Starship IFT-5 Launches With a Catch
At 7:25 AM CDT on October 13th, 2024, the fifth Integrated Flight Test (IFT-5) of SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle lifted itself from its Orbital Launch Mount at Starbase, Texas.
Read MoreAt 7:25 AM CDT on October 13th, 2024, the fifth Integrated Flight Test (IFT-5) of SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle lifted itself from its Orbital Launch Mount at Starbase, Texas.
Read MoreNASA’s Europa Clipper mission, a 5 billion dollar Jovian orbiter, will aim to answer questions about one of the most tantalizing candidates for life in the solar system: the gas giant’s icy moon of Europa.
Read MoreThe European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft has lifted off on a unique mission to the binary asteroid pair Didymos and Dimorphos. The probe will seek new insights into planetary defense techniques that could protect the Earth from asteroid impacts in the future, following up on NASA’s DART mission which intentionally struck Dimorphos in September of 2022.
Read MoreFalcon 9 currently finds itself in the midst of its third grounding in 2024. Following a successful launch of the Crew-9 mission and crew aboard Crew Dragon Freedom on September 28th, the Falcon 9 second stage experienced an anomaly during its deorbit burn, causing it to fall outside of the designated safe zone.
Read MoreOn October 4th at 7:25 AM Eastern Time, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan-Centaur rocket leaped off the pad for the second time, beginning a critical flight test ahead of beginning national security flights. According to ULA the mission’s various goals were completed, but not without incident.
Read MoreUnited Launch Alliance is making final preparations for the launch of Vulcan Cert-2, the second certification flight of the company’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket, scheduled to launch no earlier than October 4th, 2024. The vehicle is set to lift off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:00 eastern time.
Read MoreSpaceX’s ninth crew rotation to the International Space Station is underway, carrying two crew members uphill to the orbiting laboratory. Crew-9 evaded stormy weather to lift off on September 28th, 2024 at 1:17 PM EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Read MoreOn September 17th, 2024, NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a Near Space Network Services contract to design, build, and operate a system of communications relay and navigation satellites in lunar orbit to support Artemis missions.
Read MoreIn periods of uncertainty, one thing is clear in spaceflight – the show must go on. With this mantra in mind, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are preparing to launch on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.
Read MoreSpaceX’s Crew Dragon has been a resounding success, both for SpaceX itself and for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. After ending a 9-year gap in the United States’ crewed launch capability, the spacecraft has become the de facto leader in the developing commercial orbital economy.
Read MoreOn September 10, 2024, one of the farthest-reaching civilian missions in human history lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aiming to smash records and push boundaries in support of human spaceflight objectives. The Polaris Dawn mission, launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9, also completed the first commercial spacewalk, with Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis exiting the spacecraft for an extravehicular activity (EVA) lasting just under two hours.
Read MoreOn Friday, September 6th 2024, NASA announced an official delay of the EscaPADE mission’s launch to March of 2025. The agency specified that the decision came at potential risk to spacecraft health in the event that the twin Mars orbiters had to be unfueled following a launch delay. Regardless, work continues towards the first launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
Read MoreSpaceX’s Starlink 8-10 mission lifted off successfully at 3:43 AM EDT on the morning of August 31st, deploying 21 Starlink satellites into orbit. This mission represents the second return to flight for Falcon 9 this year, and a historic turnaround.
Read MoreIn an age marked by aggression and deterioration of relationships, it appears that the end of a long standing practice, seat exchange on partner vehicles, is coming to an end – thrusting the station into a period of uncertainty as it faces the twilight years of its operation.
Read MoreIn a press conference starting at 1:13 PM EST, a panel of NASA program managers officially declared that Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be returning aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon at the conclusion of the Crew-9 mission in February of 2025.
Read MoreAt its core, the Artemis Program represents a new way of thinking in space exploration. NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives incorporate the Artemis Program as part of the roadmap to the Red Planet.
Read More2024 is far from over and another new rocket is still expected to earn its wings: Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
If all proceeds according to plan it could happen in less than 60 days. However, substantial milestones remain incomplete, raising questions on the rocket’s readiness.
Axiom Space’s fourth mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is set to carry astronauts from Poland, Hungary, and India next year, setting the stage for yet another record breaking international segment.
Read MoreOn July 27, 2024 at 1:45 AM EDT, Falcon 9 returned to flight following its stand down on July 11, returning the workhorse of American rocketry to service. Carrying the Starlink 10-9 group, the mission is a return to form for one of the most flown rockets of the decade.
Read MoreIn a teleconference on July 17th, NASA and SpaceX provided additional information about the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), the spacecraft which will be tasked with pushing the International Space Station out of orbit at the end of its lifetime.
