Launch

SpaceX will launch a classified spy satellite on a new Falcon 9 rocket today and you can watch it live

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A new SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a classified spy satellite for the United States today (Feb. 2) and you’ll be able to watch it all live online.  The Falcon 9 rocket will launch the secret NROL-87 payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Space Launch Complex 4E at California’s Vandenberg Space Force … Read more

SpaceX’s next Starlink mission may fly Wednesday, setting up rocket launch doubleheader

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SpaceX appears to be targeting Wednesday (Feb. 2) to fly its next batch of Starlink satellites, setting up what could be a coast-to-coast launch doubleheader for the private spaceflight company.  According to a forecast from the U.S. Space Force’s Delta 45 weather squadron, SpaceX’s next Starlink mission (called Starlink 4-7) is now expected to launch … Read more

A Long March 8 rocket has arrived at the coastal Wenchang spaceport for the second mission of what is planned to be China’s first reusable launch vehicle.

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A Long March 8 rocket has arrived at the coastal Wenchang spaceport for the second mission of what is planned to be China’s first reusable launch vehicle.  The Long March 8 will launch in late February or early March and will be carrying 22 satellites for Chinese commercial space companies, including optical and radar Earth … Read more

SpaceX delays launch of Italian satellite again, this time because of wayward ship

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SpaceX has had to delay the launch of an Italian Earth-observation satellite yet again, but this time Mother Nature was not to blame. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was all set to loft the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday (Jan. 30) at 6:11 p.m. EST … Read more

SpaceX delays rocket launch carrying Italian satellite due to bad weather

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Mother Nature has foiled a planned SpaceX launch for the second day in a row. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was originally supposed to launch the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday evening (Jan. 27), but thick clouds and strong winds forced a 24-hour delay. That … Read more

The first Vulcan rocket will launch ashes of Star Trek actors into space this year

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The debut Vulcan Centaur rocket launch will, logically, host the ashes and DNA of “Star Trek” fans and actors — including some people involved in the franchise. As United Launch Alliance prepares to launch Vulcan to replace some older standbys in its fleet, the first flight will call back to the more famous planet of … Read more

Astra test-fires rocket ahead of 1st Florida launch (video)

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Astra took another step forward in preparing for its first-ever launch of operational satellites. The California company performed a “static fire” test with its Rocket 3.3 vehicle at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday (Jan. 22), briefly igniting the launcher’s first-stage engines while keeping it anchored to the pad. The test is part … Read more

In photos: Michael Strahan’s launch into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard

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Liftoff of NS-19 on Dec. 11, 2021. (Image credit: Blue Origin) Blue Origin’s third crewed spaceflight brought a full complement of people into space on New Shepard for the first time, starring “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan. On Dec. 11, 2021, a 10-minute flight successfully launched and landed from Blue Origin’s facilities near Van … Read more

Space Force satellite launch could create a luminous cloud in tonight’s evening sky

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If you are outside doing some stargazing in the Western Hemisphere this evening and are looking up at just the right time, you might catch sight of something that will appear quite strange: a small circular cloud of light that will rapidly expand to roughly the apparent size of a full moon, before finally fading … Read more