September 2025 – Spaceflight Now

Axiom Space taps Portuguese physiologist as first ‘Project Astronaut’

September 30, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

Emiliano Ventura will not only help develop a new astronaut training “pilot program,” but also may be assigned to a future commercial astronaut mission.

Ground testing anomaly destroys Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha booster intended for next flight

September 30, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The anomaly came about a month after the FAA issued a Return to Flight determination for Firefly’s Alpha rockets following an anomaly experienced during Alpha Flight 6 in April.

SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB

September 28, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 11-20 mission saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fly on a south-easterly trajectory upon departure from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff from pad 4E happened at 7:04 p.m. PDT (10:04 p.m. EDT / 0204 UTC).

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser debut mission delayed again, no longer docking to station

September 26, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The space plane was brought to the Kennedy Space Center in May 2024 with plans to launch later that year. Now, its first flight is no earlier than late 2026.

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

September 25, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 17-11 mission included the 475th launch of a flight-proven booster. SpaceX achieved liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:26 p.m. PDT (12:26 a.m. EDT / 0426 UTC).

ULA launches third batch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites from Cape Canaveral

September 25, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

This is the third time that United Launch Alliance will launch these broadband satellites, but it’s the fifth batch heading to orbit overall for the constellation. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:09 a.m. EDT (1230 UTC).

SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

September 25, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 10-15 mission came a day after SpaceX launched a trio of spacecraft to study the effects of the Sun. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 4:39 a.m. EDT (0839 UTC).

SpaceX launches NASA, NOAA missions exploring the impacts of the Sun

September 24, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The primary payload, NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) was joined by two rideshare payloads heading to Lagrange Point 1. Liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center occurred at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 UTC).

A geologist, a former SpaceX launch director and a commercial astronaut; meet NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates

September 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The cohort of ten women and men will train for the next two years to become eligible for mission assignments to low Earth orbit and beyond. This is the first astronaut candidate class to consist of more women than men.

NRO, SpaceX launch reconnaissance satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB

September 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The NROL-48 mission was the fifth mission this year supporting the National Reconnaissance Office’s expansive low Earth orbit statellite constellation it calls the proliferated architecture. Liftoff from pad 4E occurred at 10:38 a.m. PDT (1:38 p.m. EDT / 1738 UTC).