Thursday, April 3

SpaceX

Fresh crew docks at space station; Starliner astronauts expected to return to Earth Tuesday – Spaceflight Now
SpaceX

Fresh crew docks at space station; Starliner astronauts expected to return to Earth Tuesday – Spaceflight Now

The four SpaceX Crew-10 members and the seven Expedition 72 crew members join each other for a welcoming ceremony shortly after the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft docked to the International Space Station and the hatches opened. Image: NASA The Crew 10 Dragon capsule caught up with the International Space Station and moved in for a textbook docking early Sunday, bringing four fresh crew members to the lab and clearing the way for the Starliner astronauts to return to Earth after nearly 300 days in space. Approaching from behind and below, the Crew Dragon, launched Friday evening from the Kennedy Space Center, passed 1,300 feet directly under the station before looping up to a point 720 feet directly ahead of the outpost. From there, it glided straight in for docking at the Harmony module’s ...
Hydraulics issue on strongback causes scrub of Crew-10 launch – Spaceflight Now
SpaceX

Hydraulics issue on strongback causes scrub of Crew-10 launch – Spaceflight Now

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 crew members participate in a countdown dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, March 9, 2025, to prepare for their upcoming launch. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. Image: SpaceX Update March 12, 11:17 p.m. EDT: NASA announced March 14 at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 UTC) as the new target launch date. Adding NASA’s comments about the change. NASA and SpaceX were less than an hour away from the launch of a new four crew to the International Space Station on Wednesday evening when a hydraulics issue caused a missio...
SpaceX details Falcon 9 anomaly that temporarily grounded the rocket fleet – Spaceflight Now
SpaceX

SpaceX details Falcon 9 anomaly that temporarily grounded the rocket fleet – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first stage booster, tail number B1086, lands on the droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions,’ amid the Starlink 12-20 mission on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Shortly after touchdown, a fire broke out in the engine section and caused the loss of the booster. Image: SpaceX via livestream SpaceX is preparing for the return to flight of its Falcon 9 on Monday evening following week without flying its workhorse rocket after a booster caught fire and exploded after landing. Two missions are on tap if the weather cooperates: one in California and the other in Florida. The most recent Falcon 9 launch was more than a week ago on March 2 when SpaceX sent a batch of 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. During a pair of news briefings on Friday connected to upcoming NASA missi...
High winds scrub SpaceX’s Starlink 12-21 launch from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now
SpaceX

High winds scrub SpaceX’s Starlink 12-21 launch from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) ahead of the launch of the Starlink 12-21 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update March 11, 12:50 a.m. ET: SpaceX scrubbed the launch due to high winds. SpaceX is preparing to launch its first batch of Starlink satellites in more than a week. The planned flight comes following a fuel leak in a Falcon 9 booster caused its destruction shortly after landing. However, high ground-level winds prevented the launch from moving forward on Monday and SpaceX is pivoting to a backup window on Tuesday night. The launch of the Starlink 12-21 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is now set for 10:48 p.m. EDT (0248 UTC). It’s one of two planned Falcon 9 launches Tuesday night, including the ridshare lau...
SpaceX to launch NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH spacecraft on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg – Spaceflight Now
SpaceX

SpaceX to launch NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH spacecraft on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg – Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the SPHEREx and PUNCH missions for NASA. Image: SpaceX NASA is preparing to launch its first ride share flight in support of the Science Mission Directorate with two missions flying on the same Falcon 9 rocket Monday night. Onboard are the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) observatory and four spacecraft that make up the Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base is set for 8:10 p.m. PDT (11:10 p.m. EDT, 0310 UTC). A joint NASA-SpaceX launch readiness review was held on Friday and the mission was then sched...