SpaceX, NASA and the Crew 11 astronauts beat the clouds and rain showers and launched before summer showers washed over Kennedy Space Center today, but just barely. With dark skies and rain rapidly advancing from the south, liftoff of SpaceX’s 18th crewed flight was at 11:43 AM ET from venerable Launch Complex 39A. Crew 11’s four astronauts are now on their way to the International Space Station after today’s launch, with an expected arrival time at the orbital outpost around 3 AM ET tomorrow, August 2.
Booster catch at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. Image by Richard P. Gallagher | FMN
Florida’s Space Coast, centered around NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, has been a focal point for significant space-related developments this week. From the scheduled launch of NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), to public discussions on SpaceX’s Starship program expansion, and a notable leadership transition at NASA, the Space Coast continues to play a critical role in U.S. space exploration.
A 71-year-old Chinese-born Canadian citizen, Xiao Guang Pan, has entered a guilty plea in a federal case involving unauthorized drone flights over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Netflix is set to expand its summer lineup with content from NASA’s own streaming service, NASA+. Viewers can look forward to live rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, in-depth mission reports and awe-inspiring, real-time footage of Earth as seen from the International Space Station. While NASA+ has been freely accessible through its website and app—and available on platforms such as Apple TV, Fire TV, Hulu and Roku—this will mark its first run on the world’s largest paid streaming service.
New SLS booster fired Thursday, June 26, at 12:25 PM MDT and lasted about 140 seconds, burning over 1.4 million pounds of propellant. Credit: Northrop Grumman
On June 26, 2025, Northrop Grumman conducted the first full-scale static test of the Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) solid rocket booster, a next-generation component intended for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. The test, performed at the company’s Promontory, Utah, facility, aimed to validate the BOLE’s advanced design but was marred by an anomaly in the booster’s nozzle, raising questions about its development timeline and the SLS program’s future.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 2:31 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, organized by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX and NASA, will carry four astronauts for a two-week stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. The booster core, B1094, with attempt a return to launch site landing (RTLS) at CCSFS LZ-1 and with produce a sonic boom. Mostly clear skies will allow for great views of the booster boost-back burn that often produces beautiful nebula like clouds and patterns.
A ULA Atlas V rocket carrying 27 Kuiper Atlas satellites. Image by Richard P Gallagher | FMN
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Amazon’s Project Kuiper advanced another notch with the launch of its second batch of satellites, known as Kuiper Atlas 2 (KA-02), on June 23, 2025. The mission took off at 6:54 a.m. EDT (1054 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida using a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The successful deployment marks another step in Amazon’s plan to create a global broadband internet network to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.
Starship 36 explodes on a test stand in South Texas on Wednesday Photo: Youtube/Jerry Pike/Nasa Space Flight
Just a few months ago, Elon Musk suggested that SpaceX may be able to try an unmanned Mars mission utilizing the company’s massive Starship as early as next year. Following the loss of Starship 36 on a South Texas test stand last night, that ambitious goal is clearly off the table.
The Artemis II core stage stands in front of the VAB earlier this year. Many fear budget cuts could put the Artemis Program in jeopardy. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
NASA has extended a second offer to its workforce in an effort to trim staff amid sweeping budget cuts ahead of the federal fiscal year 2026. The agency emailed employees Monday, unveiling a new deferred resignation program (DRP) and voluntary retirement incentives, extending benefits through January 2026—a full four months longer than its January program—which is open through July 25.
Starship ascents skyward. Image by Richard P Gallagher | FMN
Starbase, Texas — SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on May 27, 2025, at 6:36 p.m. CDT from its Starbase facility in Texas for the ninth integrated flight test (IFT-9) of the vehicle. The mission, using Ship 35 and Booster 14-2, marked the first reflight of a Super Heavy booster but encountered significant challenges, including the loss of both stages, as SpaceX continues to refine the reusable launch system for lunar and Martian missions.
The objectives of IFT-9 included reusing Booster 14-2, previously flown on Flight 7, deploying eight Starlink mass simulators, testing an in-space Raptor engine relight, and achieving a controlled reentry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The mission also aimed to address issues from Flights 7 and 8, which ended in upper stage failures, and to conduct experiments on the booster under off-nominal conditions, such as a higher angle of attack during descent to reduce propellant use.
Ship 35 and Super Heavy Booster 14-2 being prepared for stacking in preparation for IFT-9. Image by Richard P Gallagher | FMN
Boca Chica, Texas – SpaceX is set to launch its ninth Starship integrated flight test (IFT-9) no earlier than May 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. CT from the Starbase facility in South Texas. This mission, featuring the Block 2 Starship (Ship 35) and a reused Super Heavy Booster (Booster 14-2), aims to address issues from the explosive failures of Flights 7 and 8 while testing new objectives for the reusable launch vehicle. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved license modifications for the flight on May 15, 2025, though the Flight 8 mishap investigation remains ongoing.
After weeks of changed notices, SpaceX has publicly announced May 27th as the launch date for their next Starship mission. Officially, their launch window is open 6:30pm to 8:00pm CDT. As of now, they have backup…
