Launch

The latest private space mission has launched four astronauts into a sideways orbit that has never been attempted before with a crewed spacecraft. At 9:46 pm EDT, the Fram2 mission lifted off atop a Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Continental Europe's first attempt at an orbital space launch ended shorter than expected after Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket returned to Earth with a bang 30 seconds after lifting off only to crash and explode in the Norwegian Sea next to the pad.

Another major contender has entered the launch business as Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket roared into orbit today. At 2:03 am EST, the heavy launcher lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

It was 50% success today as SpaceX's Starship 7 mission lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas at 4:36 pm CST and ended with the second capture landing of the giant Super Heavy first stage and the unexplained loss of the Starship second stage.

The sixth flight of SpaceX's Starship went off today without a second capture landing of the Super Heavy first stage, but it did have a dramatic daylight powered soft landing of the Starship second stage in the Indian Ocean. And a banana.

Flight 6 of SpaceX's giant Starship is scheduled to fly no earlier than Monday, November 18, 2024. If there are no delays, the world's largest rocket ever to fly will lift off at 4:00 pm CST from the company's Texas Starbase. Here's how to watch.

In an astonishing bit of space gymnastics, SpaceX has pulled off a true first. It captured a Super Heavy booster at about 7:31 am CT using its own launch tower after delivering a Starship second stage to orbit, followed by a controlled reentry.

The most ambitious private space mission yet, which will see the first private spacewalk, has lifted off. At 5:23 am EDT, the Polaris Dawn mission rose from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center atop a Falcon 9 rocket for low-Earth orbit.

The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket after one failed during a powered landing attempt on August 28, 2024 after the successful launch of 21 Starlink satellites. It's the first unsuccessful landing for SpaceX since 2021.

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn, the first private space mission to include a spacewalk, is scheduled to lift off on Wednesday, August 28 at 3:38 am EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here's how to watch.

Europe's newest heavy-lift rocket roared into space today as the Ariane 6 booster lifted off from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana at 4:00 pm GFT (19:00 GMT). Designated VA262, the inaugural flight carried a variety of payloads into orbit.

Europe will be back in the heavy lift rocket business on July 9, 2024 when the Ariane 6 lifts off on its maiden flight carrying almost a dozen satellites and experiments. The launch window at Kourou, French Guiana opens at 2:00 pm EDT. Here's how to watch.