An artist’s concept of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft in orbit. Graphic: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart Update 7:34 p.m. EDT: Rocket Lab confirmed deployment of the NEONSat-1 payload. Rocket Lab completed its fifth launch of the year, which was a rideshare mission between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and NASA. This was also the company’s 47th Electron launch to date. Liftoff from Launch Complex 1’s Pad B in New Zealand happened at 10:32 a.m. NZT on April 24 (6:32 p.m. EDT, 2232 UTC on April 23). The team worked through a ground sys ..read more

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on the Starlink 6-53 mission on April 23, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 7:32 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 23 Starlink satellites. SpaceX completed a Falcon 9 launch, highlighted by the company’s 300th booster landing to date. The Starlink 6-53 mission also marked the 30th orbital launch from Florida in 2024. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of favor ..read more

As NASA faced a mission price tag and timeline for the Mars Sample Return mission that the administrator called “unacceptable,” the agency is turning to both its various centers around the country and to the private sector to find workable solutions. Administrator Bill Nelson said MSR remains one of NASA’s highest priorities and he said he was optimistic about what may come their way. This news came the same week that NASA gave the green light to the Dragonfly mission. The $3.35 billion undertaking will send a robotic rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan, starting in 2034. These are jus ..read more

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket supporting the Starlink 6-52 mission transits the Moon moments before Main Engine Cut-off (MECO). Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now SpaceX completed its 40 Falcon 9 mission of the year with a launch from the Cape. The Starlink 6-52 mission added 23 more satellites to the growing low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:40 p.m. EDT (2240 UTC), the opening of a nearly four-hour window. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions heading into launch. A Fa ..read more

The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft pauses in front of Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) before it embarks to Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 10:41 a.m. EDT: Added additional timing information regarding work at the VIF and a statement from Boeing regarding the Starliner-1 crew makeup. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner embarked on its last big road trip before its journey to the International Space Station next month. In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday morning, the capsule and its service modul ..read more

This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech NASA is going back to square one when it comes to many aspects of its Mars Sample Return mission in response to independent reviews that showed ballooning costs and significant schedule delays. The current architecture called for no less than five separate vehicles to transport back to Earth more than two dozen samples collected on the Martian surface by the Perseverance rove ..read more

SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1062, lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-49 mission. This marked the first time a booster launch and landed for a 20th time. Image: Adam Bernstein Update 10:13 p.m. EDT: SpaceX successfully launched and landed its booster, B1062, for a 20th time. SpaceX shattered multiple records Friday night as it launched 23 satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service from Cape Canaveral. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted offf from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:40 p.m. EDT (0140 UTC). It was the first time a Falcon 9 ..read more

As the Delta family of rockets closes out a more than 60 year legacy, a new spacecraft from another legacy space company is preparing to make its debut with astronauts on board. Meanwhile, millions are still basking in the coronal glow of Monday’s total solar eclipse while a new military weather satellite is preparing to enter service. These are just some of the topics on deck for this week’s edition of News from the Press Site. The hour-long, live show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel. This week, we’re joined by Elizabeth Howell, staff writer for Space.c ..read more

The Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) space vehicle was successfully encapsulated April 8, 2024, ahead of its scheduled launch as the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-62 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., marking a major milestone on its upcoming launch into low Earth orbit. Image: SpaceX SpaceX launched a military weather satellite designed to replace aging satellites from a program dating back to the 1960s. The United States Space Force-62 (USSF-62) mission featured the launch of the first Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) spacecraft. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket ..read more

A ULA Delta 4 Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This was the 16th and final launch of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now The second time was the charm for the finale of the Delta family of rockets. Following an issue with a gaseous nitrogen pipeline beyond the control of United Launch Alliance (ULA) that caused the March 28 scrub the second launch attempt on April 9 proved successful. Liftoff of the Delta 4 Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 12:53 p.m. EDT ..read more