Successful liftoff and deployment of 10 Iridium satellites

Long exposure of Falcon 9 launching from the VAFB
Photo Credit // SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-4E at 8:27pm EST at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This launch featured a flight-proven first stage booster, which previously launched the Iridium-2 mission back in June. The interstage on the booster was left uncleaned, because there was no need to and it would not affect the mission. It also did not feature any landing legs, but grid fins were installed still for a controlled descent and soft touchdown of the first stage in the Pacific Ocean, which was successful. After the second stage engine shutdown, it carried the 10 Iridium satellites around Earth for a 42-minute coast phase. The second stage started up a second time for approximately 11 seconds to circularize the orbit. After second stage shutdown for the second time, the 10 Iridium satellites started deploying after 5 minutes over the course of 15 minutes.

Falcon 9 clears the pad at SLC-4E
Photo Credit // SpaceX

Everything happened on time and successfully. This was SpaceX's last launch of the year and overall the last launch in the world for the year. This was their 18th launch, which beats their previous years and the other space companies launches. It was a good year for SpaceX and next year will be better with the maiden launch of their Falcon Heavy and the continued testing of Dragon 2 with the in-flight abort and Demo flight.

Iridium-4 to launch on SpaceX flight proven booster

SpaceX is launching the next 10 satellites for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data communications. Following this launch, it will be the 'halfway-point' for getting all 75 total satellites that SpaceX will be launching for the global Iridium NEXT constellation. SpaceX is currently targeting a launch time of 5:27pm PST or 8:27pm EST tonight during an instantaneous launch window. Iridium-4 will launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) and will not attempt a recovery of the first stage. This Falcon 9 previously launched the Iridium-2 mission back in June, making Iridium the first company to reuse a booster from their previous missions. This launch will be the last rocket launch until the new year, starting with launching 'Zuma' in early January. 

The payload for the launch are a set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites that will replace the world's largest commercial satellite network and will be one of the latest tech upgrades in history.  Thales Alenia Space has assisted in the manufacturing, assembly, and testing of all 81 Iridium satellites. The new constellation of satellites will provide faster speeds for aviation, maritime, and internet. Iridium is the only mobile voice and data communications network that spans the entire globe and it enabled real-time connections between people and assets to and from everywhere. 

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch approaches

Falcon Heavy in the HIF at LC-39A
Photo Credit // SpaceX

The first photos of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket fully assembled, minus the payload, have been released to the public. The Falcon Heavy sits inside the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at LC-39A, as it waits to be connected to the transporter for fitting checks on the launch pad. Falcon Heavy was first mentioned back in September of 2005 and was proposed to the public in Washington D.C on April of 2011, with a planned initial test flight in 2013. After many years of delays, the Falcon Heavy has slowly become a reality with the testings of reused boosters that have been converted into side boosters. The core stage has been redesigned to withstand the forces and vibrations from the side boosters during launch and mid-flight. It is currently planned to launch in January of 2018 after several static fires have been conducted and after the payload is ready. Elon Musk stated that the payload for the mission will be his cherry red original Tesla Roadster which will be launched and the "destination is Mars orbit".

4th batch of Iridium satellites will be launched by SpaceX on an expendable booster

Stock photo of AsiaSat-8
Photo Credit // SpaceX

SpaceX will be launching the 4th batch of Iridium satellites into a polar orbit around Earth on Friday, December 22nd at 8:26pm EST. Iridium-4 will be launched from SLC-4E at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster used on this mission will be expendable, or not recovered, so it will not feature the iconic grid fins or landing legs found on most Falcon 9 rockets nowadays. It will be a flight-proven booster with the soot from the last mission still on it, as confirmed on Twitter by the CEO of Iridium, Matt Desch. This will also be the first launch of a flight-proven rocket from Vandenberg. The booster that is being used previously launched the Iridium-2 mission, making Iridium the first company in history to reuse the same rocket. These next 10 satellites, once launched, will mark the halfway point of bringing the whole fleet into orbit around the Earth. A total of 40 satellites have been launched so far and after this launch there will be 40 left to launch, 10 satellites per launch. More info on the launch will be released as the launch date approaches. The static fire for the launch was successfully completed on December 17th.

