Tag: SpaceX
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Starbase Pad 1 demolition begins for Next-Gen upgrades
SpaceX has kicked off a significant demolition and upgrade phase at its Starbase facility, targeting Pad 1 to align it with the advanced capabilities of Pad 2. The work, which began shortly after the successful Flight 11 mission, involves dismantling key components of the launch infrastructure to accommodate Version 3 Starships and Super Heavy boosters.…
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Launch Roundup: China to launch crew to Tiangong, India to launch new naval satellite
Six missions comprise the worldwide launch manifest this week, including a crewed launch from China and a new naval satellite for the Indian Navy. SpaceX is set to kick off the week with three back-to-back Starlink missions from its pads in California and Florida. Later in the week, China will launch the crewed Shenzhou 21…
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SpaceX breaks its California pad turnaround record with sunset Starlink launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 11-21 mission on Oct. 27, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 27, 9:50 p.m. EDT (0150 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites. Correction Oct. 29: Fixed error regarding the timing of…
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SpaceX marks 5th anniversary of first Starlink customer with Sunday satellite launch
SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 10-21 mission on Oct. 26, 2025. Image: John Pisani / Spaceflight Now Update Oct. 26, 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of its 28 Starlink satellites. SpaceX completed a Sunday morning Falcon…
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SpaceX surpasses 2024 orbital launch record with Saturday Starlink mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket flies away from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 11-12 mission on Oct. 25, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 25, 11:35 a.m. EDT (1535 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites. SpaceX kicked off the weekend with a Falcon 9…
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Starbase Pad 1 ends an era, enters preparations for the next phase
After 11 Flights and many tests, the booster test stand turned launch mount has reached the end of its life. Pad 1 propelled the Starship program through the early years and now moves towards the new phase of operations. Start of Construction and First Testing Construction on Pad 1 began around July 2020, when crews…
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SpaceX expends Falcon 9 booster to launch Spainsat NG 2 communications satellite
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the sky on the SpainSat NG-2 mission for Hisdesat as seen from St. Cloud, Florida. Image: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now Update Oct. 23, 10:25 p.m. EDT (0225 UTC): SpaceX deployed the SpainSat NG-2 satellite. A SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage flew Thursday for the 21st and final time…
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SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on 550th Falcon 9 mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Starlink 11-5 mission on Oct. 22, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 22, 11:30 a.m. EDT (1533 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched its 550th Falcon 9 mission since the…
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NASA Opens Competition for Artemis III Lunar Lander
NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy revealed that the agency is reopening the contract for the first U.S. crewed lunar landing since the 1970s, inviting proposals from companies beyond SpaceX’s Starship. The move aims to accelerate the Artemis III mission and ensure American astronauts return to the Moon’s surface before China’s planned landing by 2030, amid…
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SpaceX’s SLC-6 redevelopment green light
In a pivotal step forward for an increase in commercial spaceflight from the West Coast, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) authorizing sweeping changes to SpaceX’s launch and landing aspirations at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The decision clears the path…