SpaceX

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Starlink 7-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Image: SpaceX Update 12:10 p.m. EST (1710 UTC): SpaceX pushed back the T-0 liftoff time to the end of the window. Update 11:23 a.m. EST (1623 UTC): Adding addition comments from SpaceX. Update 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 UTC): SpaceX pushed back the T-0 liftoff time; adding comments from NASA. SpaceX is set to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on a return to flight mission following a brief stand down period lasting less than a week. The Starlink 17-33 mission will add 25 Starlink satellites to the company’s megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. There a more than 9,600 satellites currently in orbit, according to stats maintained by astronomer and expert orbital tracker, Jonathan McDowell. Li...

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is preparing to launch for a long-duration science mission aboard the International Space Station. During the mission, select crew members will participate in human health studies focused on understanding how astronauts’ bodies adapt to the low-gravity environment of space, including a new study examining subtle changes in blood flow. The experiments, led by NASA’s Human Research Program, include astronauts performing ultrasounds of their blood vessels to study altered circulation and completing simulated lunar landings to assess disorientation during gravitational transitions, among other tasks. The results will help NASA plan for extended stays in space and future exploration missions. The new study, called Venous Flow, will examine whether time aboard the ...

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft sit atop the Mobile Launch at Launch Complex 39B the morning of Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Abnormally cold weather forecast over the weekend for Florida delayed both the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis 2 mission and a crucial fueling test for the Space Launch System rocket. On Friday, NASA said in a statement that the plan to load the 322-foot-tall rocket with more than 730,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen would have to wait until the weather conditions improve. The agency is now aiming for Monday, Feb. 2 for the tanking portion of what’s known as the wet dress rehearsal. “Over the past several days, engineers have been closely monitoring conditions as cold weather and win...

SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-101 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral on Jan. 30, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.SpaceX completed its 13th and final Falcon 9 rocket launch of the month, which flew from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on in the predawn hours of Thursday morning. The Starlink 6-101 mission will add another 29 broadband internet satellites to SpaceX’s low Earth orbit megaconstellation. Prior to liftoff, the company had more than 9,500 satellites in orbit, according to stats maintained by Dr. Johnathan McDowell, an expert orbital tracker and astronomer. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 2:22 a.m. EST (0722 UTC) with the rocket flying on a south easterly trajectory. ]]> The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 95 percent chance for favorabl...

The GPS 3 Space Vehicle 09 satellite is encapsulated inside Falcon 9 rocket payload fairings at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. Image: SpaceX Update Jan. 26, 12 p.m. EST (1700 UTC): SpaceX delayed the mission roughly 24 hours. The U.S. Space Force is set to send its ninth third-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite into medium Earth orbit on Tuesday night. The satellite will ride to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after the government moved the spacecraft from a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket. The mission, named GPS 3-9, will see the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 09 (SV09) payload deploy from the rocket’s upper stage nearly 1.5 hours after liftoff. This latest positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite is equipped with what the Space Force calls M-C...