Spaceflight Now – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX conducts static test fire of Starship Super Heavy Booster

August 6, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX fired up its Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 for a static test of its liquid methane-fueled Raptor rocket engines. The test was advertised to last “just under five seconds” but appeared to be cut short at 2.74 seconds. Four of the 33 Raptor engines were reported to have shut down prematurely.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket launch scrubbed

August 5, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab has called off Sunday’s attempt to launch its 40th Electron rocket due to “out-of-family sensor data”. No new launch date has been set. The rocket is carrying Acadia 1, the first of four new radar-imaging satellites for Earth observation company, Capella Space.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Intelsat’s Galaxy 37 communications satellite

August 3, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the Galaxy 37 communications satellite for Intelsat in the early hours of Thursday. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 UTC).

Falcon Heavy launches heaviest commercial communications satellite yet

July 29, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launched the world’s heaviest commercial communications satellite atop a Falcon Heavy rocket on Friday. The triple-core rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A with the Jupiter 3/EchoStar 24 satellite at 11:04 p.m. EDT (0304 UTC Saturday).

SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifts off with heaviest commercial communications satellite ever

July 28, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifted off Friday with the world’s heaviest commercial communications satellite. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A with the Jupiter 3/EchoStar 24 satellite occurred at 11:04 p.m. EDT (0304 UTC Saturday).

SpaceX breaks launchpad turnaround record with midnight Starlink launch

July 28, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 more Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit Thursday night after scrapping plans for a launch double-header with a Falcon Heavy rocket. The Falcon 9 lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 UTC).

Falcon Heavy launch of largest commercial communications satellite scrubbed

July 26, 2023 Spaceflight Now

The launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy with the Jupiter 3/EchoStar 24 satellite, the heaviest commercial communications satellite ever, was scrubbed Wednesday with one minute, five seconds left on the countdown clock.

Falcon 9 evades thunderstorms, launches 22 Starlink satellites

July 23, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Sunday after thunderstorms postponed the mission the day before. The rocket with 22 second-generation Starlink satellites aboard lifted off at 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 UTC on July 25).

Weather scrubs Falcon 9 launch of Starlink internet satellites

July 22, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Stormy weather forced SpaceX to scrub Saturday’s launch of the Falcon 9 before the completion of propellant load. The next launch opportunity carrying 22 more second-generation Starlink satellites is Sunday at 7:09 p.m. EDT (2309 UTC).

Falcon 9 punches through fog on first West Coast launch of Starlink second-generation satellites

July 20, 2023 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is lifted off Wednesday night/Thursday morning carrying the first batch of second-generation Starlink satellites to be lofted from the West Coast. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 9:09 p.m. PDT (1209 a.m. EDT / 0409 UTC July 19).