The Cargo Dragon spacecraft, tail number C209, will carry 6,659 lbs. (3,021 kg.) of science and supplies to the orbiting outpost. Liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened Monday, April 21, at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 UTC).
The quick pace of missions is notably quick for the intelligence gathering agency. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 5:29 a.m. PDT (8:29 a.m. EDT, 1229 UTC).
The last Minotaur 4 launch from Space Launch Complex 8 was on Aug. 11, 2011. It is returning to that pad nearly a decade and a half later, lifting off on Wednesday, April 16, at 12:33 p.m. PDT (3:33 p.m. EDT, 1933 UTC).
The Starlink 6-73 mission featured Falcon 9 booster, tail number 1067, which launched for a record-setting 27th time. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened on Monday, April 14, at 12 a.m. EDT (0400 UTC).
The NROL-192 mission will the 10th to date supporting the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO) proliferated architecture satellite constellation. Liftoff from pad 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base was at 5:25 a.m. PDT (8:25 a.m. EDT, 1225 UTC) on Saturday April 12, 2025.
The Starlink 12-17 mission carried 13 Starlink V2 Mini satellites that feature Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center happened Saturday, April 12, at 8:53 p.m. EDT (1253 UTC).
The mission will be the first deployment of full production Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit. ULA is determining their next launch opportunity following the scrub Wednesday evening.
This mission follows a similar model of processing used during the Rapid Response Trailblazer (RRT-1) mission, which saw the launch of the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 07 (SV-07) spacecraft on a Falcon 9 instead of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket as originally planned.
The 54 national security missions will be awarded over the course of five years spanning FY25-FY29. The U.S. Space Force said missions are anticipated to fly from FY27-FY32.
The Starlink 6-72 mission was the 26th launch of Starlink satellites in 2025. Liftoff of from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 11:07 p.m. EDT (0307 UTC).
The mission will send the first full batch of 27 operational satellites into low Earth orbit. United Launch Alliance will launch its Atlas 5 551 rocket from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 9 during a three-hour window that opens at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 UTC).
This will be the 12th launch of the year from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened on Thursday, April 3, at 6:02 p.m. PDT (9:02 p.m. EDT, 0102 UTC).