Summer is nearly back on the Space Coast, with warm temperatures and a persistent threat of rain in the afternoon and evenings — typical weather here, and it will stay this way for several months. That being said, Atlas V was able to beat the weather last night and launched at the opening of its window, with liftoff at 7:01 PM ET after an apparently quiet countdown, save for some concerns about the energy potential of a nearby anvil cloud (Cumulonimbus incus) lingering near the launch pad before dissipating.
Atlas Kuiper KA-01 lifting off on April 28, 2025.
Photo: Chris Leymarie, Florida Media Now
A ULA Atlas rocket with four sold rocket boosters at LC-41 on 8-28-23 carrying NROL-107. Image by Richard P. Gallagher | FMN
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is set to launch an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying the first batch of production satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet constellation. Another ULA rocket, the Vulcan, will not be launching a previously assigned military GPS satellite. It has been reassigned to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, marking the second such change in recent months. Here’s what you need to know about these developments in the world of spaceflight.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launching the USSF-51 mission rises majestically against a backdrop of a serene, early morning sky tinged with hues of pink and purple. Image by Richard P Gallagher
Payload fairing on the second stage of a ULA Atlas V rocket carrying a classified satellite for the Space Force. Image by Richard P Gallagher
Cape Canaveral, FL — On July 30, 2024, United Launch Alliance (ULA) will reach a milestone of sorts with the launch of the USSF-51 mission aboard an Atlas V rocket. The launch will be from Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station , and is scheduled for 6:45AM. This mission is not only important for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) but also the last national security mission that the ULA will execute using the workhorse Atlas V rocket. Future national security launches will be utilize the new ULA Vulcan booster.
Boeing Starliner finally heads to space. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN
For the first time since 1968, astronauts have been launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the first-ever manned mission from a Space Force installation. On June 5, at precisely 10:52 a.m. EDT, NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 aboard the Atlas V rocket, commencing the eagerly anticipated Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.
As Boeing, NASA, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) prepare for a third launch attempt of the Boeing Starliner set for June 5th, a lesser-known yet interesting fact has emerged. While the Starliner will be going to the ISS, it won’t be ULA’s Atlas/Centaur booster that takes it all the way there or even to low-earth orbit (LEO).
Starliner arriving at the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Thursday morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher, Florida Media Now
After three weeks of analysis and discussion between Boeing, NASA, and United Launch Alliance following the May 6, 2024 scrub, Boeing’s long road to lofting crew aboard Starliner to low-Earth orbit took a step towards launching this morning when it was moved to its launch pad. Liftoff of Atlas V and Starliner is scheduled for 12:25 PM EDT, Saturday, June 1st, from Space Launch Complex 41.
Boeing Starliner sits atop an Atlas/Centaur booster at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station SLC-41 on May 6th. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
The target launch date for Boeing’s oft-delayed CFT-100 Starliner capsule has been shifted again. The Crewed Flight Test of the vehicle is now targeted for May 21 at 4:14 PM EDT.
Atlas V and Starliner sits on Launch Complex 41 Monday night. Photo: United Launch Alliance
UPDATE: Several sources are now reporting that Starliner will have to be rolled back from the pad with a new launch date NET May 17th.
Cape Canaveral It was all going well until it wasn’t. That’s often the story with launch attempts: tens of thousands of things must work perfectly, perform as planned, and operate normally, and only one thing has to go wrong for the attempt to be called off.
Starliner Crew Capsule being moved to the vertical integration facility. Image by: Richard P Gallagher
As the aerospace community looks toward the future of crewed space travel, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is poised to become a pivotal player in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This morning’s rollout of the crew capsule ahead of the first crewed launch marks a significant milestone for Boeing. The Starliner spacecraft was moved from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center this morning at 4am to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in order to be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
Boeing’s Crewed Flight Test of Starliner has pushed a little further to the right again and is now scheduled to launch no earlier than May 1st. That shift is not due to any concerns with the vehicle or its readiness, but instead, ISS scheduling, specifically docking port availability, when astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore arrive at the orbiting outpost.
Rendering of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner docked at ISS Graphic: Boeing Corporation
During the NASA Administrator Briefing from the Kennedy Space Center mainly centered around Crew-8 readiness today, Steve Stich, the Manager of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program gave some insight about the status of the planned first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner. That launch is currently planned for late April of this year.
