SpaceX

File photo: A Falcon 9 booster stands ready for the Starlink 12-2 mission at launch complex 39A. Image: Spaceflight Now. Updated Dec. 29 at 6:25 p.m. EST (2325 UTC): SpaceX delayed the launch by a day. SpaceX is preparing to end its orbital launch year in the same way it began, by launching a batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites including 13 featuring direct to cell phone capabilities. The Starlink 12-6 mission will launch onboard the company’s 132nd and final Falcon 9 flight of 2024. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is set for 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 UTC) on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Launch was original scheduled for 1:02 a.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 30, but appeared to slip to the end of the window because launch preparations were running behind schedule. As of 6:25 p.m. E...

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) to begin the Astranis: From One to Many mission on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. Image: Pete Carstens/MaxQ Productions for Spaceflight Now Update 12:45 p.m. (0545 UTC): SpaceX deployed the four satellites. Following a rare pad abort on Dec. 21, SpaceX launched four satellites to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at midnight on Sunday morning. Prior to the mission moving forward, the company had to swap the first stage booster for another. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) happened at 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC) on Sunday, Dec. 29.  Coming into the launch attempt, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast an 85 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff. The only conc...

Blue Origin fuels its fully integrated New Glenn rocket on its third day of tanking testing in December. Image: Spaceflight Now Update Dec. 27, 9:20 p.m. EST (0220 UTC): A 24-second static fire of the New Glenn first stage took place at 7:47 p.m. EST (0047 UTC). Update Dec. 27, 4:09 p.m. EST (2109 UTC): Adding some more detail from the launch license. Blue Origin is preparing to put on a display of fire and fury out at Launch Complex 36. The company is gearing up for a crucial hot fire test of its New Glenn rocket, which is one of the big, final steps needed before it can launch. It comes as the Federal Aviation Administration granted a Part 450 commercial launch license for the rocket, clearing way for it to operate for five years. “The FAA is committed to enabling the success of the U.S....

Four MicroGEO satellites from Astranis are integrated on a Falcon 9 payload adaptor prior to being incapsulate inside the payload fairings. Image: SpaceX Update Dec. 21, 12:22 a.m. EST (0522 UTC): SpaceX encountered a pad abort; pivoted to Sunday launch. A rare pad abort forced SpaceX to stand down from launching four MicroGEO satellites for California-based Astranis into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. SpaceX didn’t give a reason for the scrub, but said in a post on social media that they were pivoting launch to Sunday instead. The mission, dubbed ‘Astranis: From One to Many,’ includes the company’s UtilitySat, which is designed to relocate within geostationary Earth orbit over its life to respond to different mission objectives. It will launch alongside three other satellites. Liftoff f...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A near sunset to begin the O3b mPOWER 7 & 8 mission on Dec. 17, 2024. This was SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch in less than 24 hours. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 6:14 p.m. EST (2300 UTC): SpaceX landed the Falcon 9 first stage booster on its droneship. SpaceX completed its third Falcon 9 launch in less than 24 hours with a launch for one of its oldest customers: Luxembourg-based communications company, SES. Liftoff of the O3b mPOWER 7 and 8 satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center happened near sunset at 5:26 p.m. EST (2226 UTC), which was the close of a nearly 1.5-hour-long launch window. It was be the 90th orbital launch from the Florida spaceport comprising of Kennedy Space Center...