News – Spaceflight Now

August 7, 2026

Breaking News

[ August 6, 2026 ] Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion New Glenn
[ August 6, 2026 ] NASA, Northrop Grumman repurpose Gateway elements for Moon Base demo missions Artemis
[ August 5, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 3 AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ August 4, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ July 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office Falcon 9

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).

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

August 4, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Starlink 17-53 mission is the 90th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 10:05 a.m. PDT (1:05 p.m. EDT / 1705 UTC).

SpaceX launches classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office

July 29, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The NROL-95 mission was the third payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launched under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 procurement. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 3:10 a.m. EDT (0710 UTC).

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites from West Coast

July 25, 2026 Steven Young

Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California occurred at 8:51 a.m. PDT (11:51 a.m. EDT / 1551 UTC). The Falcon 9 placed 24 Starlink satellites into orbit.

Super Heavy-Starship rocket chalks up mostly successful test flight

July 25, 2026 William Harwood

Powered by 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, the 407-foot-tall two-stage rocket blasted off from SpaceX’s “Starbase,” Texas, launch site at 5:51 p.m. EDT, putting on a spectacular show for area residents and tourists as it climbed away atop some 16 million pounds of thrust.

Critical NASA Deep Space ground station in Spain evacuated due to wildfires

July 24, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex is one of three critical sites around the world that communicate with spacecraft beyond the reach of near-Earth communications capabilities.

Launch preview: SpaceX ready for 2nd attempt to launch Starship Flight 13 following post-abort engine work

July 23, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The flight was delayed another day as Tropical Storm Bertha was expected to make landfall in Texas on Thursday. Liftoff of the Starship Flight 13 mission is scheduled during a 90-minute window that opens on Friday, July 24, at 5:45 p.m. CDT (6:45 p.m. EDT / 2245 UTC).

SpaceX launches novel geosynchronous robotic servicing satellite on decade-long mission

July 21, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle features the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) payload from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and DARPA. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled during a four-hour window that opens at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 UTC).