News – Page 81 – Spaceflight Now

July 23, 2026

Breaking News

[ July 21, 2026 ] SpaceX launches novel geosynchronous robotic servicing satellite on decade-long mission Falcon 9
[ July 16, 2026 ] Post-ignition anomaly causes abort of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 Artemis
[ July 4, 2026 ] Semiconductor manufacturing test bed flies alongside Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 launch Falcon 9
[ July 1, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ June 30, 2026 ] Astronauts ‘operate’ on space station’s broken robot arm Mission Reports

Russian space station laboratory module coolant leak under investigation

October 9, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

An apparent exterior coolant leak from a Russian laboratory module at the International Space Station has been reported by the crew. It follows similar leaks that struck a Russian Soyuz crew ferry craft and a Progress cargo ship within the past year.

Strong winds stymie back-to-back SpaceX launch plans; Vandenberg launch successful

October 8, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

SpaceX planned a pair of back-to-back Falcon 9 launches from both coasts but upper level winds scrubbed the liftoff from Florida. A Falcon 9 was able to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:43 a.m. PDT (0743 UTC).

Atlas 5 launches Amazon Kuiper satellites for tests of space-based internet service

October 7, 2023 William Harwood

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off Friday and boosted a pair of prototype internet satellites into orbit for Amazon’s Kuiper program, the latest entry in the increasingly competitive space-based broadband market currently dominated by SpaceX.

Rideshare mission on deck for penultimate Vega rocket as Vega-C successor remains sidelined

October 6, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

A pair of Earth observation satellites along with ten auxiliary payloads will launch aboard Arianespace’s penultimate Vega rocket into sun-synchronous orbit on Friday. Vega lifted off at 9:36 p.m. EDT (0138 UTC) on Sunday after a two-day delay.

Atlas 5 delivers first Amazon internet satellites to orbit on Friday

October 5, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Amazon is getting its own delivery fulfilled this Friday, adding to an extensive portfolio that includes its online marketplace, streaming video, grocery and cloud services, with the launch of two prototype relay stations for a space-based internet service it calls Project Kuiper.

Northrop Grumman leaves behind solo commercial space station venture, partners with Nanoracks on ‘Starlab’

October 5, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

About a year and a half after signing a Space Act Agreement with NASA to develop a commercial space station, Northrop Grumman formally withdrew from its solo plans in order to partner with Nanoracks, a subsidiary of Voyager Space.

Simple settings tweak should save Psyche asteroid mission from overheating thrusters

October 2, 2023 Steven Young

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, now scheduled for launch on Oct. 12, will dial down the power of its maneuvering system after engineers discovered its thrusters were in danger of overheating during its eight-year expedition to explore a metallic asteroid.

Launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission slips a week due to spacecraft issue

September 28, 2023 Spaceflight Now

The launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission is being delayed a week due to allow “verifications” of parameters used by the spacecraft’s thrusters, the space agency confirmed Thursday. Liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is now scheduled for no earlier than Oct. 12.

Soyuz lands safely in Kazakhstan to end record-breaking mission; Rubio: “It’s good to be home”

September 27, 2023 William Harwood

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth early Wednesday, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to close out an unexpected yearlong stay in space, the longest single flight in U.S. space history.

Live coverage: Space station crew return to Earth after 371-day mission

September 27, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut return to Earth after an extended tour of duty aboard the International Space Station. The landing marked the end of a 370-day-21-hour-22-minute-long mission. It was the third longest human space flight in history and the longest by a U.S. astronaut.