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Falcon 9

All articles tagged with #falcon 9

local-news1 day ago•23 min saved

Sunrise Falcon 9 Lift-Off Set for Vandenberg to Deploy Starlink Satellites

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base between 7 and 11 a.m. Tuesday (backup window Wednesday) to deploy 24 Starlink satellites; the first stage will land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. A live webcast will begin about five minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches, with prime viewing spots in the Lompoc Valley (e.g., Harris Grade Road, Moonglow/Stardust near Vandenberg Village). Additional Starlink launches are tentatively planned for May 30 and June 2. Launches can be delayed due to technical issues, weather, or scheduling.,

via Noozhawk|

#falcon-9 #local-news #rocket-launch

technology3 days ago•4 min saved

SpaceX Eyes Tuesday Falcon 9 Liftoff from Vandenberg to Deploy Starlink

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. to deploy 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, with the first stage expected to land on a droneship in the Pacific after separation; livestream should begin about 10 minutes before liftoff.

via KSBY News|

#falcon-9 #liftoff #spacex

technology6 days ago•5 min saved

SpaceX lofts 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 21, 2026, delivering 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.

via Florida Today|

#cape-canaveral #falcon-9 #low-earth-orbit

space11 days ago•4 min saved

SpaceX fires up uncrewed Dragon cargo bound for ISS after weather delay

Three days after a weather delay, SpaceX launched an uncrewed Cargo Dragon on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, delivering about 6,500 pounds of supplies and science gear to the ISS for Expedition 74; the first stage landed successfully on its sixth flight, while Dragon will autonomously rendezvous and dock with the station to unload thousands of pounds of crew clothing, hardware and research equipment.

via CBS News|

#dragon-cargo #expedition-74 #falcon-9

space14 days ago•3 min saved

Moonbound Debris: Falcon 9 Upper Stage Predicted to Hit Einstein Crater in 2026

Astronomer Bill Gray predicts the Falcon 9 upper stage from SpaceX's January 15, 2025 Moon mission will crash into the Moon near Einstein crater on August 5, 2026 at about 8,700 km/h. The impact would occur on the near side’s edge and is unlikely to be visible with amateur equipment, but it highlights growing space junk concerns and the potential for cascading debris (Kessler syndrome) in Earth orbit.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#einstein-crater #falcon-9 #kessler-syndrome

space-exploration15 days ago•73 min saved

SpaceX readies 6,500-pound cargo run to the ISS on CRS-34 mission

SpaceX will launch the Dragon cargo capsule atop a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral at 6:50 p.m. ET on May 13, delivering about 6,500 pounds of supplies and experiments to NASA’s ISS payload mission CRS-34. The Dragon is expected to dock autonomously with the Harmony module on May 14 around 7:35 a.m. EDT, marking the sixth flight for this Dragon capsule. The mission includes research such as Earth-based simulator validation, a wooden bone scaffold, and studies of red blood cells and spleen function in microgravity. After roughly a month attached to the ISS, the Dragon will return to Earth in mid-June; SpaceX’s booster should land at Cape Canaveral about eight minutes after liftoff. CRS-34 is SpaceX’s 34th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS, and Dragon remains the only cargo vehicle capable of returning cargo to Earth.

via Space|

#crs-34 #dragon-cargo #falcon-9

space16 days ago•72 min saved

SpaceX launches covert US spy satellites into orbit from California

SpaceX launched the US government’s spy satellites (NROL-172) from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a Falcon 9, part of the NRO’s proliferated architecture to widen signals and imagery across multiple orbits; the first stage landed on a drone ship after liftoff, and SpaceX and Northrop Grumman-built satellites will expand the United States’ space surveillance capabilities.

via Space|

#falcon-9 #nro #nrol-172

technology16 days ago•4 min saved

SpaceX launches NRO’s expanding satellite constellation on NROL-172

SpaceX launched the NROL-172 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg on a Falcon 9, with booster B1097 landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ about 8.5 minutes after liftoff. The NRO’s proliferated architecture uses hundreds of satellites—electro-optical, radar, and relay satellites—to boost revisit rates, coverage, and resilience, including inter-satellite optical communications as part of a future space-data network. The mission is part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program, following earlier NROL flights (e.g., 145, 48, 105) and some procurements outside NSSL.

