Space News & Blog Articles

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.

Following the historic launch of a pair of the European Commission’s Galileo satellites, SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of its own Starlink high-speed internet satellites. The Sunday evening Falcon 9 launch will mark the 29th dedicated launch of Starlink satellites in 2024.

Liftoff of the Starlink 6-54 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is set for 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 UTC). If needed, SpaceX has backup opportunities until 9:50 p.m. EDT (0150 UTC).

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1076 in the SpaceX fleet, will be launching for a 13th time. It previously supported the launches of Ovzon 3, Intelsat IS-40e, SpaceX’s 26th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-26) flight and six Starlink missions.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1076 will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ This will be the 80th landing on JRTI and the 301st booster landing to date.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Commission’s constellation lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on April 27, 2024. The last time SpaceX launched an expandable Falcon 9 rocket was back in November 2022, 146 missions ago. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Most notably, the weekend flight marked the first time that the European Commission’s Galileo satellites (similar to the United State’s Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites) launched onboard an American-made rocket and from U.S. soil.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 UTC). The first stage booster on this mission, tail number B1060 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 20th and final time. SpaceX did not plan to recover B1060 “due to the additional performance requirement to deliver the payload to medium Earth orbit.”

“The last time a first stage was expended during a Falcon 9 mission was 146 flights ago in November 2022,” SpaceX said in a social media post following the launch. “On most Falcon 9 missions, enough propellant remains in the first stage after stage separation to enable landing, recovery, and ultimately reuse on future missions.”

SpaceX added that it is in the process of qualifying both its boosters and its payload fairings for up to 40 missions each. They credit the data gathered on Falcon vehicle flights to furthering their development of the significantly larger and entirely reusable Starship rocket and their stated goal of “making life multi-planetary.”

 

In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Tariq Malik, editor-in-chief of Space.com, and Passant Robie, space reporter for Gizmodo. The panel discusses the arrival of the NASA astronauts who will be the first to fly onboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, the reestablishment of contact with the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the 300th Falcon 9 booster landing for SpaceX and much more.

News from the Press Site is a weekly video podcast where we cover the big space news of the week with some of the journalists covering it on the daily.

Tariq Malik, Space.com:

The 2024 solar eclipse was a teachable moment in more ways than one https://www.space.com/total-solar-eclipse-2024-teachable-moment-suny-potsdam-universityChasing the 2024 solar eclipse means dorm life for some New York spectators (including me) https://www.space.com/solar-eclipse-2024-dorm-life-suny-potsdam-new-yorkRussian Soyuz rocket suffers rare last-minute abort during launch of 3 astronauts to ISS (video) https://www.space.com/soyuz-rocket-launch-abort-expedition71-astronauts

Passant Robie, Gizmodo:

Hubble Telescope Put Into Dreaded Safe Mode Due to Ongoing Glitch https://gizmodo.com/hubble-telescope-put-into-dreaded-safe-mode-due-to-ongo-1851438846Russia’s UN Veto Fuels More Tension With the US Over Nuclear Weapons in Space https://gizmodo.com/russia-un-veto-tensions-nuclear-weapons-space-1851438358Chinese Astronauts Performed Emergency Space Station Repairs Following Debris Impact https://gizmodo.com/chinese-astronauts-space-station-repairs-debris-impact-1851434957

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams (right) pose by their mission patch following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the run-up to the Starliner Crew Flight Test on May 6. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

For the first time since the end of the shuttle program, a trio of T-38 jets cruised down the former Shuttle Landing Facility carrying astronauts who were preparing for launch. As they climbed out of their aircraft, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, each donned back ball caps emblazoned with “Crew Flight Test,” the name of their forthcoming mission.

The pair will serve as the commander and pilot respectively as they fly Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station no earlier than May 6. As the mission name suggests, this will be the first time the spacecraft ferries astronauts to the orbiting outpost.

“We love Florida. We love Kennedy Space Center because this is where you launch humans into space,” Wilmore said. “And the opportunity finally to fly in here again in our T-38s and we know that in less than two weeks, the next flight we take, we’ll be laying on our backs this time when we launch into the heavens and we leave this planet.”

Wilmore and Williams were joined by some of the T-38 training crew as well as fellow NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, the backup astronaut for the CFT mission, and Jessica Wittner, a member of the class of the 2021 astronaut candidate class.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams taxi in their T-38 jet, coming off the runway at the Launch and Landing Facility on April 25, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now

With them in spirit was the last crew to fly a test mission for NASA: Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley of the SpaceX Demo-2 flight. During their remarks to the press on Thursday, Williams said they offered words of comfort.

