’s Space Coast.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral (Launch at the 1:00:28 mark)

SpaceX Starship Completes Successful Test Flight After Previous Launch Setbacks

The New York Times reports, “After several disappointing failures, SpaceX’s Starship — the mammoth rocket that Elon Musk hopes to use to take people to Mars — made it all the way up to space and all the way back down to Earth during a 10th test flight on Tuesday night. The largely successful mission was a likely relief to both SpaceX and NASA, suggesting that the development program is back on track. NASA is counting on Starship as the lander to put its astronauts on the moon in the coming years.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

 Video

SpaceX Starship Completes Successful Test Flight (Launch at the 2:59:19 mark)
NASASpaceFlight; YouTube

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Space Force’s X-37B Spaceplane

Spaceflight Now reports, “A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered off launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida shortly before midnight, carrying with it a military spaceplane known as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. The launch Thursday night kicked off the eighth mission for the program, which began operational flights in April 2010. United States Space Force (USSF) officials confirmed separation of the Boeing-built spacecraft in the hours following liftoff at 11:50 p.m. EDT (0350 UTC on Aug. 22).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video

SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the X-37B (Launch at the 58:35 mark)
Spaceflight Now; YouTube

AIAA Statement on the NASA SpaceX Crew-11 Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 1, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Clay Mowry made the following statement:

“We congratulate the entire NASA SpaceX team on its successful Crew-11 launch to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA’s reuse of the SpaceX Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft continues to show us that reusability is the future of launch.

We are eager to follow the crew through its mission, demonstrating the value of scientific research conducted onboard the ISS that will help prepare us for our off-world future of human exploration of the moon and eventually on to Mars.

We applaud this mission to the ISS through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, demonstrating the collaboration between NASA and private industry to continue America’s leadership in low Earth orbit. With NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and a JAXA astronaut, Crew-11 continues NASA’s ongoing commitment to international cooperation – a hallmark of space exploration.

AIAA is honored to recognize the countless aerospace professionals involved in making this mission a success. We salute NASA, SpaceX, and Crew-11 for shaping the future of aerospace.”

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Live Coverage: Crew-11 Scheduled for Launch at 12:09 p.m. EDT

Update 12:16 p.m. EDT
NASA and SpaceX delayed the Crew-11 launch to the ISS at T-minus one minute before liftoff due to weather concerns. The next launch opportunity is scheduled for Friday, August 1, at 11:43 a.m. EDT.

Spaceflight Now reports, “A group of astronauts and a cosmonaut originally slated to fly on other missions are finally getting their ticket to ride. The quartet, led by NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, will head to the International Space Station beginning with a launch scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The SpaceX Crew-11 mission will launch onboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)



 Live Coverage

Crew-11 Scheduled for Launch at 12:09 p.m. EDT
Spaceflight Now; YouTube

SpaceX Launches NASA’s TRACERS Mission to Study the Origins of Space Weather

Ars Technica reports, “Two NASA satellites rocketed into orbit from California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday, commencing a $170 million mission to study a phenomenon of space physics that has eluded researchers since the dawn of the Space Age. The twin spacecraft are part of the NASA-funded TRACERS mission, which will spend at least a year measuring plasma conditions in narrow regions of Earth’s magnetic field known as polar cusps.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

DoorDash Partners with Flytrex to Provide Drone Delivery in Dallas-Fort Worth

Flying Magazine reports, “On Thursday, DoorDash and Israeli provider Flytrex announced the service is available to about 100,000 residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs of Frisco and Little Elm. Customers can order food from dozens of local and national restaurants directly through the DoorDash app, delivered straight to their backyard via drone in minutes. With industry leader Zipline and Alphabet’s Wing also flying in DFW, the area is the nation’s largest drone delivery hotspot.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

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)