Will Robinson-Smith – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launches 3rd consecutive Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB, uninterrupted by a Cape mission

October 2, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 11-39 mission lifted off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:06 a.m. PDT (10:06 a.m. EDT / 1406 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory.

ViaSat-3 F2 satellite arrives in Florida ahead of late October launch

October 1, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The spacecraft will launch onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 551 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It’s built on Boeing’s 702MP+ satellite bus.

Report argues NASA is illegally using President’s Budget Request to circumvent Congress’ budgeting process

October 1, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The claims outlined in the report stem from whistleblower information and documents from NASA to its workforce. The report was published less than 48 hours before the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

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).