An artist’s concept of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft in orbit. Graphic: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart

Rocket Lab is gearing up for its fifth launch of the year, which will be a rideshare mission between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and NASA. This will also be the company’s 47th Electron launch to date.

Liftoff from Launch Complex 1’s Pad B in New Zealand is set for 10:15 a.m. NZT on April 24 (6:15 p.m. EDT, 2215 UTC on April 23). If needed, Rocket Lab has multiple launch opportunities through the end of the month.

Rocket Lab will not attempt to recover the first stage booster following stage separation on this flight.

The primary payload on the mission is the NEONSat-1, an Earth observation satellite that is designed with “a high-resolution optical camera designed to monitor for natural disasters along the Korean Peninsula by pairing its images with artificial intelligence,” according to KAIST.

NEONSat-1, which was developed for the Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) at KAIST, will be deployed into a 520 km (323.1 mi) circular Earth orbit. As the name suggests, it is the first satellite in the New-space Earth Observation Satellite program, which is funded by the Korean government’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). Follow-on satellites are expected to be launched in 2026 and 2027.

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.

SpaceX is preparing for a Falcon 9 launch that will set up the company to complete its 300th booster landing to date. The Starlink 6-53 mission will also mark the 30th orbital launch from Florida in 2024.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1078, will be making its ninth launch. It previously launched NASA’s Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station, USSF-124 and five Starlink flights.

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, B1078 will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ In addition to this being the 300th Falcon booster landing overall, it will be the 79th landing for JRTI and the 233rd droneship landing to date.

As NASA faced a mission price tag and timeline for the Mars Sample Return mission that the administrator called “unacceptable,” the agency is turning to both its various centers around the country and to the private sector to find workable solutions. Administrator Bill Nelson said MSR remains one of NASA’s highest priorities and he said he was optimistic about what may come their way.

This news came the same week that NASA gave the green light to the Dragonfly mission. The $3.35 billion undertaking will send a robotic rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan, starting in 2034.

These are just some of the topics touched on in this week’s News from the Press Site. Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Marina Koren, staff writer for The Atlantic, and Jack Kuhr, research editor for Payload Space.

Marina Koren, The Atlantic:

Totality Is Worth It https://www.theatlantic.com/science/a…Apollo’s Sequel Will Be a Gold Rush https://www.theatlantic.com/science/a…The Most Powerful Rocket in History Had a Good Morning https://www.theatlantic.com/science/a…

Jack Kuhr, Payload Space:

BryceTech Highlights Continued Smallsat Strength in a New Report https://payloadspace.com/brycetech-hi…The FAA Says No Reentry License, No Launch https://payloadspace.com/the-faa-says…Payload Research: Detailing Launch Startup Funding https://payloadspace.com/payload-rese…

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.

SpaceX is preparing for one more Falcon 9 launch to close out the week at the Cape. The Starlink 6-52 mission will add 23 more satellites to the growing low Earth orbit constellation.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 6:40 p.m. EDT (2240 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about one hour prior to liftoff.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, tail number B1080, sill be making its seventh flight on this mission. It previously flew the Ax-2 and Ax-3 private astronaut missions on behalf of Axiom Space in addition to launching the Euclid observatory for the European Space Agency.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1080 will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ This will be the 66th landing on ASOG and the 299th Falcon booster landing to date.

A Falcon 9 rocket stands in launch position at Launch Complex 39A ahead of the Starlink 6-51 mission on April 17, 2024. Image: Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is preparing for its latest Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Starlink 6-51 mission comes about a week-and-a-half after the launch of its first Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission from that pad.

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket is set for 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 UTC) during an approximately four hour launch window. The weather outlook is fairly ideal for the mission. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff, with thick clouds near the launch pad being the only concern.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the mission beginning about one hour prior to liftoff.

Once this rocket launches, SpaceX will be one flight shy of tying the total number of Space Shuttle missions from this historic launch pad. This will be the 81st flight of a Falcon rocket compared to the 82 total shuttle flights.

After liftoff, there will be a total of 174 orbital flights from LC-39A. Nine of those were Falcon Heavy rockets with the remaining 72 being Falcon 9 rockets. There were also 11 Saturn 5 launches from this pad.

