The Japanese space agency’s H3 rocket system will return to the launchpad in early 2024 after an explosive failure this year. The H3 will launch from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency‘s (JAXA’s) Tanegashima Space Center as soon as Feb. 14, 2024, officials said in a statement released on Wednesday (Dec. 27). The prime launch window runs between 7:22 p.m. and 11:06 p.m. EST Feb. 14 (0022 and 0406 GMT, or 9:22 a.m. and 1:06 p.m. local time in Japan on Feb. 15.) Backup launch windows for the mission, designated H3…
Read MoreTag: Launches & Spacecraft
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch 2 German military satellites early Dec. 23
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch two radar reconnaissance satellites for the German military early Saturday morning (Dec. 23). A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the SARah-2 mission to low Earth orbit (LEO) from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, during an 83-minute window that opens at 8:11 a.m. EST (1311 GMT; 5:11 a.m. local California time). You can watch it live via SpaceX‘s account on X (formerly known as Twitter). Coverage will begin about 15 minutes before the launch window opens. Related: 8…
Read MoreSpaceX gearing up for 3rd Starship flight (photos)
A month after its latest liftoff, SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket is getting ready to fly again. Starship launched Nov. 18 on its second-ever test mission, which ended in two spectacular explosions. But the company, as ever, is gearing up for the next try. “Flight 3 vehicles on the pad at Starbase for testing ahead of Starship‘s next launch,” SpaceX wrote today (Dec. 18) in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that shared three photos of the spacecraft involved. (Starbase is SpaceX’s South Texas site, which serves as the…
Read MoreSpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of X-37B space plane now targeted for Dec. 28
SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will fly again before the end of the year, if all goes according to plan. SpaceX is now targeting Dec. 28 for the launch of the U.S. Space Force‘s X-37B space plane, which will fly atop a Falcon Heavy from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. You can watch the action here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, when the time comes. Related: The Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane: 10 surprising facts SpaceX had originally planned to launch the robotic X-37B on Dec. 11. But…
Read MoreSpaceX scrubs Falcon Heavy’s X-37B space plane launch due to ground issue
We’ll have to wait at least one more day to see SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket take to the skies again. The brawny Falcon Heavy had been scheduled to launch the U.S. Space Force‘s robotic X-37B space plane from Florida on Monday night (Dec. 11), a liftoff known as USSF-52. But about 30 minutes before the planned 8:24 p.m. EST (0124 GMT) liftoff time, SpaceX announced a scrub. “Standing down from tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch due to a ground side issue; vehicle and payload remain healthy. Team is resetting for…
Read MoreSpaceX, US Space Force set to launch secretive X-37B space plane on Dec. 10
The U.S. Space Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane is just about ready to take flight for the seventh time. The Space Force and SpaceX “are making final preparations” for the planned Sunday evening (Dec. 10) launch of the robotic X-37B, Space Force officials said in an emailed update today (Dec. 7). The space plane is scheduled to lift off atop a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a 10-minute window that opens at 8:14 p.m. EST (0114 GMT on Dec. 11). If SpaceX webcasts the…
Read More