Russion Soyuz launches U.S astronaut Scott Tingle to the ISS

Expedition 54 launches from Kazakhstan
Photo credit // NASA

Last night at 2:21am EST, a Soyuz rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Expedition 54. The launch carried 3 astronauts to the ISS, NASA's Scott Tingle, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Space Agency, and Norishige Kanai from Japan Aerospace and are expected to dock at 3:43am on Tuesday Dec. 19. The Soyuz spacecraft will dock with the station's Rassvet module and the hatch opening between the station and the spacecraft will occur at 5am EST. With the arrival of this crew, it will bring the population of the station back up to 6 crew members. The new crew will be conducting about 250 science investigations in Biology as well as Earth Science, human research, physical sciences, and developments in technology. Following their arrival, the crew size in the US module increased from 3 crew to 4 crew members to help maximize the time of research and increase productivity. 

SpaceX Dragon spreads its wings toward the ISS

SpaceX launched their Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) carrying the Dragon spacecraft toward the ISS. This is the first launch from SLC-40 since the Amos-6 pad anomaly back in September of 2016. This is also the first time NASA has agreed to use a flight-proven first stage on a resupply mission under the CRS contract. 

The Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 at 10:36am EST and ascended into the skies of Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying loads of science to the International Space Station. There are 2 major payloads in

Photo of Dragon separation from the second stage
Photo credit // SpaceX

the unpressurized portion of Dragon which will be extracted by the robotic arm on the ISS a little after arrival. One of the payloads is a Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) that will measure the suns solar energy flow to the Earth and how it affects the atmosphere. The second payload is a space debris sensor that'll be used to analyze the small particles that the ISS collides with. Inside the pressurized portion of Dragon, there are various experiments that will be conducted inside of the ISS by the crew. There are also technological demonstrators for cell science research and fluid experiments as well as materials for micro-g fiber optic cable construction. Secondly, there are rodents being sent up for other research on how they react to different environments on the space station. Lastly, barley is being sent to the ISS and will be the first step to an on-board brewery.

Falcon 9 lifts off of SLC-40
Photo credit // SpaceX

SLC-40 has also been upgraded in various ways to support more launches and added redundancies for familiarity between launch pads for employees. They have made new doghouses (shields for the hold down clamps) to help protect the clamps during launch to last longer. The flame trench has been redesigned to withstand more power which allow for longer static fires of the Falcon 9. LOX Systems have been upgraded to make the densification of liquid oxygen a lot faster and the loading of it into the launch vehicle quicker. After the strongback was destroyed when Falcon exploded on the pad, they have manufactured a new one which has stronger lift cylinders to allow a one-step process to raise the vehicle vertically faster. Now that SLC-40 is active once again, SpaceX has 3 operational launch pads which will allow for a faster cadence of launches.

The Dragon spacecraft used on this mission has been refurbished after being flown for CRS-6 back in 2015. In order for Dragons to be reused, they need to go under several analysis, inspections, and

The Falcon 9 first stage lands at LZ-1
Photo credit // SpaceX

tests in McGregor, Texas and Hawthorne, California. The first stage was also reused and did not have the soot washed off of it, which they plan to do for other reused boosters as well (unless it's beneficial to wash it). 

Electrical issue scrubs Electron launch

Rocket Lab confirmed on Twitter the scrub of the Electron launch planned for tonight. The launch attempt was scrubbed due to an "indication of a power fault during ground checkouts" and are going to proceed on working out the issue. They were monitoring upper level winds throughout the day and it doesn't appear as though it would've been an issue at the time of launch. Rocket Lab stated on Twitter, "Team will work the issue tomorrow before a new target launch time is determined..". For further updates on the upcoming launch dates, follow Rocket Lab on Twitter @RocketLab.

Blue Origin launches New Shepard for the first time in a year

New Shepard launching on M7 - Credit: Blue Origin

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket fired up its BE-3 engine and lifted off from their launch facility in West Texas on its seventh mission (M7). The launch featured the first flight of the Crew Capsule 2.0 with real windows instead of the painted on ones used in previous flights. They measure about 3.5ft tall and 2.4ft wide, which is larger than the windows in a Boeing 747. This mission also included 12 payloads for research and education purposes. The flight reached a maximum altitude of 98.27km AGL with a successful landing of the booster and the crew capsule. The capsule and booster will most likely be recovered and reused for the next test flight. A video of the launch and landing can be viewed on their YouTube channel.

