All articles tagged with #launch window
Insiders say God of War Laufey targets the first half of 2027, aligning with Santa Monica Studio’s preferred March–April launch window. No official date has been announced, but credible sources point to a spring 2027 release, with more details expected in the coming months.
SpaceX plans a Saturday morning Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base to deploy 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, with an 8 a.m. liftoff within a 7 a.m.–11 a.m. window. A livestream will begin shortly before liftoff; the reused first stage has flown 21 times and is expected to land on a droneship in the Pacific, and no sonic boom is expected locally.
NASA has completed assembly and prelaunch testing of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, with a launch window potentially as early as fall 2026 and a target launch by May 2027. A media briefing and on-site opportunities at NASA Goddard on April 21 will showcase the fully integrated telescope, its advanced imaging capabilities, and the collaboration with international partners before it moves to Kennedy Space Center for launch.
A leaked look at the Oura Ring 5 shows a more curved, traditional ring shape and introduces a new Deep Rose finish alongside existing colors, with the same charging dock and portable case. Sensor specifics aren’t confirmed, but patents hint at features like blood pressure, ECG/atrial fibrillation, and closer device integration (e.g., with smart glasses). An FCC filing suggests a September release for a wellness ring, while Android Headlines still cites a 2027 launch window, indicating ongoing uncertainty about timing.
Artemis II’s launch vehicle and Orion spacecraft have rolled back to Launch Complex 39B and could launch as early as April 1, with NASA scheduling four two-hour windows from April 1–6 after addressing a helium blockage in the upper stage and past hydrogen-leak issues from the wet dress rehearsal; NASA will not conduct another fueling test, and Artemis planning shifts to using Centaur upper stages for Artemis 4 and 5, with international partners expected at upcoming briefings.
NASA completed the Flight Readiness Review for Artemis II and set an April 1 launch date (target 6:24 p.m. ET) with backup windows on April 2–6 and April 30 for the four-person lunar flyby mission. Officials avoided publishing a precise probabilistic risk number but stressed careful risk mitigation. The review scrutinized the Orion heat shield and propulsion/ground-system issues, including hydrogen leaks and a helium-flow problem that was fixed, with no dissent noted. NASA also decided against another wet dress rehearsal to preserve fuel tanks. The SLS/Orion stack is slated to return to the launch pad by March 19, and the crew joined the FRR virtually from Houston; the mission will last about 10 days and use a lunar flyby path with reentry on Earth.
NASA has fixed the helium-flow seal issue on the Space Launch System upper stage and rolled the vehicle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for further checks and refresh work. Artemis II is targeted for an April 1 liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, with additional launch opportunities through April 6, to send four astronauts around the Moon and back—marking the first crewed Artemis mission and a key step toward a 2028 lunar-landing goal.
NASA completed Artemis 2’s second wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center with no LH2 leaks after fixes at the tail service mast umbilical, filling the SLS core and upper stages with about 730,000 gallons of propellants and simulating a countdown to launch. If all goes to plan, Artemis 2 could liftoff on March 6 within a March 6–9 window (March 10 as a backup), on a roughly 10-day crewed mission around the Moon by Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Remaining work includes installing two contingency pad access trusses to test the flight termination system and completing a flight readiness review. Artemis 1’s prior hydrogen leak experience influenced fixes and procedures for this test.
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the Moon and SpaceX’s Crew-12 flight to the ISS face a delicate scheduling tango driven by Artemis 2’s wet-dress rehearsal results and an Arctic cold front; Crew-12’s earliest Feb. 11 launch depends on Artemis 2’s test outcome and could slip to Feb. 19 or March if delays occur, while Artemis 2 could launch as early as Feb. 8 or be pushed back. Artemis 2 will carry a four‑astronaut crew around the Moon for about 10 days, and Crew-12 will stay aboard the ISS for about eight months, performing microgravity experiments and lunar-landing tech studies. Both missions share recovery assets and logistics, underscoring the complex coordination required for coordinated human spaceflight.
NASA is preparing for the Artemis 2 mission, aiming for a February launch window, with key milestones like rocket rollout scheduled for mid-January. Despite limited public updates, recent tests and internal preparations suggest the mission is progressing, marking the first crewed lunar trip since 1972.
SpaceX is planning to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink satellite mission, targeting a late-night launch window on Monday. The mission, known as Starlink 6-30, is expected to expand SpaceX's high-speed internet satellite constellation. This launch will mark the 66th orbital launch of the year from the Space Coast. SpaceX has already deployed over 5,000 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit since 2019.
NASA's Psyche spacecraft, set to launch on October 12, will reduce the power of its maneuvering system after engineers discovered that its thrusters were at risk of overheating during its eight-year mission to explore a metallic asteroid. The issue was discovered during testing, and a simple tweak to the thruster parameters will limit their thrust to 30% instead of the planned 80%. This adjustment will prevent potential damage to the thrusters and ensure the mission's success. The Psyche spacecraft will be the first to explore a rare metallic asteroid, known as 16 Psyche, and will spend 26 months orbiting the asteroid after its arrival in 2029.
Virgin Galactic has announced that the launch window for its upcoming spaceflight, Unity 25, will open on May 25, 2023. The mission specialists will begin astronaut training on May 22, 2023. Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company that is developing a spaceflight system to offer customers a transformative experience.
Europe's JUICE mission to Jupiter has only a one-second launch window each day until the end of April due to the spacecraft's long and winding route through the inner solar system, taking advantage of the gravity of the planets Venus and Earth, as well as Earth's moon, to reach its destination using the least fuel possible. The Ariane 5 rocket will launch JUICE directly into orbit around the sun, which will swing the spacecraft back by Earth in August 2024. If Ariane 5 misses all of its one-second launch windows in April, the planets will align for JUICE again later this summer.