Tag: launch

SpaceX Sets New Launch Record at Vandenberg with Thursday’s Falcon 9 Launch

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched its latest batch of 21 Starlink satellites on a Thursday night Falcon 9 launch from California. The Falcon 9 rocket launch set a new record for Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the first time that 31 orbital missions have taken off in a calendar year. Thirty of those launches were from SpaceX and one was from Firefly Aerospace.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA (Launch at 27:21)
(Spaceflight Now; 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 Polaris Dawn Mission from Florida

The New York Times reports, “At 5:23 a.m. Eastern time, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Less than 15 minutes later, the crew of four astronauts inside the Crew Dragon capsule — that will be their home for the next five days — were in orbit. The Polaris Dawn mission will mark some milestones for private spaceflight — the first spacewalk conducted by nonprofessional astronauts, and the farthest journey from Earth by anyone since NASA’s moon landings more than 50 years ago.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

 

Video

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

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches On National Security Mission for NRO

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with an undisclosed number of satellites on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The spacecraft, which are believed to be Starshield satellites, make up the third batch of what the NRO calls its ‘proliferated architecture.’”  Liftoff of the NROL-113 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place at 8:20 p.m. PDT.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California on U.S. spy satellite agency mission (Launch at 00:30:29 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

ESA Targeting Wednesday Night for Final Launch of its First-Generation Vega Rocket

Spaceflight Now reports, “Update 7:05 a.m. EDT: Arianespace announced that the mission is scrubbed for a Tuesday night launch attempt due to “electrical issues” and is working towards an opportunity on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to complete its transition to its Vega-C rocket with the final launch of its first-generation Vega rocket. The mission, dubbed VV24, will carry an Earth-imaging satellite to a sun-synchronous orbit.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful NS-26 Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 29, 2024 – Reston, VA – AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate Blue Origin on its successful NS-26 mission. We celebrate Nicolina, Rob, Eugene, Eiman, Karsen, and Ephraim on their inspirational journey and share the excitement around the NS-26 mission, including the NASA research conducted onboard. New Shephard missions embody the promises of space for the benefit of Earth. “Reusability of space vehicles continues to help decrease the cost of access to space as we see the space economy growing. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member Blue Origin for shaping the future of aerospace.”

AIAA 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 aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Explodes on Droneship, Ending String of 267 Successful Landings

Spaceflight Now reports, “Update 5:20 a.m. EDT: SpaceX is scrubbing the Starlink 9-5 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base to allow more time to review the data from the B1062 landing failure. For the first time in more than three years, SpaceX lost one of its reusable Falcon 9 boosters during a landing attempt amid the Starlink 8-6 mission on Wednesday morning. As it was touching down on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ a green flash could be seen around the Merlin engines before the engine section was engulfed in flames and the booster toppled over and exploded.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Explodes on Droneship (1:16:36 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Helium Leak Causes Delay of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Astronaut Launch Until August 28

SPACE reports that SpaceX has pushed the launch of the historic Polaris Dawn astronaut mission back 24 hours, to Wednesday morning (Aug. 28), due to a helium leak. “’Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical. Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit,’ SpaceX announced in an X post on Monday evening (Aug. 26).”
Full Story (SPACE)

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)

SpaceX Launches Two Earth-imaging Satellites to Orbit

SPACE reports, “SpaceX launched two Earth-imaging satellites today (Aug. 15), continuing to build out the WorldView Legion constellation for Maxar. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the WorldView Legion 3 and 4 satellites lifted off today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).”
Full Story (SPACE)