Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the Formosat 5 Earth observation satellite for Taiwan’s National Space Organization. SpaceX’s live video coverage begins at approximately 2:35 p.m. EDT (1835 GMT; 11:35 a.m. PDT). Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Watch on a mobile device.
Mission Reports
Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches upgraded Electron booster with seven satellites
After scrubbing a launch attempt Nov. 29 due to a problem with a second stage umbilical, Rocket Lab launched seven small satellites on an Electron booster from New Zealand at 3:18 a.m. EST (0818 GMT) Friday. The Electron rocket lifted off with an upgraded first stage carrying new hardware to control the rocket’s re-entry before teams attempt to catch the booster on future missions for refurbishment and reuse.
Mission Reports
Live coverage: Contact lost with Japanese moon lander
A commercial robotic lander developed by the Japanese company ispace was supposed to land on the moon at 12:40 p.m. EDT (1640 UTC) Tuesday, attempting to make history as the first privately-funded enterprise to achieve a controlled touchdown on the lunar surface. But mission controllers lost contact with the spacecraft just before landing.