Author Archives: Astrobitica

File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a Starlink mission. Image: SpaceX Update 10:04 p.m. EST (0304 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 22 Starlink satellites. SpaceX completed its first of three planned Falcon 9 launches before the end of year. The trio began with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Starlink 11-3 mission added another 22 V2 Mini satellites to the megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 5:58:30 p.m. PST (8:58:30 p.m. EST, 0158:30 UTC). The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1075 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 16th time. It previously supported the launches of Transporter-11, SARah-2 and 12 Starlink missions. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1075 touched down on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ which was positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This marked the 115th booster landing on OCISLY and the 388th booster landing to date. SpaceX has one more Starlink mission scheduled before closing out 2024. The Starlink 12-6 is positioned to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at midnight to begin Dec. 30, barring weather or technical delays. In between these Starlink flights, SpaceX will make another attempt at launching the ‘Astranis: From One to Many’ from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company had a pad abort during the Dec. 21 launch attempt, which prevented the launch. Without any fanfare, or explanation on the root cause of the issue, SpaceX decided to switch the booster being used on the Astranis flight. It swapped out B1077 and brought up B1083 in its place. Assuming all three launches can take place before New Year’s Day, SpaceX will close out 2024 with a total of 134 orbital launches using its Continue ReadingSpaceX launches final 2024 mission from Vandenberg→

SpaceX has begun counting down to the New Year, with the launch of the first of three rockets planned to close out 2024. Continue Reading3… 2… 1… SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on third-to-last mission planned for 2024→

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) ahead of the first launch attempt of the ‘Astranis: From One to Many’ mission. Image: SpaceX Following a rare pad abort on Dec. 21, SpaceX is once again preparing to launch four satellites to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company had to swap the first stage booster for another before proceeding with the mission. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) is set for 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC) on Sunday, Dec. 29. This is the start of a roughly 2.5-hour-long window. Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the mission beginning about an hour prior to liftoff. Coming into the launch attempt, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast an 85 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff. The only concern of note was the presence of cumulus clouds. “Surface high pressure will continue to push off the Northeast coast today. Although isolated showers are possible near the Spaceport today, conditions should improve overnight during the primary launch window,” launch weather officers wrote. “A cold front will approach from the northwest on Sunday, helping to increase moisture across the region. “While the main line of showers and thunderstorms is expected to clear the area before the backup launch window opens, scattered showers are expected just ahead of the front which could affect the backup launch window.” Following the scrubbed launch, SpaceX switched Falcon 9 first stage booster B1077 for B1083. The latter will launch for a seventh time after previously supporting Crew-8 for NASA; the commercial astronaut mission, Polaris Dawn; the CRS-31 flight to the International Space Station and three Starlink missions. SpaceX did not publish any additional information regarding the reason for the scrubbed first launch attempt nor information about Continue ReadingLive coverage: SpaceX to launch 4 Astranis satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral→

Four MicroGEO satellites from Astranis are integrated on a Falcon 9 payload adaptor prior to being incapsulate inside the payload fairings. Image: SpaceX Update Dec. 22, 8:45 p.m. EST (0145 UTC):SpaceX says “after further inspections of the launch vehicle and data review” the Falcon 9 launch of four satellites for Astranis is on hold. A launch attempt Saturday ended in a last-second engine abort. A new launch date has not yet been set. Update Dec. 21, 12:22 a.m. EST (0522 UTC): SpaceX encountered a pad abort; pivoted to Sunday launch. A rare pad abort forced SpaceX to stand down from launching four MicroGEO satellites for California-based Astranis into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. SpaceX didn’t give a reason for the scrub, but said in a post on social media that they were pivoting launch to Sunday instead. The mission, dubbed ‘Astranis: From One to Many,’ includes the company’s UtilitySat, which is designed to relocate within geostationary Earth orbit over its life to respond to different mission objectives. It will launch alongside three other satellites. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC) on Dec. 22. Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff. Coming into the launch opportunity, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff on Friday night. Launch weather officers cited no specific concerns that would prevent the launch from a meteorological perspective during the first launch. “A broad area of high-pressure over the central United States will bring northwest flow and drier air to the cape Friday and Saturday,” meteorologists wrote in their forecast. “Although the Probability of Violation is slightly higher on the backup day due to a slight chance of a flight-through Cumulus Cloud Rule violation, expect Continue ReadingMid-ignition issue forces a scrub of Falcon 9 launch with Astranis’ MicroGEO satellites→

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off the pad at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Image: SpaceX Update 6:52 a.m. (1152 UTC): The Falcon 9 booster touched down at Landing Zone 4. SpaceX launched its second, mid-inclination rideshare mission in the predawn hours of Saturday morning, this time launching it from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission came more than half a year after Bandwagon-1 lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in April. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at 3:34 a.m. PST (6:34 a.m. EST, 1134 UTC). The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1071 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for its 21st time. It previously supported the launches of three missions for the National Reconnaissance Office, two Transporter rideshare missions and NASA’s SWOT payload. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1071 returned for a touchdown at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4). This marked the 22nd booster landing at LZ-4 and the 386th booster landing to date. There are 30 payloads flying onboard the Bandwagon-2 mission, including satellites for Sidus Space, Maverick Space Systems, Exolaunch and HawkEye 360.

