December 2025 – Spaceflight Now

H3 rocket suffers upper stage anomaly, fails to correctly deploy navigation satellite

December 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Dec. 22 launch was the fourth and final flight of an H3 rocket in 2025.

Tory Bruno steps down as President, CEO of ULA

December 22, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The announcement was made by Robert Lightfoot, the ULA Lockheed Martin Board Chair, in a statement on Monday. The board now begins a search for his permanent replacement.

Astronauts, launch teams practice Artemis 2 countdown

December 21, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The run-through simulated day-of-launch activities, included suit up, ingress into the Orion spacecraft and a countdown that stopped just shy of T-0.

Space Development Agency awards roughly $3.5 billion to 4 companies for 72 missile tracking and warning satellites

December 20, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

This batch of satellites will populate what the SDA calls the Tracking Layer of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) constellation in low Earth orbit. The work will be divided evenly, with each company building 18 spacecraft.

Rocket Lab launches 4 novel DiskSat satellites for U.S. Space Force, NASA

December 18, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The STP-S30 mission was moved up five months on the launch manifest for Rocket Lab. This was the 20th launch of an Electron rocket in 2025.

Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as 15th NASA Administrator

December 18, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The vote on Dec. 17 closes out a year-long nomination process featuring the removal and renomination of the commercial astronaut.

SpaceX flies Starlink mission using Falcon 9 booster flying for a 30th time

December 17, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Falcon 9 rocket launching the Starlink 15-13 mission will fly on a south-easterly trajectory upon leaving pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is for 7:27 a.m. PST (10:27 a.m. EST / 1527 UTC).

SpaceX launches Wednesday morning Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center

December 16, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 6-99 mission represents SpaceX’s 125th launch to date from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:42 a.m. EST (1342 UTC).

Rocket Lab Electron rocket aborts liftoff at engine ignition

December 15, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The ‘Bridging the Swarm’ mission comes two days after the company launched its ‘RAISE and Shine’ flight for JAXA. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. NZDT / 0055 UTC on Dec. 16 (7:45 p.m. EST on Dec. 15).

ULA Atlas 5 launch puts Amazon’s 180th broadband satellite in low Earth orbit

December 15, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 3:28 a.m. EST (0828 UTC), as the RD-180 engine on the booster roared to lift alongside five solid rocket boosters.