Mission Reports

September 18, 2025

Breaking News

[ September 17, 2025 ] Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ September 16, 2025 ] NASA, Northrop Grumman postpone Cygnus XL arrival to ISS following propulsion issue Mission Reports
[ September 16, 2025 ] Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg SFB following weather scrub Falcon 9
[ September 15, 2025 ] Northrop Grumman’s 1st Cygnus XL spacecraft launches on cargo run to the space station Falcon 9
[ September 14, 2025 ] Launch preview: SpaceX to launch new, improved Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL resupply ship to the space station Falcon 9

Photos: Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster prepped for one-way trip to deep space

December 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has released photos of Elon Musk’s midnight cherry red Tesla Roadster, the dummy payload selected for the Falcon Heavy rocket’s maiden test flight, being readied for launch at Cape Canaveral.

Another trio of Yaogan military satellites launched by China

December 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

Three more Yaogan satellites successfully lifted off Monday from the Xichang space center in southwestern China, joining two similar triplets launched earlier this year for the Chinese military.

Falcon Heavy raised on pad 39A for first time

December 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket, made up of two previously-flown Falcon 9 boosters and a beefed up central core stage, made the trip to launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and was raised vertical Thursday for testing ahead of its first liftoff next month.

Time-lapse video: Falcon Heavy goes vertical at launch pad 39A

December 28, 2017 Spaceflight Now

Watch a time-lapse video as the Falcon Heavy goes vertical at launch pad 39A on December 28, 2017. This video runs at 34 times normal speed.

Controllers lose contact with new Angolan communications satellite

December 26, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Ukrainian-built Zenit booster and a Russian-made Fregat upper stage launched with an Angolan communications satellite Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but engineers lost contact with the spacecraft soon after its deployment in orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

Land imaging craft launched for Chinese military

December 23, 2017 Stephen Clark

A land imaging satellite soared to a 300-mile-high perch above Earth Saturday after lifting off on top of a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan space base in the Gobi Desert, joining a similar military reconnaissance craft launched earlier this month in the same type of orbit.

SpaceX launch dazzles, delivering 10 more satellites for Iridium

December 23, 2017 Stephen Clark

Putting on a holiday light show for Southern California and much of the desert southwest, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired into a twilight sky from the Pacific coastline Friday night to add 10 new satellites to Iridium’s upgraded communications network.

Photos: Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster prepped for one-way trip to deep space

Another trio of Yaogan military satellites launched by China

Falcon Heavy raised on pad 39A for first time

Time-lapse video: Falcon Heavy goes vertical at launch pad 39A

Controllers lose contact with new Angolan communications satellite

Land imaging craft launched for Chinese military

SpaceX launch dazzles, delivering 10 more satellites for Iridium

Video: Falcon 9 lifts off at dusk from Vandenberg Air Force Base

Japanese H-2A rocket lifts off with two satellites

Live coverage: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket makes its final launch of the year