A Falcon 9 lifts off from pad 39A carrying 21 satellites for the Starlink network. Image: Pete Carstens/Spaceflight Now. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in the midnight hour on Monday to add another 21 satellites to its orbiting Starlink fleet. Liftoff of the Starlink 12-2 mission from pad 39A occurred on time at 12:35 a.m. EST (0535 UTC), just five days and seven hours since the last launch from the historic launch site, a new record turnaround at this pad for SpaceX. Of the 21 satellites, 13 are equipped for direct-to-cellphone connections. SpaceX’s U.S. cellphone partner, T-Mobile, recently announced it would be starting a beta text messaging service via the direct-to-cell Starlink satellites. Starlink 12-2 was launched by Falcon 9 first-stage booster 1080, making its 14th flight. The booster entered service in May 2023 with the launch of the Axiom 2 commercial space station mission. It has launched seven previous batches of Starlink satellites. Following stage separation, the booster continued downrange before landing on the SpaceX droneship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Bahamas. The 21 Starlink satellites will be deployed from the Falcon 9 upper stage into a 293 by 284 kilometer, 43-degree inclination orbit a little over an hour after launch.

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 One of the biggest decision points for the space community, how to redesign the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, may be weeks away from an inflection point, according to outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. During a roundtable discussion with reporters on Dec. 18 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Nelson said the agency will announce the path forward on the U.S.-led initiative to return samples from the Red Planet “in the first part of January, before I leave.” “As a matter of fact, one of the major briefings is going to occur Friday morning (Dec. 20) here at KSC,” Nelson said. “I’ve already been briefed in part. At the end of the day, I’m the decider on this stage and then we had that off to the new administration.” A consensus inside NASA and in the broader scientific community was that the timeline for MSR and its cost was untenable. The report of the Independent Review Board, published in September 2023, suggested a mission cost of $11 billion and a return date of 2040. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stopped by the Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 18 to speak to members of the media ahead of the administration change regarding his experience as administrator and his support of NASA throughout the years. Image: NASA Nelson said that was “way too expensive.” He also noted that NASA intended to have astronauts on Mars by the 2040s and NASA wants to be able to have those samples to study before crews start arriving. “And so, I pulled the plug on it. And lo and behold what’s coming out and we’ll give Continue ReadingNelson: Decision on Mars Sample Return expected before new administration takes office→

Blue Origin fuels its fully integrated New Glenn rocket on its third day of tanking testing in December. Image: Spaceflight Now Update Dec. 27, 9:20 p.m. EST (0220 UTC): A 24-second static fire of the New Glenn first stage took place at 7:47 p.m. EST (0047 UTC). Update Dec. 27, 4:09 p.m. EST (2109 UTC): Adding some more detail from the launch license. Blue Origin is preparing to put on a display of fire and fury out at Launch Complex 36. The company is gearing up for a crucial hot fire test of its New Glenn rocket, which is one of the big, final steps needed before it can launch. It comes as the Federal Aviation Administration granted a Part 450 commercial launch license for the rocket, clearing way for it to operate for five years. “The FAA is committed to enabling the success of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry without compromising public safety,” said the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kelvin B. Coleman, in a statement. “By working closely with Blue Origin, the FAA issued this new launch license well in advance of the statutory deadline for the historic maiden flight of New Glenn.” “A big thanks to the FAA for the partnership, especially over the holidays,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in a social media post following the announcement by the FAA. “Here’s to NG-1 — we are really close, folks.” The launch company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, spent much of 2024 getting the final pieces of New Glenn in place so that it can finally shift into launch operations. On Monday Dec. 16, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said that teams were given the “all clear” to proceed to a fueling demonstration known as a wet dress rehearsal prior to the hot fire test. Also known Continue ReadingFAA grants commercial launch license to Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket→

Follow Space.com’s rocket launch blog for the latest on when the next rocket launch will be and how to follow it live. Continue ReadingRocket launch today: Is there a rocket launch and what time?→

Liftoff is set for 12 a.m. EST (0500 GMT) on Sunday, Dec. 29. Continue ReadingWatch SpaceX attempt to launch 4 Astranis satellites for the 2nd time tonight after abort→

The DJI Neo is a sub-250 g drone with several control options. It can capture 4K 30 FPS video and basic 12MP photos. Continue ReadingDJI Neo drone review→

Blue Origin fired up its new heavy-lift orbital rocket for the first time just hours after receiving federal clearance to conduct its maiden launch. Continue ReadingBlue Origin hot fires New Glenn rocket for first time and scores FAA license for test launch→

The Bad Batch is the latest Star Wars animated series to stick the landing. Now that it has ended, we look at its impact on the larger narrative. Continue ReadingHow The Bad Batch became key to the Star Wars lore→

Venus is moving toward a dramatic finale in early 2025, when it will dazzle as the “evening star” after sunset. Here’s when to catch it at its brilliant best. Continue ReadingYear of Venus: How to see the ‘evening star’ at its best in 2025→

Here are the best lunar events to see in 2025, including the Major Lunar Standstill, eclipses, occultations and conjunctions involving the moon. Continue ReadingDon’t miss these 15 spectacular moon events in 2025→

From SpaceX plucking its huge Super Heavy rocket out of the sky to the launch of NASA’s $5 billion Europa Clipper mission, this year held many amazing advances. Continue ReadingStarship, Europa Clipper and more: The top 10 spaceflight stories of 2024→