All articles tagged with #rocket launch
Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 completed its inaugural flight VA262 on July 9, 2024, showcasing an upgraded main stage, a choice of two or four boosters, and a restartable upper stage with an end-of-mission deorbit—delivering greater efficiency and multi-orbit capability at lower cost for European access to space. An image tied to a La Poste stamp set in French Guiana is noted.
Europe's Ariane 6 flew for the first time (VA262), delivering a flexible heavy-lift capability with an upgraded core, optional two- or four-booster configuration, and a restartable upper stage that deorbits at mission end.
SpaceX has pushed Starship Flight 13’s launch to no earlier than July 24, 2026, due to weather. Liftoff is in a 90‑minute window starting at 6:45 p.m. EDT, with a livestream beginning around 6:12 p.m. EDT. The mission, which will carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites and follow a previous abort on July 16, is not orbital; the booster/ship are expected to land in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean. After the July 16 scrub, Raptors were swapped and preflight testing continues at Starbase.
SpaceX suffered a second consecutive last-second launch abort, this time during a Falcon 9 attempt to deploy 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg as the first-stage engines ignited. A separate abort struck Starship Flight 13 last Thursday. The incidents involve different rockets and engines (Falcon 9 with Merlin 1D vs Starship’s Raptors) and are not believed connected. SpaceX plans to retry in the near term, with the Falcon 9’s reliability this year continuing to be strong (84 launches so far in 2026).
Dozens of dawn sightings across the Carolinas and several other states suggested a meteor, but the American Meteorological Society confirmed the object was a rocket launch, tracing its diagonal path across the sky and ending the mystery.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base for its 35th flight, lifting 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit before the first stage, B1071, touched down on the droneship 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific about 8.5 minutes after liftoff; the Starlink satellites are slated for deployment roughly an hour after launch. The mission is the 81st Falcon 9 flight of 2026, with roughly 80% of flights to Starlink.
SpaceX is set to launch a rocket with a window opening at 5:05 a.m. Thursday, which could be visible from central and eastern North Carolina as a vapor trail in the eastern sky, depending on timing; sunrise is at 6:07 a.m., so the opportunity may fade as dawn approaches. Residents are encouraged to share photos if they spot the launch.
SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday, July 5, with a 6:36 a.m.–10:36 a.m. ET window. Depending on weather, the morning liftoff could be visible from the Florida Space Coast, potentially as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach. Live coverage will be provided by USA TODAY Network reporters, and NASA+ on Prime Video will offer related content.
ULA launches the final Atlas 5 in the 551 configuration (AV-114) for Amazon Leo’s LA-08 mission, carrying 29 satellites from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41; liftoff at 12:24 a.m. EDT, marking the end of the Atlas 5 era with only six Atlas 5 launches remaining (reserved for Starliner in N22), as Amazon Leo eyes initial commercial service later this year and Vulcan's first Leo flight is expected in Q3 2026.
A ULA Atlas V rocket launching from Cape Canaveral on July 2, 2026, carrying Amazon's Leo satellites, could be visible across much of Florida including Tallahassee, weather permitting. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:24 a.m. ET with a possible extension to 12:53 a.m.; a visibility map indicates the view could extend along the East Coast to New England depending on conditions.
Rockets don’t fly straight; they perform a gravity turn, curving eastward along a brachistochrone-like path to gain speed with minimal fuel. This tilt helps rockets reach orbit by balancing thrust and gravity as they travel downrange, taking advantage of Earth’s rotation—especially near the equator—to maximize boost. Suborbital flights go up and back down, but orbital missions require a stable, perpetual fall around Earth, achieved by maintaining the right downrange velocity and trajectory.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex-4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday, with a backup window on Sunday. The first-stage booster will try to land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific after deploying 24 Starlink satellites. A live webcast starts about 10 minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches and on X @SpaceX. In-person viewing spots around Lompoc include Harris Grade Road and areas near Moonglow/Stardust roads. SpaceX also tentatively plans additional Starlink launches from Vandenberg on June 3 and June 10.
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.,
Blue Origin has been cleared for another New Glenn launch after investigators traced the April 19 anomaly to a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line, causing insufficient thrust on the second stage and placing AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite in an off-nominal, too-low orbit. The FAA grounded the mission pending fixes, the booster Never Tell Me The Odds landed successfully on its first reflight, and Blue Origin says corrective measures are in place as it plans to ramp production to around 60 upper stages by 2028 to boost launch cadence.
SpaceX launched a rocket from Cape Canaveral on Memorial Day morning, with the event documented in a photo gallery accompanying the report.