Covering All Things Florida
SpaceX is targeting as early as Sunday, August 24th for the next flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. SpaceX will be launching Starship for the first time since Starship 36 exploded during static fire testing at Massey’s in June. Starship 37 and Super Heavy Booster 16 will be used for the flight test.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SpaceX CEO Elon Must posted on X yesterday that he plans to give a talk explaining the game plan for Starbase and the company’s plans to go to Mars next week ahead of Starship’s 9th flight. This confirms that Starship is slated to fly next week! Up to this point, SpaceX has not officially listed a Starship launch date, only that final checks are in progress.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On April 21, 2025, SpaceX executed a remarkable feat of aerospace engineering, successfully launching two Falcon 9 rockets from separate launch pads in Florida within a span of 16 hours. The early morning mission delivered critical supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), while the evening launch deployed a diverse array of satellites into orbit. Both rockets achieved their objectives with precision, and their reusable first-stage boosters landed safely, underscoring SpaceX’s dominance in reusable rocket technology and its ability to maintain an ambitious launch cadence.
