News – Page 169 – Spaceflight Now

February 13, 2026

Breaking News

[ February 12, 2026 ] NASA loading liquid hydrogen aboard Artemis 2 rocket in unannounced test Artemis
[ February 12, 2026 ] Vulcan suffers solid rocket booster problem during USSF-87 launch Mission Reports
[ February 11, 2026 ] ULA to launch geosynchronous orbit surveillance satellite for the U.S. Space Force News
[ February 11, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ February 11, 2026 ] ULA sets sights on ramping up launch cadence in 2026 Atlas 5

BlackSky continues rapid-fire launch campaign with Rocket Lab mission

December 9, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two more BlackSky high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites rode a Rocket Lab Electron launcher into orbit Wednesday from New Zealand, the second mission for Rocket Lab in three weeks, and the third satellite delivery for BlackSky in the same period.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches NASA X-ray astronomy satellite

December 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) Thursday from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon 9 deployed into orbit NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft, an X-ray astronomy mission to study black holes and neutron stars.

Atlas 5 rocket launches Space Force tech demo satellites on marathon mission

December 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance deployed two U.S. Space Force technology demonstration satellites into an on-target orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator Tuesday after a booming blastoff before dawn from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas 5 rocket.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches final mission of the year

December 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two small BlackSky commercial remote sensing satellites launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster at 7:02 p.m. EST Wednesday (0002 GMT Thursday) from New Zealand. Rocket Lab did not plan to recover the first stage of the Electron launch vehicle on this mission.

Japanese billionaire and assistant arrive at space station

December 8, 2021 William Harwood

A Russian cosmonaut, a Japanese billionaire and his production assistant rocketed into orbit Wednesday and headed for the International Space Station for an 12-day visit, the first by paying “space tourists” in more than a decade.

High winds delay Blue Origin launch until weekend

December 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

A forecast of high winds at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas has prompted the company to delay its first suborbital space shot with a full complement of six passengers from Thursday to Saturday.

Live coverage: Japanese space tourists launch aboard Russian rocket

December 8, 2021 Stephen Clark

Japanese space tourist Yusaku Maezawa, his assistant Yozo Hirano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:38 a.m. EST (0738 GMT) Wednesday on a Soyuz rocket to begin a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. The Soyuz docked at the space station at 8:40 a.m. EST (1340 GMT).

Japanese billionaire ready for launch to International Space Station

December 7, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket is set for blastoff Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire businessman, his production assistant, and a veteran Russian cosmonaut commander on a 12-day trip to the International Space Station.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket launches Space Force test mission

December 7, 2021 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday at 5:19 a.m. EST (1019 GMT). The mission is will deploy two U.S. Space Force technology demonstration satellites into geosynchronous orbit around seven hours after liftoff.

SpaceX mates NASA astronomy satellite with rocket at Kennedy Space Center

December 6, 2021 Stephen Clark

A NASA astronomy satellite will be the smallest payload to ever get a dedicated ride on a Falcon 9 rocket when it takes off from Florida this week, but the SpaceX launcher will need to flex its muscles to reach the mission’s unusual orbit hugging the equator.