Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Space Force anticipates launches from its two continental spaceports to increase by 25% to 30% over the next couple of years, continuing a trend as greater numbers of military, civil and commercial payloads are being sent into space. The service has supported a steady growth in its launch cadence and does not see it slowing down in the near future.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: launches
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 21 Starlink Satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX sent its latest batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit Monday late afternoon. Among the 21 V2 Mini satellites were 13 that feature Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 12-7 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 5:05 p.m. EST.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 21 Starlink satellites from from Cape Canaveral (Launch at 0:59:42 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 23 Starlink Satellites from California
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites from California during a Falcon 9 flight Friday morning. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-6 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 6:07 a.m. PST (9:07 a.m. EST, 1407 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 23 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg (Launch at 18:59 mark)
(NASASpaceflight; YouTube)
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Launches on its Inaugural Flight
Scientific American reports, “A few minutes after 2:00 A.M. EST, a hulking, 320-foot-tall rocket slipped its tethers at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and heaved itself into the sky on a bluish-white pillar of flame, briefly turning night into day along the eastern shore of Florida’s Space Coast. About 8 minutes later, the rocket’s large, first-stage booster failed to stick its landing on a barge in the Atlantic—not exactly the desired outcome, but not unusual for the first attempt to land a booster upright.”
Full Story (Scientific American)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
New Glenn at liftoff during the NG-1 mission, January 16, 2025. (Launch at 04:00:41 mark)
(NASASpaceflight; YouTube)
Volatus Aerospace Launches “Surveillance as a Service” UAV Solution
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Volatus Aerospace Inc. has launched its new ‘Surveillance as a Service’ solution, aiming to deliver unparalleled scalability and rapid deployment capabilities. Monitored from Volatus’ state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre (OCC), this flexible, secure and multi-modal surveillance offering empowers clients with faster response times and actionable intelligence.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Two Private Moon Landers at Once
The New York Times reports, “A space twofer took place early Wednesday morning — two lunar missions for the price of one rocket launch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:11 a.m. Eastern time, carrying the Blue Ghost lander built by Firefly Aerospace of Austin, Texas, and the Resilience lander from Ispace of Japan.”
Full Story (The New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Firefly Blue Ghost & HAKUTO-R M2 “Resilience” (Launch at 00:56:42 mark)
(NASASpaceflight; YouTube)
SpaceX Launches Another 21 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX kicked off a busy launch week that features flights from all four of its launch pads between California, Florida and Texas. Assuming no launch slips, it will launch three Falcon 9 rockets and the seventh flight test of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket. First up was the Starlink 12-4 mission, which launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff happened at 11:47 a.m. EST (1647 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral (Launch at 00:59:25 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 21 More Starlink Satellites from Kennedy Space Center
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX kicked off Wednesday with the launch of a batch of 21 Starlink satellites, heading to low Earth orbit. Among those were 13 satellites equipped to provide text and data cellphone service. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened at 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 21 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center (Launch at 01:00:56 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches on First Dedicated Starlink Mission of 2025
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX completed its first Starlink mission of the year on the first Monday of 2025. Onboard the Starlink 6-71 mission were 24 V2 Mini satellites headed to low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 3:43 p.m. EST (2043 UTC), which was the end of the available three-hour window.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 24 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral at 3:43 p.m. EST, January 6. (Launch at 01:01:06 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
U.S. Rocket Launchpads Expecting Record Demand
The Wall Street Journal reports, “SpaceX and other rocket companies are planning to increase flights in the years ahead as they ferry their own satellites or payloads for other customers to space. The problem: Only three sites in Florida and California handle most U.S. rocket launches, and those locations are expected to become increasingly congested as companies and regulators schedule more missions.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)