SpaceX

An Atlas 5 551 rocket stands tall at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) in anticipation of the USSF-51 mission launch. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket is preparing for its swan song when it comes to launching critical missions connected to U.S. national security. The launch provider is prepping to send 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) is targeting Tuesday, July 30, during a three-hour window that opens at 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning nearly two hours ahead of liftoff. Out of the 99 national security flights so far, UL...

The Falcon 9 returns to flight two weeks after an upper stage failure. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. A two-week launch hiatus for SpaceX came to a close after midnight on Saturday with the Starlink 10-9 mission returning the Falcon 9 to flight after an upper stage mishap on a July 11 grounded the workhorse rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 UTC). The mission marked the 50th dedicated Starlink launch in 2024. A successful payload deployment was confirmed just over an hour after launch. The Federal Aviation Administration, the agency that oversees commercial space activities in the U.S., gave SpaceX permission to resume launches of its Falcon 9 rocket before the formal mishap investigation is complete...

SpaceX conducted a static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket as it looks to resume launches in the near future. The launch provider was grounded following a July 11 anomaly that occurred with its upper stage during the Starlink 9-3 mission. Image: Spaceflight Now SpaceX took another important step on its road to resuming launches of its Falcon 9 rocket. At the stroke of midnight on Thursday, July 25, it conducted a static fire test of its workhorse launch vehicle. The burn of the nine Merlin engines at the base of the Falcon 9 booster lasted about 10 seconds in total. The rocket, which was tested at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, will likely be the vehicle used for the return to flight mission. That launch is expected to be the Starlink 10-4 mission,...

An artist’s impression of SpaceX’s ISS Deorbit Vehicle pushing the lab toward a controlled re-entry and breakup in the 2030 timeframe, after a formal decision to retire the lab complex after three decades of operation. Graphic: SpaceX SpaceX is building a souped-up version of its cargo Dragon spacecraft to drive the International Space Station out of orbit for a controlled re-entry and breakup over an uninhabited stretch of ocean when the lab is finally retired in the 2030 timeframe, NASA and company officials said Wednesday. The ISS Deorbit Vehicle, or DV, will be a custom-built, one-of-a-kind spacecraft needed to make sure the space station re-enters the atmosphere at the precise place and in the proper orientation to insure any wreckage that survives the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry wi...

A liquid oxygen tank shell was delivered from Scorpius Space Launch Company in California to Vaya Space in Florida on Monday, July 15, 2024. This will serve as a pathfinding test article as Vaya Space continues working on its forthcoming Dauntless rocket. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now A delivery from California to Florida on Monday marked a new milestone for aerospace company, Vaya Space. It received its first, full-sized liquid oxygen tank shell for its two-stage Dauntless rocket. The company, based in Cocoa, Florida, about 13 miles from the gates of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is working towards its first orbital launch in 2026. “We’ve been working on the design of the Dauntless vehicle for almost two years now, ever since we did our flight tests out in Mohave to pro...