Rocket Lab scrubs launch of Electron

At T-2 seconds until liftoff, Electron fired up its 9 Rutherford engines ready to launch, but the launch was aborted shortly after. The strongback returned to its original position and the cradle arm closed around the rocket as it switched back to external power. The Rocket Lab team is looking over the data of the rocket and will be providing updates regarding the next launch attempt on their Twitter @RocketLab.

SpaceX launch delays one more day

Falcon 9 Horizontal at SLC-40 - Credit: Craig Vander Galien // SpaceNews

SpaceX was planning the liftoff of the Falcon 9 with Dragon to the International Space Station tomorrow (Dec. 12) at 11:46am EST from SLC-40. They have now decided to push the launch one day to December 13th for additional time on the pre-launch ground systems checks. The new time of launch will be December 13th at 11:24am EST from SLC-40. This launch includes the first time NASA has allowed the reuse of a first stage booster and the soot from its last launch (CRS-11) has not been washed off like it usually is.        

SpaceX to launch reused Dragon spacecraft on a reused Falcon 9 booster to the ISS

SpaceX's Falcon 9 standing at SLC-40 for the first time in a year
Credit: SpaceX

CRS-13
SpaceX will be launching another resupply mission to the International Space Station using a reused Dragon spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Resupply Service contract. The mission will also include a flight-proven first stage which was previously used to launch the CRS-11 mission back in June 2017 and the Dragon spacecraft was last used to support the CRS-6 mission in April of 2015. After the first stage separates, the booster will flip around and fly back towards Cape Canaveral and perform a landing at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1). The Dragon spacecraft is filled with approximately 4,800lbs of crew supplies and experiments as well as important materials to support several science and research investigations. It will rendezvous with the ISS on December 15th and will be captured by the station's robotic arm to be berthed with the station. Dragon will stay attached to the station for about a month and will then be returned to Earth and recovered in the Pacific Ocean. The Falcon 9 will liftoff tomorrow at 11:46am EST from Space Launch Complex 40 with a backup launch for Dec. 13th at 11:24am EST. Weather is currently 90% go for the launch tomorrow.

Space Launch Complex 40
This will be the first launch from SLC-40 since the anomaly that occurred during a static fire for the launch of Amos-6 back on September 1st, 2016. The SpaceX team have been launching Falcon 9s from LC-39A in SLC-40s downtime. While launching from LC-39A, they've been working tirelessly on getting the pad functioning again as well as getting Falcon Heavy ready. Now that SLC-40 is back online, work towards the Falcon Heavy flight will start to accelerate for it's Demo flight sometime in January of 2018.

Electron rocket launch scrubbed

Rocket Lab had planned to launch their Electron rocket today on it's second test flight carrying 3 small satellites into orbit. The launch has been scrubbed for the day due to weather factors and 'orbital traffic' making the launch difficult. They're planning another launch tomorrow and have yet to announce a new launch time.

Rocket Lab gearing up for launch on Sunday

Hold down fire of the Electron Rocket
Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket lab is currently planning to launch their Electron "Still Testing" rocket from their private launch facility in New Zealand on Sunday at 8:30pm EST. The 2 stage rocket will be launching 3 satellites into orbit around the Earth. One of the satellites is an Earth imaging Dove satellite for Planet. The other 2 are Lemur-2 satellites for Weather mapping and ship traffic tracking from the company Spire. "We're eager to to test the next crucial step - payload deployment." says Peter Beck, Founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, "No major changes to the launch vehicle hardware have been required". The first launch of the Electron rocket failed to reach orbit on May 25th, 2017 after a third-party error in the hardware that has now been corrected. Beck also stated that carrying these payloads marks a significant milestone for Rocket Lab and it enables them to gather data and test the systems used in deploying satellites safely into orbit. A livestream of the launch will be shown on Rocket Lab's website about 12 minutes before launch.

