Mission Reports – Spaceflight Now

October 1, 2023

Breaking News

[ September 28, 2023 ] Launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission slips a week due to spacecraft issue Falcon Heavy
[ September 27, 2023 ] Soyuz lands safely in Kazakhstan to end record-breaking mission; Rubio: “It’s good to be home” News
[ September 27, 2023 ] Live coverage: Space station crew return to Earth after 371-day mission News
[ September 27, 2023 ] Rapid response Victus Nox launch success open new possibilities for Space Force, commercial space industry News
[ September 26, 2023 ] Two cosmonauts, NASA astronaut head for Wednesday landing after yearlong mission News

Ending an era, Europe launches its final Ariane 5 rocket

July 6, 2023 William Harwood

Europe’s venerable Ariane 5 rocket blasted off on its 117th and final flight Wednesday, successfully boosting two communications satellites into orbit but leaving the European space program without a large satellite launcher of its own until a delayed successor comes on line.

Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket makes its final flight, successfully deploys two satellites

July 4, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket, which is being retired after 27 years of service, successfully launched two satellites on its final mission. Liftoff from the Guiana Space Center, the European spaceport in South America, occurred at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 UTC).

Europe’s workhorse Ariane 5 rocket to retire after 27 years service

July 4, 2023 Clive Simpson

Europe’s iconic Ariane 5 rocket, with its liquid hydrogen-fueled core stage and solid rocket boosters, has been symbolic of Europe’s guaranteed access to space providing a unique capacity for launching satellites and spacecraft into precise orbits over almost three decades. Its long run comes to an end when the final Ariane 5 rocket lifts off on Wednesday.

The last European Ariane 5 rocket arrives at the launch pad for its final countdown

July 3, 2023 Spaceflight Now

The last Ariane 5 rocket was hauled to the launch pad on Monday at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s South American spaceport. Ariane 5, which for years was the world’s leading commercial satellite launcher, is scheduled to make its final lift off on Tuesday, carrying a French military satellite and a communications technology testbed spacecraft for Germany.

Final Ariane 5 launch scheduled for July 4 after fixes to booster separation system

June 26, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Europe’s last Ariane 5 rocket is now scheduled to lift off July 4 after being grounded for more than two weeks due to a problem with the pyrotechnic systems required to jettison the launcher’s strap-on solid rocket boosters. Europe’s workhorse rocket is being retired after 27 years of service.

SpaceX closes out first half of 2023 with another Starlink launch

June 23, 2023 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Friday with another batch of Starlink internet satellites, wrapping up SpaceX’s action-packed first half of the year with the company’s 44th mission of 2023.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches 47 more Starlink satellites from California

June 22, 2023 Stephen Clark

Another batch of 47 Starlink internet satellites rode a SpaceX rocket into orbit early Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, continuing the company’s record flight rate with another Falcon 9 launch and landing. Liftoff occurred at 12:19 a.m. PDT (3:19 a.m. EDT; 0719 UTC).

Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifts off with NRO spy satellite

June 22, 2023 Stephen Clark

The second-to-last flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral early Thursday and delivered a top secret spy satellite into orbit for the U.S. government, snapping the longest lull in launches in ULA’s history.

ULA’s Delta rocket assembly line falls silent

June 20, 2023 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance has closed its Delta rocket assembly line in Alabama after the 389th and last Delta rocket rolled out of the factory for the journey to its launch base in Florida, clearing real estate in ULA’s sprawling manufacturing center for the next-generation Vulcan launch vehicle.

Indonesian communications satellite launched by SpaceX rocket

June 18, 2023 Stephen Clark

A Father’s Day launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral hauled into orbit a European-built communications satellite, the centerpiece of a nearly $550 million project to provide internet service to rural Indonesia.