April 2024 – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

NASA requests proposals to reduce cost, timeline of Mars Sample Return mission

April 16, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson described the projection of an $11 billion mission price tag that wouldn’t see the samples returned until 2040 as “unacceptable.”

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 booster on record-breaking 20th flight

April 12, 2024 Spaceflight Now

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

News from the Press Site: Delta 4 Heavy finale, Starliner preparations and ExoMars gets new contract

April 12, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Joining the live video podcast on Friday, April 12, are Elizabeth Howell, staff writer for Space.com, and Bill Harwood, space consultant for CBS News. The show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel.

SpaceX launches Space Force weather satellite designed to take over for a program with roots to the 1960s

April 11, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The USSF-62 mission will feature the first National Security Space Launch mission using flight-proven payload fairings. Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 7:25 a.m. PDT (10:25 a.m. EDT (1425 UTC).

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral

April 9, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission came less than a day after SpaceX announced Albania as the latest country to gain access to the service. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 1:40 a.m. EDT (0540 UTC).

ULA concludes six decades of Delta rocket flights with final Delta 4 Heavy mission

April 9, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The issue with a gaseous nitrogen pipeline that caused the late March launch scrub was able to be resolved, according to NASA and its contractor, Air Liquide. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37 occurred at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 UTC).

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on 1st ‘Bandwagon’ mission

April 7, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The Bandwagon-1 mission features 11 satellites, which headed up a 45-degree, mid-inclination orbit. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened at 7:16 p.m. EDT (2316 UTC).

SpaceX begins commercial Direct to Cell Starlink constellation with Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base

April 6, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 8-1 mission marked the second declared launch of Starlink satellites featuring the Direct to Cell capability. Liftoff from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened on Saturday, April 6, at 7:25 p.m. PDT (10:25 EDT, 0225 UTC).

News from the Press Site: Eclipse preview, spacecraft testing and space junk hitting a Florida home

April 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Joining the live video podcast on Friday, April 5, are Emilee Speck, space journalist with FOX Weather, and Stephen Clark, space reporter with Ars Technica. The show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel.

SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

April 4, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The launch came on the heels of a record month for the company, which saw 12 Falcon 9 flights. Liftoff happened at 5:12 a.m. EDT (0912 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40.