The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft pauses in front of Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) before it embarks to Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

Update 10:41 a.m. EDT: Added additional timing information regarding work at the VIF and a statement from Boeing regarding the Starliner-1 crew makeup.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner embarked on its last big road trip before its journey to the International Space Station next month. In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday morning, the capsule and its service module made the slow trek from Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The rollout of the vehicle, named Calypso, is another key step towards the Crew Flight Test (CFT) of the Starliner spacecraft, the first time that it will carry astronauts to and from the ISS. The mission’s crew, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were on hand to witness the departure of their ticket to ride.

“Big day for our nation. Big day for NASA. Big day for Boeing as we get over to the rocket and mate these things together,” said Wilmore, the CFT commander. “We’re excited to be here at this point, early in the morning, and excited that you came to share the experience with us. So, go Starliner!”

The journey from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) was a slow and steady process. The doors of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) opened around 4 a.m. EDT (0800 UTC).

This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.
Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech

NASA is going back to square one when it comes to many aspects of its Mars Sample Return mission in response to independent reviews that showed ballooning costs and significant schedule delays.

The current architecture called for no less than five separate vehicles to transport back to Earth more than two dozen samples collected on the Martian surface by the Perseverance rover, which has been traveling the Red Planet since 2021 and is the first of those.

“Every indication that we’ve had from the independent review boards, plus the [Inspector General], that this thing could cost up to $11 billion, which would cause NASA to have to cannibalize other programs,” Nelson said, referring to science programs, like the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan, and the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission to find and track potentially hazardous objects.

That cost estimate of $11 billion came from the second MSR Independent Review Board (IRB-2) analysis in which it estimated needing between $850 million and $1 billion annually during the development period. Nelson pointed out that the Decadal Survey, an assessment of priorities from the science community via the National Science Foundation created every ten years, argued that it should cost approximately between $5 and $7 billion.

He described the $11 billion projection as being “too expensive” and a 2040 sample return date as being “unacceptably too long.”

SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1062, lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-49 mission. This marked the first time a booster launch and landed for a 20th time. Image: Adam Bernstein

Update 10:13 p.m. EDT: SpaceX successfully launched and landed its booster, B1062, for a 20th time.

SpaceX shattered multiple records Friday night as it launched 23 satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service from Cape Canaveral. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted offf from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:40 p.m. EDT (0140 UTC).

It was the first time a Falcon 9 first-stage booster flew for a 20th time and it came just two days, 20 hours since another Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. That smashes the previous record for the shortest time between launches by 21 hours 24 minutes.

Meteorologists with the 45th Weather Squadron predicted near-prefect conditions for launch. They forecast a less than five-percent chance of a weather rule violation during the four-hour launch window, with liftoff winds being the only concern.

Let’s go!!! And a new pad 40 launch to launch record of 48 hours! https://t.co/LWMtHP2VJj

As the Delta family of rockets closes out a more than 60 year legacy, a new spacecraft from another legacy space company is preparing to make its debut with astronauts on board. Meanwhile, millions are still basking in the coronal glow of Monday’s total solar eclipse while a new military weather satellite is preparing to enter service.

These are just some of the topics on deck for this week’s edition of News from the Press Site. The hour-long, live show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel.

This week, we’re joined by Elizabeth Howell, staff writer for Space.com, and Bill Harwood, space consultant for CBS News. Join the conversation by using the Superchat feature while the video is live.

Elizabeth Howell, Space.com:

Trains, planes and a total solar eclipse! Watching the moon block the sun was a transportation adventure (exclusive) https://www.space.com/solar-eclipse-2024-montreal-train-station-familySatellite views of solar eclipse 2024: See the moon’s shadow race across North America (video, photos) https://www.space.com/solar-eclipse-2024-satellite-moon-shadow-video-photos

Bill Harwood, CBS News:

The Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) space vehicle was successfully encapsulated April 8, 2024, ahead of its scheduled launch as the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-62 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., marking a major milestone on its upcoming launch into low Earth orbit. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX launched a military weather satellite designed to replace aging satellites from a program dating back to the 1960s. The United States Space Force-62 (USSF-62) mission featured the launch of the first Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) spacecraft.

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 7:25 a.m. PDT (10:25 a.m. EDT (1425 UTC), which was the opening of a 10-minute launch window.

The booster supporting this National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission, B1082 in the SpaceX fleet, made its third flight after previously launching the Starlink 7-9 and 7-14 missions this year.

“We’re absolutely thrilled be out here on the Central Coast, with a superb team primed and ready to launch the USSF-62 satellite. It has an important mission ahead of it and we’re excited for flight-proven Falcon 9 to deliver the satellite to orbit,” said Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader for the Space System Command’s Launch Execution Delta, in a statement. “And on this mission, we’re using a first-stage booster whose history is purely commercial.”

