In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Jeff Foust, senior writer at Space News, and Bill Harwood, space consultant for CBS News. The panel discusses the upcoming valve work being done to ready ULA’s Atlas V rocket for the Starliner Crew Flight Test, China’s Chang’e 6 mission reaching lunar orbit, SpaceX’s new spacesuits and much more. Watch the Quilty Space webinar on SpaceX’s Starlink finances here: https://mailchi.mp/quiltyspace.com/we… Jeff Foust, Space News: FAA to begin environmental review of Starship launches from Kennedy ..read more

A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to support the Starlink 7-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission also includes the first six satellites that will be used for the company’s direct-to-cell service. Image: SpaceX Update 5:55 p.m. EDT: SpaceX adjusted the launch time. SpaceX is getting ready for the second Falcon 9 launch of the day following a successful mission from Florida’s Space Coast. Notably, the Starlink 8-2 mission from the company’s West Coast launch pad features 13 more satellites boasting a Direct to Cell capability. In total, there are 20 Starlink satellites awaiting d ..read more

File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch at pad 39A on a mission to deliver another 23 Starlink satellites to orbit. Image: Spaceflight Now. SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets is poised to exceed the total number of Space Shuttle missions from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The combination of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket launches currently matches the total number of shuttle flights seen at that pad. With the Starlink 6-56 mission, which is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), SpaceX will hit 83 orbital launches from its KSC pad. T ..read more

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 N22 rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on top as seen the day before its planned May 6 launch. A problematic valve in the Centaur upper stage of the rocket caused the mission to scrub two hours before liftoff. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is going to have a wait a bit longer before its first astronaut mission can take place. Following the decision to scrub the Crew Flight Test mission about two hours prior to liftoff, teams with United Launch Alliance (ULA), Boeing and NASA concluded that more work was needed to ..read more

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket was fueled for launch May 6, 2024 for the Starliner Crew Test Flight. Image: NASA TV. An Atlas 5 rocket carrying astronauts for the first time was fueled for blastoff Monday night to boost Boeing’s long-delayed Starliner crew ferry ship into orbit for its first piloted test flight. But trouble with a valve in the rocket’s upper stage forced mission managers to order a scrub just two hours before takeoff. It was a frustrating disappointment for commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams, who were in the process of strapping in for launch ..read more

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. Update: SpaceX has pushed the T-0 liftoff time to near the end of the launch window. SpaceX is gearing up for the first of two Starlink missions from Florida, as Boeing gets ready for the first piloted launch of its Starliner capsule. A Falcon 9 rocket will launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday, followed by another on Tuesday from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff on Monday is scheduled for 2:14 p.m. EDT (1814 UTC). Meteorologists at Cap ..read more

Boeing’s Starliner capsule sits atop the Atlas 5 rocket at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station a day before its planned launch. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now. Years behind schedule and more than a billion dollars over budget, Boeing’s Starliner capsule is finally poised for its first piloted launch Monday, a critical test flight carrying two veteran astronauts to the International Space Station and in so doing, demonstrate an alternative to SpaceX’s already operational Crew Dragon. While SpaceX has launched 50 astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians to orbit in 13 ..read more

In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Rachel Jewett, Senior Managing Editor for Via Satellite, and Joey Roulette, U.S. Business of Space Correspondent for Reuters. The panel discusses the pending launch of Boeing’s first crewed Starliner mission to the International Space Station, NASA’s Office of Inspector General Report on the Artemis 2 mission, the launch of China’s Chang’e 6 mission to the far side of the Moon and more. Rachel Jewett, Via Satellite: L3Harris to Supply Payloads for Millennium Space Systems FOO Fighter Satell ..read more

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-55 mission on May 2, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 10:58 p.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-55 mission. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on its 30th Starlink flight of the year. The mission added 23 more satellites to the mega constellation. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-55 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) happened at 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 UTC). The 45th Weather Squadron at the Cape forecast about 85 percent cha ..read more

A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the first two of Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellite constellation on May 2, 2024. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is gearing up for a pair of Falcon 9 launches on Thursday, hours after it worked with NASA to relocate its Crew Dragon spacecraft on the International Space Station. First up to launch is a pair of Maxar Space Systems’ WorldView Legion satellites. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is set for 11:36 a.m. PDT (2:36 p.m. EDT, 1836 UTC), which is the opening of a 14-minute window. Spaceflight Now will have live ..read more