Falcon 9 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launches European Commission’s Galileo satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

September 17, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

This was the second out of two planned launches of these spacecraft using a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:50 p.m. EDT (2250 UTC).

SpaceX launches five BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral

September 12, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

This was the first of the company’s first five commercial satellites for the BlueBird constellation. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 4:52 a.m. EDT (0852 UTC).

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on national security mission for the NRO

September 6, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Liftoff of the NROL-113 mission was at 8:20 p.m. PDT (11:20 p.m. EDT, 0320 UTC). The Falcon 9 was believed to be carrying the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

SpaceX launches 7,000th Starlink satellite to date on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral

September 4, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was delayed a day due to poor weather in the booster landing zone. Liftoff happened at Thursday, Sept. 5, at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 UTC).

SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 return to flight mission

August 31, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission was scheduled to launch less than an hour before a Starlink flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff happened at 3:43 a.m. EDT (0743 UTC).

SpaceX set a launch turnaround record with back-to-back, coast-to-coast Falcon 9 launches

August 31, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Liftoff of the Starlink 9-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 1:48 a.m. PDT (4:48 a.m. EDT, 0848 UTC). This was the second of two back-to-back overnight launches.

FAA grounds SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket following landing mishap

August 28, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

This is the second time in as many months that the workhorse vehicle for SpaceX has been grounded. The Federal Aviation Administration is awaiting a report from SpaceX that will include any needed corrective actions.

Launch delay: SpaceX pushes Polaris Dawn astronaut launch due to splashdown weather concerns

August 26, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The crew trained for more than two-and-a-half years to prepare for their spacewalk and an on-orbit Starlink demonstration. Launch is now no earlier than Friday, Aug. 30, weather permitting.

SpaceX completes static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for the Polaris Dawn astronaut mission

August 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The ignition test of the nine Merlin engines at the base of the rocket came after the four crew members step through a dry dress rehearsal of their launch day activities. The T-0 for ignition happened at 6:38 a.m. EDT (1038 UTC).

Polaris Dawn astronauts, set to perform first commercial spacewalk, arrive in Florida ahead of launch

August 20, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The four astronauts, led by businessman Jared Isaacman, will fly onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience. Liftoff is targeting no earlier than Monday, August 26.