Spaceflight Now – The leading source for online space news

March 31, 2023

Breaking News

[ March 30, 2023 ] Live coverage: SpaceX countdown at Vandenberg aborted at T-minus 3 seconds Falcon 9
[ March 29, 2023 ] First launch for Pentagon’s own mega-constellation set for Thursday Falcon 9
[ March 29, 2023 ] SpaceX launches another bundle of Starlink internet satellites Mission Reports
[ March 28, 2023 ] Damaged Russian Soyuz capsule returns to Earth without a crew Mission Reports
[ March 27, 2023 ] Blue Origin blames September New Shepard abort on engine nozzle failure Mission Reports

Live coverage: SpaceX countdown at Vandenberg aborted at T-minus 3 seconds

March 30, 2023

SpaceX aborted a countdown at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at T-minus 3 seconds Thursday, delaying the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with the first set of 10 missile tracking and data relay satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency. SDA said Friday there won’t be another launch attempt Friday as teams resolve issues discovered during Thursday’s aborted countdown.

First launch for Pentagon’s own mega-constellation set for Thursday

March 29, 2023

The U.S. military’s Space Development Agency, established in 2019 to fast-track new national security capabilities in orbit, plans to launch the first 10 satellites for a constellation of hundreds of missile tracking and data relay spacecraft Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California.
SpaceX launches another bundle of Starlink internet satellites

March 29, 2023

SpaceX delivered 56 more Starlink internet satellites into the company’s global internet constellation after liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Wednesday, bringing the total number of Starlinks launched to 4,217 spacecraft.
Damaged Russian Soyuz capsule returns to Earth without a crew

March 28, 2023

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft originally slated to bring home two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut parachuted to a landing in Kazakhstan Tuesday, returning to Earth without a crew due to concerns about overheating following a coolant leak while docked at the International Space Station last year.
Blue Origin blames September New Shepard abort on engine nozzle failure

March 27, 2023

Structural failure of the nozzle at the base of a rocket engine powering an unpiloted New Shepard spacecraft toward the edge of space last September triggered a dramatic-but-safe in-flight abort, builder Blue Origin announced Friday, saying the company has identified fixes and plans to resume sub-orbital flights “soon.”
Indian launch gives OneWeb enough satellites for global internet service

March 26, 2023

The successful launch of 36 more OneWeb satellites aboard India’s most powerful rocket Saturday brought the total number of OneWeb spacecraft in orbit to 618, enough for the London-based company to start global broadband service later this year.
Live coverage: India’s LVM3 rocket lifts off with 36 more OneWeb satellites

March 25, 2023

An Indian LVM3 rocket lifted off at 11:30 p.m. EDT Saturday (0330 UTC Sunday) with 36 more OneWeb internet satellites. Once the new 36 satellites complete orbit-raising and commissioning, OneWeb will have 618 active satellites in its fleet, enough for global broadband service.
Falcon 9 deploys 56 Starlink satellites on SpaceX’s 20th launch of the year

March 24, 2023

SpaceX continued launching satellites for the Starlink internet network Friday, sending a Falcon 9 rocket aloft from Cape Canaveral with 56 more older-generation broadband spacecraft as ground teams troubleshoot problems with a batch of upgraded Starlinks launched last month.
Rocket Lab recovers booster again after launch with BlackSky satellites

March 24, 2023

Two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging satellites rode an Electron launcher into orbit Friday from New Zealand, while the Electron’s first stage booster gently parachuted into the Pacific Ocean as engineers consider abandoning airborne rocket recovery in favor of ship-based retrieval and reuse.
Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches BlackSky satellites from New Zealand

March 24, 2023

Rocket Lab’s second launch in a little more than a week blasted off from New Zealand at 5:14 a.m. EDT (0914 UTC) Friday with two commercial Earth observation satellites for BlackSky. The Electron rocket’s first stage booster successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean for recovery.
Live coverage: SpaceX launches 56 more Starlink internet satellites

March 24, 2023

SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket Friday, this time to deliver 56 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 11:43 a.m. EDT (1543 UTC). The first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.