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VideoULA launches first production Amazon Kuiper satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral
The rescheduled mission comes following the April 9 scrub due to poor weather and a period on the Eastern Range marked by a noted lack of orbital launches. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is targeting Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC).
VideoSpaceX launches 32nd resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station
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).
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).
NASA switches Starliner crew to SpaceX Dragon as testing continues on troubled Boeing capsule
Zena Cardman, the original commander of the Crew-9 mission, will get to fly to space as the commander of Crew-11. Launch is set for no earlier than July 2025.
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.
SpaceX Dragon Freedom splashes down off coast of Florida, ending Crew-9 mission
Dragon Freedom undocked from the space station at 1:05 a.m. EDT (1705 UTC) on Tuesday to begin its roughly 17-hour trip to splash down along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The parachute-supported splash down happened at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 UTC).
Fresh crew docks at space station; Starliner astronauts expected to return to Earth Tuesday
Approaching from behind and below, the Crew Dragon, launched Friday evening from the Kennedy Space Center, passed 1,300 feet directly under the station before looping up to a point 720 feet directly ahead of the outpost. From there, it glided straight in for docking at the Harmony module's forward port at 12:04 a.m. EDT.