Landing Zone 4 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launches Transporter 7 rideshare mission from California

April 15, 2023 Stephen Clark

After several delays to wait for improved weather, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 rocket into space Saturday from California’s Central Coast with 51 small satellites, payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles from customers around the world.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches rideshare mission with 51 small payloads

April 13, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, with 51 small satellites, hosted payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles heading into polar orbit on the Transporter 7 mission. Liftoff occurred at 11:48 p.m. PDT Friday (2:48 a.m. EDT; 0648 UTC Saturday).

U.S. military begins launching satellites to counter hypersonic missile threat

April 2, 2023 Stephen Clark

The first 10 spacecraft for a planned U.S. military mega-constellation launched from California Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, setting in place the keystone for a multibillion-dollar network of hundreds of small satellites to improve defenses against hypersonic missiles and other emerging threats.

SpaceX launch for SDA aborted at T-minus 3 seconds

March 30, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX aborted a launch attempt Thursday just three seconds before liftoff at the start of the engine ignition sequence, delaying the flight of a Falcon 9 rocket from California with 10 satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency.

Live coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on first SDA mission

March 30, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:29 a.m. PDT (10:29 a.m. EDT; 1429 UTC) Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California with 10 missile tracking and data relay satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency. The launch occurred three days after SpaceX aborted the first launch attempt at T-minus 3 seconds to examine data from one of the Falcon 9’s main engines.

First launch for Pentagon’s own mega-constellation set for Thursday

March 29, 2023 Stephen Clark

The U.S. military’s Space Development Agency, established in 2019 to fast-track new national security capabilities in orbit, plans to launch the first 10 satellites for a constellation of hundreds of missile tracking and data relay spacecraft Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California.

Photos: Falcon 9 launches and lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base

November 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

These photos show the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Nov. 21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite.

International satellite launches to extend measurements of sea level rise

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

A European-built satellite with the unusual shape of a house launched into orbit Saturday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Central Coast, carrying a sophisticated radar altimeter to measure rising sea levels on our home planet.

Photos: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich encapsulated for launch

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

Check out photos of the encapsulation of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite inside the payload shroud of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket before its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches oceanography satellite from California

November 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST; 1717 GMT) Saturday with an oceanography satellite jointly developed by U.S. and European space and weather agencies. The rocket’s first stage booster returned to a bullseye landing back at Vandenberg.