About eight minutes after liftoff, B1082 touched down at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4). This was the 17th land landing in California and the 295th booster landing for SpaceX.

A Falcon 9 rock climbs above Florida’s Space Coast on the Starlink 6-48 mission on April 10, 2024. Image: Spaceflight Now

Update 1:58 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-48 mission.

SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites during a mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 flight was the company’s 24th dedicated Starlink launch in 2024.

Liftoff of the Starlink 6-48 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 1:40 a.m. EDT (0540 UTC).

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1083 in the SpaceX fleet, will be launching for a second time. Its first flight supported the launch of the Crew-8 astronaut mission to the International Space Station on March 3, 2024.

About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1083 landed on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ This marked the 77th landing on JRTI and the 295th booster landing to date.

A ULA Delta 4 Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This was the 16th and final launch of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

The second time was the charm for the finale of the Delta family of rockets. Following an issue with a gaseous nitrogen pipeline beyond the control of United Launch Alliance (ULA) that caused the March 28 scrub the second launch attempt on April 9 proved successful.

Liftoff of the Delta 4 Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 UTC). The “most metal of all rockets” as described by ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno rocketed away from the pad at the start of the launch window, carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

In the final four minutes prior to liftoff last go around, there were two issues that cropped up, according to Bruno. The first was a violation of ground wind limits, which forced the initial hold. That was coupled with an issue that came up with a gaseous nitrogen pump.

The pipeline system that services active launchpads both at the Kennedy Space Center as well as at CCSFS is owned by NASA and is managed by prime contractor, Air Liquide. 

In response to questions from Spaceflight Now regarding the extent of the issue and the measures taken to resolve it, Air Liquide provided the following statement:

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein

SpaceX launched the first in a new series of rideshare missions that it dubbed “Bandwagon.” The 11 satellites rode onboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Liftoff occurred at 7:16 p.m. EDT (2316 UTC). A day before the mission, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast better than 95 percent odds of favorable conditions at launch time.

Like the “Transporter” rideshare flights, the Falcon 9 rocket for the Bandwagon-1 mission launched with a batch of satellites, which were deployed over a period of time. However, SpaceX did not disclose the timing of the deployments as it typically does with Transporter missions.

This was likely due to the presence of the South Korean Project 425 SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites on board. A SpaceX commentator said during the broadcast that they were ending their stream early and without views of the payload “at the request of our customer.” The last time SpaceX launched a batch of these satellites, it also withheld timing information on spacecraft deployment.

In addition to the 425Sat payload, the 10 other spacecraft included the following:

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at sunset from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 8-1 mission on April 6, 2024. Image: SpaceX

For a second time this year, SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites that support its Direct to Cell capability. The six spacecraft are among the 21 total satellites which launched on Saturday, April 6, from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 7:25 p.m. PDT (10:25 EDT, 0225 UTC).

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1081 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a sixth time. It previously supported the launches of NASA’s PACE spacecraft, the Crew-7 astronauts, CRS-29, Transporter-10 and Starlink Group 6-34.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1081 landed on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ This marked the 88th landing on OCISLY and the 293rd booster landing to date.

A diagram of the Starlink direct-to-cell service. Graphic: SpaceX

Following January’s launch of the first DTC Starlink satellites in January, SpaceX conducted a number of tests using the budding service. Those included sending text messages, making phone calls and posting to social media.

 

The opportunity to see a total solar eclipse is capturing the attention of millions across the country, spacecraft are going through key environmental testing and a Florida resident is dealing with an out-of-this-world garbage problem.

These are just some of the topics on deck for this week’s edition of News from the Press Site. The hour-long, live show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel.

This week, we’re joined by Emilee Speck, space journalist with FOX Weather, and Stephen Clark, space reporter with Ars Technica. Join the conversation by using the Superchat feature while the video is live.

 

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-47 mission on Friday, April 5, 2024. Image: Spaceflight Now

Update 5:12 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-47 mission.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Friday morning to kick off a weekend that could see three missions for the company.

The Starlink 6-47 mission lifted off at 5:12 a.m. EDT (0912 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), just minutes before moonrise over the Cape.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1069 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 14th time. It previously supported the launches of the CRS-24 and OneWeb-1 missions, along with nine Starlink flights.

B1069 landed on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ about 8.5 minutes after liftoff. This was the 64th booster landing on ASOG and the 292nd booster landing to date.