News – Page 181 – Spaceflight Now

December 16, 2025

Breaking News

[ December 15, 2025 ] Rocket Lab Electron rocket aborts liftoff at engine ignition Electron
[ December 15, 2025 ] Live coverage: ULA Atlas 5 launch will put Amazon’s 180th broadband satellite in low Earth orbit Atlas 5
[ December 14, 2025 ] Falcon 9 launch of 29 Starlink satellites from the Kennedy Space Center delayed to Wednesday Falcon 9
[ December 14, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 100th Falcon 9 rocket from Florida in 2025 Falcon 9
[ December 13, 2025 ] SpaceX completes 550th booster landing amid Saturday night Falcon 9 flight Falcon 9

Video: Inspiration4 booster returns to SpaceX hangar for refurbishment

September 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

The Falcon 9 rocket used last week to launch the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew into space has returned to a SpaceX hangar at Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment ahead of a future mission.

SpaceX sees growing demand for private Crew Dragon missions

September 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

With the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew mission back on Earth, SpaceX’s director of human spaceflight programs says the company is seeing increased interest in more private astronauts flights to orbit, and may expand its fleet of reusable Dragon spaceships to accommodate the growing demand.

NASA official says Starliner demo mission not likely to launch until next year

September 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

The head of NASA’s space operations division said this week an unpiloted test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station, delayed from August by valve problems, will likely not launch until next year.

NASA completes swing arm test on SLS launch platform

September 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

The swing arms on the mobile launch tower for NASA’s Space Launch System released and retracted Sunday night inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, another key test on the march toward liftoff of the Artemis 1 moon mission.

NASA announces reorganization of human spaceflight directorate

September 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA announced Tuesday that the agency’s human spaceflight division will split into two new mission directorates, one focused on space operations and another on deep space exploration, returning to the organizational structure of a decade ago.

Landsat 9 lifted atop launcher to extend unbroken environmental data record

September 21, 2021 Stephen Clark

The next Landsat observatory has been mounted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in California for liftoff Sept. 27, continuing an unbroken record of Earth observations to track urban sprawl, water usage, tropical deforestation, retreating glaciers, and more over the last half-century.

Photos: Inspiration4 launches from Kennedy Space Center

September 20, 2021 Stephen Clark

The first all-private crew to fly into Earth orbit launched Sept. 15 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, streaking into space on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket powered by nine Merlin main engines.

Tianzhou ship launches and docks with Chinese space station

September 20, 2021 Stephen Clark

An unpiloted Chinese cargo ship launched and docked with the Tiangong space station Monday, delivering supplies to support the next three-person crew on the complex for six months after their arrival in October.

Four civilian space travelers back on Earth after landmark flight

September 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

Four civilian space travelers rode a SpaceX capsule through a blazing re-entry back into Earth’s atmosphere Saturday evening and safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral, completing a historic 71 hours in space as the first privately-funded, non-government crew to fly in orbit.

Live coverage: Inspiration4 crew splashes down off Florida coast

September 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the first all-private, non-government crew to fly in low Earth orbit re-entered the atmosphere and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT) Saturday. The return to Earth closed out a three-day mission in space for the Inspiration4 crew.