return to flight – Spaceflight Now

February 22, 2026

Breaking News

[ February 21, 2026 ] Live coverage: SpaceX’s most-flown Falcon booster to launch on record 33rd flight Falcon 9
[ February 21, 2026 ] NASA’s Artemis 2 rocket hit by new problem expected to bump moonshot into early April Artemis
[ February 20, 2026 ] Falcon 9 launches 25 Starlink satellites after weather delays Falcon 9
[ February 20, 2026 ] Moon mission fueling test concludes with no major problems Artemis
[ February 19, 2026 ] Independent report sharply criticizes NASA management, Boeing for troubled Starliner flight Mission Reports

SpaceX launches return to flight Falcon 9 mission following brief stand down

February 7, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

SpaceX halted launches for less than a week following an in-flight anomaly. Liftoff of the Starlink 17-33 mission happened at 12:58:09 p.m. PST (3:58:09 p.m. EST / 2058:09 UTC).

SpaceX completes Falcon 9 static fire test amid return to flight campaign

July 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

An upper stage anomaly during the Starlink 9-3 mission on July 11 grounded the Falcon 9 rocket. The FAA is evaluating SpaceX’s request for a public safety determination to resume launches.

Rocket Lab successfully completes return-to-flight Electron launch

December 14, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Rocket Lab launched its first flight of the Electron rocket since a failure on Sept. 19. The 42nd mission for the small-satellite launcher lifted off on Dec. 15 from New Zealand 1705 NZDT (0405 UTC or 11:05 p.m. EST).