September 1, 2025
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  • [ August 30, 2025 ] SpaceX’s Sunday morning Falcon 9 launch sends 1,900th Starlink to orbit in 2025 Falcon 9
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Black holes

Mission Reports

China launches two small satellites for gravitational wave research

December 10, 2020 Stephen Clark

Two small Chinese satellites designed to detect gamma-ray bursts associated with gravitational waves launched Wednesday on a Long March 11 rocket, beginning an astrophysics research mission to study black holes and neutron stars.

Falcon 9

Coronavirus work stoppage likely to delay launch of NASA X-ray astronomy mission

July 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

A nearly three-month stoppage of on-site work due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus at NASA’s Marshall Space Fight Center in Alabama is expected to push back the launch of the IXPE X-ray astronomy satellite from May 2021 until some time later next year, a senior space agency official said.

Mission Reports

Russia launches international X-ray astronomy mission

July 13, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Proton rocket and Block DM upper stage climbed into space Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Spektr-RG, an astronomical observatory with dual X-ray telescopes developed by Russian and German scientists on the hunt for the signature of dark energy.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Proton rocket lifts off with X-ray astronomy observatory

July 13, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Proton rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with the Spektr-RG X-ray astronomy mission at 1230:57 GMT (8:30:57 a.m. EDT) Saturday.

Mission Reports

Proton launch delayed to Saturday

July 12, 2019 Stephen Clark

Russian officials have delayed until Saturday the launch of a Proton rocket from Kazakhstan with the Spektr-RG X-ray astronomy observatory, an ambitious mission jointly developed with Germany to probe dark energy.

Mission Reports

Proton rocket and astronomy satellite back on the launch pad after battery replacement

July 9, 2019 Stephen Clark

Poised to loft a Russian-German X-ray astronomy observatory into space Friday, a Proton rocket returned to its launch pad Tuesday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan after a three-week delay to replace a drained battery on the vehicle.

Falcon 9

SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch X-ray telescope on reused rocket

July 8, 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA has selected a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket — flying with a reused first stage booster — to launch the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer mission from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in April 2021, bypassing Northrop Grumman’s air-launched Pegasus rocket for the task.

Mission Reports

Russia postpones launch of X-ray astronomy mission

June 21, 2019 Stephen Clark

Russian officials postponed the planned launch of a Proton rocket with an X-ray astronomy satellite Friday until no earlier than July 12 resolve a problem with an inadvertently drained battery on the vehicle.

Mission Reports

Russia to launch science mission probing dark energy

June 20, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Russian-built satellite hosting an array of X-ray telescopes is awaiting launch Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a mission to measure the mass and distance of colossal clusters of galaxies throughout the universe.

Mission Reports

Proton rocket, Russian-German astronomy satellite arrive at launch pad

June 14, 2019 Stephen Clark

A rocket-transporting railroad car ferried a Proton rocket to its launch pad Friday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final checkouts and testing before the vehicle’s scheduled June 21 liftoff with the Russian-German Spektr-RG X-ray telescope.

Posts pagination

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News Headlines

  • SpaceX’s Sunday morning Falcon 9 launch sends 1,900th Starlink to orbit in 2025
    August 30, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit
    August 29, 2025
  • NASA, NOAA prep spacecraft trio to study the Sun and its impacts
    August 29, 2025
  • SpaceX launches record-breaking 30th flight of a Falcon 9 booster
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX completes 400th Falcon booster landing on a drone ship
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX successfully launches Super Heavy-Starship on critical test flight
    August 27, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    August 27, 2025
  • Launch preview: SpaceX tries for third time to launch Starship Flight 10 from Starbase, Texas
    August 26, 2025
  • SpaceX launches Luxembourg’s NAOS, 7 other rideshare satellites from California
    August 26, 2025
  • Poor weather delays Starship Flight 10 to Tuesday
    August 25, 2025
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