All articles tagged with #rocket launch
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.
SpaceX plans to launch Starship V3 on Flight 12 on May 20 from Starbase, Texas, for a suborbital test that will send the Starship upper stage to a water landing in the Indian Ocean, deploy 20 dummy Starlink satellites and two probes, while the Super Heavy booster aims for a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT with livestream starting about 45 minutes earlier; SpaceX previously moved the date from May 19 to May 20, and a May 21 backup is possible due to road closures near Starbase. The flight marks a milestone for SpaceX’s reusable Starship and NASA’s Artemis 4 plans.
LandSpace's Zhuque-2E Y5 successfully launched from Dongfeng, delivering a 2.8-ton payload to a 900 km orbit and signaling heavier-payload capability for China's private-space sector; the two-stage methane rocket uses four first-stage engines and a second-stage engine, with a 267-ton liftoff mass and 338 tons of thrust, following Zhuque-3's recovery test and underscoring momentum toward future large-scale constellations.
SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday at 3:28 p.m. local time (backup window at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday) to deploy the NRO’s NROL-172 mission, with the first stage targeting a landing on the Pacific drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You.” A live webcast will be available at spacex.com/launches, and spectators can watch from viewing spots around Lompoc and the Harris Grade Road area; SpaceX also has additional Falcon launches from Vandenberg on May 15 and May 18. Delays are possible due to technical, weather, or scheduling factors.
ULA's Atlas V is slated to launch Monday night, April 27, 2026, with a window from 8:52 p.m. to 9:51 p.m. Local sunset in Raleigh is around 8:00 p.m., so the rocket's vapor trail could be illuminated as it moves east, potentially forming a jellyfish-like glow about three minutes after liftoff. Look toward the eastern sky shortly after launch to catch the display; a live stream is available.
SpaceX plans a Sunday-morning Falcon 9 launch from Space Launch Complex-4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base (7–11 a.m. local time), with a backup window Monday if needed; the mission will deploy 25 Starlink satellites, the first-stage booster will attempt a landing on the Pacific Ocean’s droneship Of Course I Still Love You, and a live webcast begins about five minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches (also on X/@SpaceX). Viewing spots around Lompoc and Vandenberg Village may offer a vantage if skies are clear.
SpaceX plans a Saturday, April 18, 2026 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base to deploy 25 Starlink satellites with a four-hour window beginning at 7 a.m. PT. It’s the fourth Vandenberg launch this month, following 75 Starlink satellites already sent into orbit in April. The base itself is closed to the public, but viewing spots span Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 booster is set to land on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific, with a backup opportunity the next day if weather or technical issues delay the launch.