Rocket Lab's "Still Testing" launch delayed by one day

Electron 'Still Testing' at Rocket Lab LC-1

Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab, a private space company, was planning the second launch of their Electron rocket today from their private launch complex in New Zealand, but has been delayed by a day. They had planned to launch Electron during a 4-hour window that stretched from 8:30pm to 12:30am EST to carry three small satellites into orbit. This was the first of the planned 10-day launch window and they will attempt the same window again tomorrow. Weather forecasts for the next few days appear unfavorable for launch until at least Monday. They will be live streaming the launch on their website about 12 minutes before the anticipated time of the launch for the first time. When launched, this will be the second of the three planned test launches of the Electron rocket before opening up to commercial customers. If everything goes well during this launch, commercial access capabilities will be accelerated. Real time updates of the launch will be posted on Twitter @RocketLab.

Falcon Heavy to launch this December

Last year on September 1st, 2016, one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets exploded on their launch pad before performing a routine static fire for the upcoming Amos-6 launch. Since then, SpaceX has recovered from that anomaly and have launched 13 missions since then. Throughout the year, they have been working hard on getting LC-40 back online for Falcon 9 launches to make room for Falcon Heavy launches from LC-39a, the launch pad they're currently using for Falcon 9. SpaceX's CRS-13 launch will be the first launch from LC-40 since the Sep. 1st anomaly early this December and the Falcon Heavy now has a tentative launch date of

Dec. 29th with a static fire on Dec. 15th. The Falcon Heavy rocket is a 3-core version of a Falcon 9 rocket that will be the most capable active rocket once launched. It will also attempt a land landing of both side boosters simultaneously back at SpaceX's Landing Zone area and possibly a core booster landing on land, but will most likely land on their droneship "Of Course I Still Love You".   

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft sends supplies to the ISS

CRS-12 launches from Historic LC-39a

On Monday August 14th, around 12:31pm EDT, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Historic LC-39a at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft sat atop the Falcon 9 carrying over 6,400lbs of supplies and payloads launched into Low Earth Orbit toward the International Space Station (ISS). This launch is the 12th of the 20 missions to the ISS that Dragon will be flying under NASA's Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) contract. On August 16th, the crew on the ISS will capture Dragon using the Station's 58ft long robotic arm and proceed with docking the spacecraft. This mission

The Falcon 9 first stage standing tall at LZ-1

also featured a "Return To Launch Site" landing of the Falcon 9's first stage. Right after separation, the first stage flipped around and began to fire up its engines and fly all the way back to LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It then performed a series of burns to guide it through the atmosphere and stick a perfect landing to get recovered and refurbished for another launch.

"Third time's a charm" - Third attempt to launch Intelsat 35e

After standing down from a launch attempt on the 4th of July, SpaceX decided to take that day to do a full re-evaluation of the rocket and the launch pad systems to ensure everything is working how it should. SpaceX will try to launch Intelsat 35e again today at 7:37pm EDT from historic Launch Complex 39a. Live broadcasts of the launch will start about 15 minutes before launch.

Successful splashdown of CRS-11 and a second attempt to launch Intelsat 35e

Photo of CRS-10 parachuting down back in March // SpaceX

 This morning around 5:14am EDT CRS-11, SpaceX's first reused Dragon spacecraft, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after departing from the ISS later last night. Splashdown was good and it seems Dragon is in good health, becoming the first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft.
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Intelsat 35e fairing // SpaceX

The second launch attempt of Intelsat 35e will also take place today at 7:37pm EDT after yesterday's attempt was scrubbed due to a guidence control issue. Intelsat 35e will be launched into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit and no first stage recovery will occur. Given the weight of the payload, SpaceX will have to use the full power of the Falcon 9 without any recovery gear onboard. Their future Block V version of the Falcon 9 will be able to carry heavy payloads like this into orbit and be able to attempt a landing on their droneships. 

SpaceX: First reused Dragon leaves ISS

SpaceX CRS-11 Dragon leaves the Station

On Saturday, July 1st, the hatch was closed after loading SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft with nearly 1,400lbs of experiments that will be carried back to Earth. The next day, the spacecraft was unbearthed from the harmony module around 1:30pm EDT and was released from the ISS at 2:41pm EDT. After 3 consecutive burns, it moved away from the ISS and started its deorbit toward Earth where it will land in the Pacific Ocean just west of California at 8:12am EDT. After the recovery team picks up Dragon onto their recovery vessel, they'll take it back into port and will be brought back to their HQ in Hawthorne, CA. Upon arrival, the onboard samples will be unloaded immediately for analysis.