via Spaceflight Now|

#falcon-9 #nro #nrol-172

science16 days ago•6 min saved

SpaceX Upper Stage Predicted to Crash into the Moon in 2026

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is forecast to crash into the Moon (near Einstein crater) on August 5, 2026, at about seven times the speed of sound. The impact poses no danger to Earth but highlights growing space-debris concerns as lunar exploration resumes with missions like Artemis IV and other countries planning Moon activity. The event may leave a new crater and could be imaged later by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The analysis stems from Bill Gray’s Project Pluto work; the source object remains in an Earth orbit that intersects the Moon’s path, and experts suggest safer disposal by placing spent stages on solar orbits to reduce future hits.

via ScienceAlert|

#falcon-9 #lunar-impact #moon

technology19 days ago•10 min saved

Firefly’s Alpha Block 2 targets summer debut as SpaceX pivots to Starship and hits booster-landing milestone

Rocket Report highlights Firefly Aerospace moving Alpha Block 2 toward a summer debut with reliability upgrades after earlier flight issues; Orbex collapsed amid funding troubles; Rocket Lab posted a Q1 2026 revenue record with a growing backlog and Mynaric acquisition; SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch cadence eases as the company shifts focus to Starship and retools Cape Canaveral’s LC-39A; ESA Harmony work continues with Vega C while P160C upgrade timing remains uncertain; Purdue awards SpaceX’s booster-landing team the Neil Armstrong Space Prize for impact to humanity; Nayuta Space pursues the Xuanniao-R with aerodynamic recovery; SpaceX notches a record of 268 consecutive booster landings as Starship V3 progresses toward mid-May readiness; Starbase noise concerns trigger a South Texas lawsuit; next launches are May 11–12.

via Ars Technica|

#alpha-block-2 #falcon-9 #rocket-lab

space21 days ago•7 min saved

SpaceX pivots to Starship, turning Vandenberg into its new launch hub

SpaceX is shifting focus from its Falcon 9 workhorse to Starship, boosting launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base while reducing Falcon 9 activity at Cape Canaveral. As Starship comes online, Vandenberg could become SpaceX’s busiest launch site, with plans for Starlink upgrades and Moon/Mars missions on the horizon, while Falcon 9 remains in service through the ISS era and toward a future that increasingly centers on Starship-enabled operations.

via Ars Technica|

#falcon-9 #launch-cadence #space

science21 days ago•3 min saved

NASA, SpaceX Set May 12 for 34th ISS Cargo Run

NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 12 for the 34th SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS, sending a Dragon cargo spacecraft with about 6,500 pounds of cargo to dock at the Harmony module on May 14 around 9:50 a.m. Eastern; the payload includes experiments on microgravity simulation, a wood bone scaffold, red blood cell and spleen studies, a charged-particle instrument, a planet-formation investigation, and a solar-reflection instrument, with launch and arrival coverage on NASA platforms and public virtual attendance options.

via NASA (.gov)|

#dragon #falcon-9 #iss

technology22 days ago•2 min saved

SpaceX fires up 24 Starlink sats from Vandenberg, targets drone-ship landing

SpaceX launched 24 Starlink broadband satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a Falcon 9, placing them into low Earth orbit and expanding a constellation already exceeding 10,000 spacecraft; booster B1081, on its 24th flight, was set to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You about eight minutes after liftoff.

via Spaceflight Now|

#falcon-9 #satellite-launch #spacex

science23 days ago•48 min saved

Moonbound Space Junk: Falcon 9 Upper Stage Poised for Lunar Impact

An independent astronomer predicts a portion of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper stage, launched in early 2025 to loft a lunar lander, will crash into the Moon’s near side on August 5, 2026 at about 2.43 km/s (roughly 5,400 mph) after a year in Earth orbit; the impact would be too faint to observe, poses no risk to Earth, and highlights concerns about space junk disposal.

via Yahoo|

#bill-gray #falcon-9 #moon

space24 days ago•6 min saved

SpaceX readies overnight Falcon 9 to deploy Korea’s CAS500-2 alongside 44 payloads

SpaceX will launch 45 payloads on an overnight Falcon 9 rideshare from Vandenberg, headlined by Korea’s CAS500-2 Earth observation satellite, with 44 secondary satellites from multiple partners deployed into Sun-synchronous orbit. Booster B1071 is targeting a landing at LZ-4 after liftoff, marking another milestone for SpaceX’s reusable rocket program. The mission includes satellites from Exolaunch, Loft Orbital, IRIDE, True Anomaly, Planet Labs and others, illustrating growing international collaboration to increase on-orbit capacity.

via Spaceflight Now|

#cas500-2 #earth-observation #falcon-9