Read MoreThe end of the International Space Station will mark a tectonic shift in human spaceflight. The ISS program united the efforts of fifteen nations, including a landmark union between the United States and Russia, and citizens from eight other countries have since visited the orbiting laboratory. Now, approaching retirement, we begin to ask the question of what comes next?
Read MoreAt 7:30 Pacific Standard Time on July 11th, 2024, a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket carrying the Starlink Group 9-3 satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Nearly 2 hours later, SpaceX confirmed that the mission had experienced an anomaly.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, June 26 2024, in a media roundtable hosted by United Launch Alliance, company President and CEO Tory Bruno laid out the path for Vulcan Centaur’s second flight, Cert-2.
Read MoreNASA and SpaceX have launched GOES-U, the final Earth observation satellite in the GOES-R series. The spacecraft was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, dodging inclement weather to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at 5:26 PM EDT on July 25th, 2024.
Read MoreIn an announcement on June 13th, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin were selected for the Department of Defense’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 program. All three providers are now eligible to compete for a series of 30+ launches, with a combined value of $5.6 billion.
Read MoreOn June 5, 2024 at 10:52 AM, America’s newest crew capable spacecraft lifted off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 61 years, 21 days, 1 hour, 48 minutes and 1 second since Atlas LV-3B 130-D launched Gordon Cooper into orbit aboard Faith 7, the mighty Atlas V continues the dream.
Read MoreSpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle has completed its fourth Integrated Flight Test (IFT-4), lifting off from the company’s Starbase facility at 7:50 AM Central Time on Thursday, June 6th, 2024.
Read MoreThe European Space Agency (ESA) and SpaceX are preparing to launch the long-anticipated EarthCARE mission on May 27, 2024, set to improve climate models and weather forecasts by studying Earth’s radiation budget in new detail.
Read MoreSierra Space’s first Dream Chaser spaceplane, Tenacity, arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on May 20th, 2024, entering the next phase of development as the company proceeds towards flight.
Read MoreNASA has enlisted the help of commercial partners to respond to two fronts in exploration, aiming to remove some of the technical and financial burden on the agency, so that larger and more ambitious goals can be accomplished in the next 15 to 20 years.
Read MoreOn May 6th, 2024, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is set to fly for the third time, this time carrying its most important cargo to date: a human crew. Flown by veteran NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, this mission intends to fully certify the vehicle for human flight.
Read MoreWith testing already underway ahead of Starship’s fourth Integrated Flight Test (IFT), and several more flight tests planned in 2024, one may ask how quickly the dream will become reality. The answer, however, as many things are regarding spaceflight, is complicated and prone to delays.
Read MoreIt seems that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane, Tenacity, may be waiting a bit longer to fly, as indicated by Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice.
Read MoreOn April 9th, 2024 at 12:53 PM EST- the final rocket of the Delta family lifted off from SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ending a career and lineage with roots as far back as the dawn of the space program.
Read MoreOn Wednesday, April 3rd, NASA announced the three teams of commercial companies that will develop concepts for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle, an unpressurized rover which will provide mobility for astronauts as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
Read MoreUS-New Zealand based company Rocket Lab is preparing for their next mission to fly out of Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia: a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on March 21, 2024.
Read MoreOn Thursday, March 14th, SpaceX completed the third Integrated Flight Test (IFT-3) of its Starship launch vehicle. Notably, IFT-3 successfully achieved the first complete ascent of the combined Starship and Super Heavy system.
Read MoreSpaceX has begun the final prep work for a third flight of their Starship heavy lift reusable launch vehicle, with March 14 as the currently projected liftoff date, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Read MoreNASA’s next crew to depart for the International Space Station, Crew-8, are nearly ready for launch, set to embark on a voyage of scientific discovery onboard the orbiting laboratory for the benefit of all on Earth.
Read MoreOn Thursday, February 22nd, Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander Odysseus successfully touched down on the Moon, achieving the “ultimate milestone” for the IM-1 mission and marking the first major victory for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
Read MoreOn February 15th, at 1:05 AM Eastern Time, Intuitive Machine’s NOVA-C, Odysseus, lifted off in support of the IM-1 mission – with the aim of becoming the first American spacecraft to make it to the lunar surface in over 50 years.
Read MoreAfter nearly nine years of planning, preparation, and even once being slated for cancellation entirely, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Earth-observation mission lifted off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on February 8, at 1:33:36 AM.
