August 2023 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX notches 60th launch of the year with Starlink mission, one shy of tying record

August 31, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket for the company’s 60th orbital launch of the year. The Starlink Group 6-13 mission lifted off at 10:21 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Aug. 31 (0221 UTC on Sept. 1), with a batch of 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites headed to low Earth orbit.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 13 satellites for Space Development Agency

August 31, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with 13 demonstration satellites for the US military’s Space Development Agency (SDA) on time at 7:25 a.m. PDT (10:25 a.m. EDT / 1425 UTC)7:25 a.m. PDT (10:25 a.m. EDT / 1425 UTC).

Tropical Storm Idalia delays national security Atlas 5 launch from Cape Canaveral

August 29, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

A tropical storm barreling towards the Florida peninsula caused United Launch Alliance (ULA) to stand down from an Atlas 5 launch planned for Tuesday on a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

International crew arrive at space station aboard SpaceX Dragon Endurance

August 28, 2023 William Harwood

A SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry ship docked at the International Space Station Sunday after a 29-hour rendezvous, bringing four fresh crew members to the lab to replace four others wrapping up a six-month stay in orbit.

Launch of new X-ray space telescope and lunar lander from Japan delayed

August 27, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A next-generation X-ray space telescope and an experimental lunar lander are poised for launch from Japan. An H-2A rocket was scheduled to liftoff from the Tanegashima Space Center Sunday but liftoff has been scrubbed due to upper level winds.

Meet Crew 7: A truly international space mission

August 27, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Dragon Endurance features crew members representing four different nations. The mission is commanded by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli. The pilot is the European Space Agency’s Andreas Mogensen from Denmark. Mission specialists are Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

SpaceX Dragon capsule arrives at space station with international crew

August 27, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX Dragon Endurance docked with the International Space Station at 9:16 a.m. EDT (1316 UTC) this morning. The spacecraft carried an international crew of four, representing four different nations to begin a six-month mission.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

August 26, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launched its second Falcon 9 mission of the day, sending 22 second-generation Starlink satellites into orbit on Saturday at 9:05 p.m. EDT (0105 UTC). It followed the successful launch of a four-member crew to the International Space Station earlier in the day.

SpaceX launches first all-international crew to space station

August 26, 2023 William Harwood

Running a day late, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying a NASA commander, a Danish co-pilot, a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut rocketed into orbit early Saturday and set off after the International Space Station for a six-month tour of duty.

Live Coverage: Crew Dragon launches with international crew bound for space station

August 24, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Dragon capsule Endurance and a crew representing four nations lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 3:27 a.m. EDT (0727 UTC) early Saturday morning.