News Archive
Browse every article published on Spaceflight Now, from launch reports and mission previews to spacecraft development coverage. Use the filters to narrow by topic or search by keyword.
Matching Articles
1,294 articles
VideoPoor weather forces a scrub of the Kuiper 1 launch on a ULA Atlas 5
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.

SpaceX to launch second accelerated GPS 3 satellite mission in late May
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.

U.S. Space Force awards $13.7 billion in new national security launch contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA
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.

Amazon targets April 9 for launch of 1st production satellites for its Project Kuiper internet mega-constellation
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).
VideoU.S. Space Force certifies ULA’s Vulcan rocket to begin launching national security missions
The conclusion of certification closes out a process that began in September 2016 and saw the government closely track the development of Vulcan alongside United Launch Alliance. Its first National Security Space Launch mission is targeting liftoff over the summer.

Starship upper stage lost in second mishap in a row
SpaceX launched its huge Starship rocket on the program's eighth test flight Thursday, but a malfunction of some sort triggered multiple upper stage engine shutdowns and for the second flight in a row, the vehicle failed to reach its planned sub-orbital altitude and broke apart in a shower of debris.
VideoLaunch preview: SpaceX to launch Starship Flight 8 following Monday scrub
The eighth launch of SpaceX’s fully integrated Starship rocket will largely repeat the mission objectives of the previous flight, which saw the breakup of the Ship upper stage of the Turks and Caicos Islands. SpaceX is currently targeting Thursday, March 6, at 5:30 p.m. CST (6:30 p.m. EST, 2330 UTC).
VideoULA begins de-stacking Vulcan rocket, pivots to Atlas 5 launch of Amazon’s Kuiper satellites for first 2025 mission
The change in manifest comes as the U.S. Space Force’s Assured Access to Space continues the certification process for the Vulcan rocket. United Launch Alliance will begin stacking an Atlas rocket in the coming weeks.
VideoNASA leaders, Artemis contractors argue importance of architecture continuity for returning to the Moon
Representatives from NASA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin argued that the United States shouldn’t skip past the Moon in favor of Mars when it comes to crewed deep space exploration. The discussion came up during a panel at the SpaceCom conference concerning the forthcoming Artemis 2 mission.
VideoSpaceX successfully catches Super Heavy booster, loses Starship upper stage during Flight 7
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said that their initial assessment is that there was "an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity." The company is pursuing a launch in February, assuming the Federal Aviation Administration accepts their mishap investigation report.