Read MoreIntuitive Machines is targeting February 14th for the launch of IM-1, the first flight of its NOVA-C robotic moon lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
Read MoreStarlab Space, a joint venture of Voyager Space and Airbus Space and Defense, announced Jan. 31 it reached an agreement with SpaceX to launch the consortium’s Starlab space station on the currently under development Starship system.
Read MoreOn January 30th, at 12:07:15 PM Eastern Time, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lofted the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft as part of the NG-20 mission in a historic first for both Commercial Cargo providers.
Read MoreAS NG-20 prepares to fly, Space Scout’s Scarlet Dominik takes a closer look at the current state of the launch industry, and analyzes how a monopoly on launch may be something to avoid.
Read MoreFinal preparations are underway for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (NG-20), currently set to launch on January 29th 2024.
Read MoreAmidst schedule delays and uncertainties surrounding the return to flight of the Vega launch vehicle, the European Space Agency and European Commission are considering the purchase of an American Falcon 9 rocket to launch their Sentinel-1C climate satellite, with a decision expected in the coming days or weeks.
Read MoreAstrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on January 18th, 2024, ending its mission after a 10 day, tumultuous journey through cislunar space.
Read MoreOn January 18th, 2024 at 4:49 PM, SpaceX and Axiom Space launched their third mission to the International Space Station,
Read MoreSpaceX and Axiom Space are targeting January 18th, 2024 at 4:49 PM for the launch of their third mission to the International Space Station, Ax-3, carrying a historic all-European crew on a 14-day mission.
Read MoreSet for release on January 22nd, these highly-anticipated documents will provide key insights into NASA’s overarching Moon to Mars exploration strategy, including new details in its vision for sending humans to Mars.
Read MoreWhile the Commercial Crew Program seems fairly straightforward, it has already had huge implications on the immediate future of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond.
Read MoreOn January 8th, 2024, at 2:18:34 AM, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket flew for the first time, carrying the Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander towards the Moon.
Read MoreOn Friday, January 5, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket rolled to the pad for the first time, ahead of its first flight scheduled for January 8, 2024.
Read MoreAfter considerable delay, USSF-52/OTV-7 has gotten underway, lifting off at 8:07 PM on Thursday, December 28th atop a Falcon Heavy.
Read MoreAfter several delays due to uncooperative weather, Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle has flown for the fourth time as part of the Fly the Lightning mission. However, an anomaly has resulted in the orbit for the Tantrum satellite being lower than planned.
Read MoreAt the National Space Council meeting on December 20, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris and her advisors announced that the Artemis Program will land an international astronaut on the moon “before the end of the decade.”
Read MoreAfter over a year of waiting, New Shepard has returned to flight. Following a scrubbed launch on the 18th, New Shepard cleared the tower flying the NS-24 mission on December 19th at 10:43 AM.
Read MoreSierra Space has entered the final test and checkout campaign for their Dream Chaser spaceplane; delivering the first flight article, Tenacity, to NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio.
Read MoreAfter completion of a successful Wet Dress Rehearsal this week, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is one step closer to its debut – entering a new chapter of American rocketry for both military and civilian space launch.
Read More2024 is shaping up to be a year of triumphant lunar return, with several missions planned to welcome in a new age of international exploration of Earth’s nearest neighbor.
Read MoreOn November 30th, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the various challenges remaining for SpaceX, Axiom, and NASA as they work towards the first Moon landing in more than 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission.
Read MoreSpace Scout lead photographer David Diebold reflects on his experience travelling to cover SpaceX’s second Integrated Test Flight of Starship
Read MoreRocket Lab’s Electron rocket is once again looking towards the skies, poised to return to flight no earlier than November 28th following a mission failure and loss of payload on September 19th.
Read MoreOn the 6th of October, 2023, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket lifted off from SLC-41 carrying Amazon’s first two prototype Kuiper internet satellites. This marks the beginning of a new internet age…
Read MoreAfter weeks of reshuffling, NASA and SpaceX’s CRS-29 mission lifted off from Historic Launch Complex 39A for the International Space
Read MoreA next generation optical communications system known as ILLUMA-T is ready for flight onboard the CRS-29 mission to the International Space Station.
Read MoreAt NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, work on NASA’s next lunar explorer has begun. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) is now in assembly ahead of its projected launch in 2024 onboard a Falcon Heavy.
Read MoreBlue Origin has unveiled their latest, full size mockup of their Blue Moon MK1 Cargo lander at their Huntsville facility, showcasing an updated design of their uncrewed cargo vehicle.
Read MoreAs NASA prepares to go back to the moon, the CLPS program stands on a dangerous fulcrum – will program structure help or hurt our lunar return?
