News – Page 385 – Spaceflight Now

April 23, 2026

Breaking News

[ April 23, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ April 21, 2026 ] SpaceX launches final GPS III satellite for the U.S. Space Force Falcon 9
[ April 20, 2026 ] Blue Origin launches third New Glenn rocket, but payload ends up in wrong orbit New Glenn
[ April 19, 2026 ] Third flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to feature 1st reuse of booster Mission Reports
[ April 18, 2026 ] SpaceX makes 600th Falcon booster landing during West Coast Starlink mission Falcon 9

Moroccan spy satellite launched aboard Vega rocket

November 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Vega launcher lifted off Tuesday night from a spaceport at the edge of South America’s Amazon rainforest, climbed into orbit on the power of four Italian- and Ukrainian-built rocket stages, and successfully deployed a French-built, Moroccan-owned military surveillance satellite nearly 400 miles above Earth.

China’s Long March 2D rocket launches five satellites

November 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

Five satellites rode a Long March 2D rocket into orbit Monday from the Jiuquan launch base in northwestern China, including a pathfinder for a planned constellation of low-altitude relay satellites and a mysterious spacecraft ambiguously described by Chinese state media.

Japanese cargo capsule succeeds in re-entry tech demo

November 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

A miniature cargo return vehicle carried aboard a Japanese supply ship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean earlier this month in the first test of a new capsule to bring home experiment samples from the International Space Station.

Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with Moroccan spy satellite

November 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Moroccan military reconnaissance satellite secretly built in France lifted off Tuesday night aboard a European Vega rocket in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch occurred at 8:42 p.m. EST (0142 GMT).

Photos: Falcon 9 takes off from launch pad 39A with Es’hail 2 comsat

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosted by a recycled first stage fired into the skies over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 15, and these photos show the start of the 229-foot-tall launcher’s journey into orbit.

China expands reach of Beidou navigation network with another launch

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two more Beidou navigation satellites launched from China on Sunday, ending a record run of 18 satellite deployments this year for the Chinese alternative to GPS and placing the program on the cusp of expanding to full-time coverage over most of Asia, Africa and Europe.

NASA picks Jezero Crater landing site for next Mars rover

November 19, 2018 William Harwood

After years of analyses and debate, NASA announced Monday that the agency’s next Mars rover will land on or near an ancient river delta where water once flowed into a 30-mile-wide, 1,600-foot-deep crater to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to continue ongoing studies of the red planet’s history and evolution.

Space station receives second of back-to-back cargo deliveries

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Wrapping up a two-day chase since launching from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, a commercial Cygnus cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station Monday with more than 7,200 pounds of supplies and experiments, the second freighter to reach the orbiting complex in 15 hours.

NASA says goodbye to Kepler planet-hunter

November 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Ground controllers have beamed the final commands to NASA’s Kepler telescope, turning off the spacecraft’s transmitters and disabling the craft’s automatic recovery software after the planet-hunting observatory ran out of fuel last month.

Russian freighter arrives at International Space Station

November 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two days after launching from the steppe of Kazakhstan, a Russian Progress resupply and refueling freighter docked with the International Space Station Sunday.