Will Robinson-Smith – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launches record-breaking back-to-back Falcon 9 rockets for Globalstar, U.S. Space Force

August 15, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The batch of eight Globalstar satellites will help refresh the company’s low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 9:12 p.m. EDT (0112 UTC).

NASA Administrator ‘extremely confident’ in Artemis 3 mission in 2027

August 14, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The statement of support came in the midst of announcing a NASA-supported, privately run air and space show happening in early November.

Mike Fincke, a 30-year astronaut with experience across four spacecraft, retires from NASA

August 12, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

Mike Fincke trained on the Boeing CST-100 Starliner side of the Commercial Crew Program from January 2019 until his reassignment to the SpaceX Crew-11 mission. His fourth and final mission to the International Space Station launched on Aug. 1, 2025.

Firefly Aerospace pushes debut of Alpha Block 2 rocket to the fourth quarter of 2026

August 11, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

During an investor earnings call on Tuesday, Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said the company now expects to fly a total of three Alpha rockets this year.

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB

August 11, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 17-49 mission was the 73rd mission flying SpaceX’s broadband internet satellites to orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 9:46 p.m. PDT (12:46 a.m. EDT / 0446 UTC).

Window for 2026 launch debut of Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket ‘is narrowing’ as development continues

August 10, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The announcement came in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of a quarterly investor earnings call on Aug. 10.

SpaceX launches Tuesday noontime Starlink mission following Monday scrub

August 10, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 10-19 mission was set to be SpaceX’s 72nd flight of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 11:58 a.m. EDT (1558 UTC) on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion

August 6, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Aug. 5 update from Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp offered the first explanation for what caused the company’s 98-meter-tall (320 ft.) to explode at the pad on May 28.

NASA, Northrop Grumman repurpose Gateway elements for Moon Base demo missions

August 6, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The shift amplifies the agency’s marked shift from crewed operations in lunar orbit to focus on surface-based missions.

SpaceX launches 3 AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

August 5, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The BlueBird 11-13 mission was the third time SpaceX flew satellites to orbit supporting AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device constellation. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 3:49 a.m. EDT (0749 UTC).