Read MoreBlue Origin’s spaceflight plans have continued to grow, and the latest addition looks to position itself as a “Space Truck”. This dedicated space tug, known as Blue Ring, will be used for a multitude of tasks in Cislunar space.
Read MoreOn Friday the 13th, 2023 SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy beat the odds and
lifted off carrying NASA’s Psyche spacecraft on a two billion mile trek to the asteroid of its namesake.
With a rumble that has become routine, Falcon 9 lifted off on September 3rd, 2023 with Starlink 6-12, setting SpaceX’s new record for their number of launches in a given year.
Read MoreRocket Lab has suffered a fourth failure of their Electron small launch vehicle this morning while carrying Capella Space’s Acadia-1 synthetic aperture radar satellite.
Read MoreSpaceX and the Space Development Agency (SDA) are gearing up to launch their next batch of satellites as part of their Tranche program.
Read MoreOn August 27th, 2023 at 9:16 AM Eastern Standard Time, Crew Dragon Endurance docked to the Zenith port of the Harmony Module of the International Space Station.
Read MoreSix years into the future and 177 years after its discovery, the massive asteroid 16 Psyche will receive its first visitor from Earth.
Read MoreAs SpaceX’s Crew – 7 gears up for launch in August, 2023 – the crew of the sixth rotation mission to the International Space Station are wrapping up a record setting, history-making long duration segment.
Read MoreRocket Lab is currently gearing up for its inaugural launch from the United States this weekend.
Read MoreNASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is set to lift off on Tuesday, October 5 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, carrying a crew of four aboard Crew Dragon Endurance.
Read MoreOn April 8th, Axiom-1, the first all-private crew will launch to the International Space Station.
Read MoreViews of the launch of Transporter-3, carrying 105 satellites to a polar orbit on January 13, 2022.
Read MoreNOV. 14, 2022—ABL Space Systems plans to launch its RS1 rocket as soon as November 14- the first of at least 78 flights on contract.
Read MoreAstra has filed with the FCC ahead of a first-time launch from KSC’s Launch Complex 48.
Read MoreJULY 17, 2021–A Shortfall of Gravitas, a new, modernized drone-ship, joins the SpaceX fleet.
Read MoreCrew-2 is set to liftoff April 23 at 5:49 a.m. ET – here’s everything you need to know, including full detailed timelines of the mission.
Read MoreMAR. 1, 2021–Rocket Lab announces a SPAC merger valued at $4.1 billion, and a new, reusable launch vehicle capable of lifting 8 tons.
Read MoreJAN. 23, 2021–SpaceX is set to launch a mission carrying over 140 satellites. We tracked 142 out of 143.
Read MoreJAN. 12, 2020–SpaceX successfully undocked the CRS-21 Dragon resupply vehicle from the ISS this morning, ahead of splashdown in just over a day.
Read MoreDEC. 12, 2020–Virgin Galactic’s first suborbital, crewed flight out of Spaceport America didn’t go as planned this morning and was forced to glide home.
Read MoreDEC. 11, 2020–Two days ago, SpaceX’s massive SN8 prototype completed a successful test – by blowing up on the landing pad.
Read MoreDEC. 7, 2020–SpaceX is preparing for its first high-altitude Starship flight – a 12.5km test using “SN8”, a prototype Starship test vehicle.
Read MoreNOV. 20, 2020–Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is launching from Vandenberg in just 12 hours. If “launching from Vandenberg” isn’t a phrase you’ve heard lately – we don’t blame you.
Read MoreNOV. 20, 2020– With just twelve hours to go to the launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, here’s everything you need to know to watch the first Vandenberg launch in over a year and a half.
Read MoreNOV. 14, 2020–With just a day and a half to go before the first operational Commercial Crew mission, we’ve compiled some information as a guide to help you get the best experience out of Crew-1.
Read MoreDragon capsule Endeavour and its two-man crew, Bob Behnken, and Doug Hurley, prepare to come home after over two months in space.
Read MoreJUNE 25, 2020–Relativity Space has announced that they will be constructing a new launch site at Vandenberg AFB, along with a contract from Iridium to launch six spare satellites on an as-needed basis.
Read MoreJUNE 2, 2020– SpaceX’s Starship development program in South Texas seemed to be right on track until it met a swift (and explosive) halt last Friday.
Read MoreJUNE 2, 2020– Rocket Lab has announced a return to flight of the Electron rocket with a new launch date of Don’t Stop Me Now, Electron’s 12th flight. Electron, will now launch on June 11, 2020.
Read MoreMAY 14, 2020–Firefly Aerospace, a small-sat startup from Austin TX, has earned their AS9100 certification.
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