SCRUB: 24-hour recycle of the launch of Intelsat 35e

In the final seconds of the countdown, the flight computer of the Falcon 9 aborted the launch at T-10 seconds. The SpaceX team is assessing the data from the countdown and will hopefully find the issue that caused the abort and are planning on a 24-hour recycle. The next launch window opens tomorrow, July 3rd at 7:37pm EDT from Historic Launch Complex 39a.
Edit: Guidance Issue aborted the launch, The Falcon 9 and Satellite are both healthy. 

SpaceX expendable Inmarsat 5 launch

Official SpaceX patch

Tomorrow evening at 7:20 pm EDT SpaceX will be launching the Inmarsat 5 satellite from LC-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The launch will be a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) launch and the window will be open for 51 minutes and a backup launch window will be Tuesday at 7:20 pm EDT. There will be no first stage landing attempt due to the mission requirements of the payload weight. The Inmarsat-5 satellite is the fourth satellite in the Global Express constellation, which is a high-speed mobile broadband

Falcon 9 being rolled out to the pad.
Credit // Inmarsat

service. Inmarsat is the industry leader and pioneer of mobile satellite communications and has been powering global connectivity for more than 30 years. The Falcon 9 with Inmarsat-5 mated to the second stage was rolled out to the pad earlier today 

PHOTOS: SES-10 first stage returns to port

Can use with credit

Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

High-resolution photos here

SpaceX is revolutionizing spaceflight

SpaceX LLC
Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

SpaceX launched the SES-10 satellite Thursday, March 30th from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Launch Complex 39a and carried it to its Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) making the mission a success. SES-10 is a television and video broadcasting satellite that orbits in the same spot above the equator and should be operational sometime in mid-May. One of the crucial parts of this mission was the relaunch of an already used booster that has been flight proven through tests. The first stage used to launch SES-10 was also the same booster that launched CRS-8 to the ISS back in April of 2016.

Elon Musk and Martin Halliwell at the Post-launch conference
Walter Scriptunas II / Scriptunas Images

After examination of the first stage and various tests of the engines at their test facility in McGregor, Texas, the stage was ready to relaunch and SES chose to be their first customer to use a flight proven booster. "We don't believe we're taking an inordinate risk here," said SES CTO Martin Halliwell stated at a press conference, SES is very confident in the work that SpaceX has put into it to ensure the flight goes smoothly. After launch, the first stage reentered the atmosphere for the second time and made another successful landing on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" and is returning back to port on April 3rd. After arriving at Port they will lift it off the droneship, remove the legs, move it horizontally onto the transport trailer, and bring it back to the CCAFS. Elon musk stated this mission as being a "huge

SES-10 launched from LC-39a
Credit // SpaceX

revolution in spaceflight" as it will cut the costs of launches and make space more accessible to smaller companies. The refurb time on this booster took about 4 months, but they hope to bring that time down to 2 months and even down to 1 day. 

SpaceX to fly a reused first stage this week

Launch of CRS-8 from VAB roof
Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

 The same first stage booster that launched CRS-8 toward the ISS with BEAM will be launching SES-10, a communications satellite, up to Geostationary Orbit and land back on the droneship. The Falcon 9 will be launched from LC-39A Thursday, March 30th where the first stage will be launched into space for the second time. Gwynne Shotwell stated that it took about 4 months to refurbish the 1st stage from the CRS-8 landing. They hope to reduce that refurbish time to 2 months and eventually down to just one day. SES-10 is a satellite that will broadcast video and television series across Latin America. It weighs around 11,700lbs and will allow the first stage to have enough fuel left over to complete a landing on the droneship, Of

Course I Still Love You (OCISLY). SES announced their agreement with SpaceX in August of 2016 to launch using one of their reused boosters. They're offering customers a 10% discount

CRS-8 booster in Port Canaveral after the first successful
landing at sea.
Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

on the regular $62 million for using a reused booster for their launch. It will also be one of the six launches on a reused booster that SpaceX intends to launch this year. Two of those six boosters will be used as side cores on the Falcon Heavy Demo Flight sometime this year. A successful recovery of the 1st stage from the SES-10 launch will give SpaceX insight on the performance and reused of the booster.