On Tuesday, December 17 at 5:19 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched the NROL-149 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.This was the 22nd flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, SDA-0B, Iridium OneWeb, Transporter-7, NROL-113, NROL-167, and 14 Starlink missions.
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, December 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of the SES O3b mPOWER mission to medium Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 5:26 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available Wednesday, December 18 during a one-hour and 27-minute launch window that opens at 4:00 p.m. ET
On Tuesday, December 17 at 5:26 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched the SES O3b mPOWER mission to medium Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.This was the first flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission.
Confirmation of mission success:QuoteMission success: #NROL149 launched today at 8:19 a.m. EST on a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.Congratulations to our launch team and partners on NRO's sixth proliferated and final launch of 2024!Press release: https://nro.gov/news-media-featured-stories/news-media-press-releases/Archived-Press-Releases/Press-Release-Article/Article/4006919/nro-launches-sixth-mission-of-proliferated-architecture-with-nrol-149/https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1869042362455937175
Mission success: #NROL149 launched today at 8:19 a.m. EST on a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.Congratulations to our launch team and partners on NRO's sixth proliferated and final launch of 2024!Press release: https://nro.gov/news-media-featured-stories/news-media-press-releases/Archived-Press-Releases/Press-Release-Article/Article/4006919/nro-launches-sixth-mission-of-proliferated-architecture-with-nrol-149/
When asked "how many satellites in NROL 149 mission ?", Grok answers 21, but I can't identify its sources.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch four crew members to the International Space Station.The change gives NASA and SpaceX teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission. The new spacecraft is set to arrive to the company’s processing facility in Florida in early January.
Cancel-and-replace NGA Rocket Launching notice.Start time is pushed back for Backup Days December 22 and December 23 UTC.Quote from: NGA172213Z DEC 24NAVAREA IV 1590/24(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 210339Z TO 210758Z, ALTERNATE 0500Z TO 0759Z DAILY 22 AND 23 DEC IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.10N 080-37.74W, 28-40.00N 080-23.00W, 28-38.00N 080-12.00W, 28-32.00N 080-11.00W, 28-31.00N 080-21.00W, 28-31.71N 080-33.62W. B. 28-07.00N 075-25.00W, 28-38.00N 075-24.00W, 28-51.00N 073-57.00W, 28-28.00N 072-24.00W, 28-18.00N 072-08.00W, 28-06.00N 072-07.00W, 27-54.00N 072-20.00W, 27-42.00N 074-01.00W.2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 1583/24.3. CANCEL THIS MSG 230859Z DEC 24.
172213Z DEC 24NAVAREA IV 1590/24(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 210339Z TO 210758Z, ALTERNATE 0500Z TO 0759Z DAILY 22 AND 23 DEC IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.10N 080-37.74W, 28-40.00N 080-23.00W, 28-38.00N 080-12.00W, 28-32.00N 080-11.00W, 28-31.00N 080-21.00W, 28-31.71N 080-33.62W. B. 28-07.00N 075-25.00W, 28-38.00N 075-24.00W, 28-51.00N 073-57.00W, 28-28.00N 072-24.00W, 28-18.00N 072-08.00W, 28-06.00N 072-07.00W, 27-54.00N 072-20.00W, 27-42.00N 074-01.00W.2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 1583/24.3. CANCEL THIS MSG 230859Z DEC 24.
Looks like it has been pushed back to December 23:F4917/24 NOTAMNQ) YMMM/QWMLW/IV/BO/W/000/999/1613S08234E750A) YMMMB) 2412230657 C) 2412291132D) 2412230657 TO 2412231204 2412240625 TO 2412241132 2412250657 TO 2412251132 2412260657 TO 2412261132 2412270657 TO 2412271204 2412280625 TO 2412281132 2412290657 TO 2412291132E) ROCKET LAUNCH WILL TAKE PLACEFLW RECEIVED FROM GOVERNMENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:HAZARDOUS OPS WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY ANDSPLASHDOWN OF SPACEX STARLINK 12-2 ROCKET WI THE FOLLOWING AREAS:2033S 07500E0746S 08927E0853S 09228E2422S 07500E TO BEGINNINGF) SFC G) UNL
Next Starlink group launch from the West Coast is Group 11-3:A1631/24 NOTAMNQ) NTTT/QRDCA/IV/BO/W/000/999/0325N12003W011A) NTTTB) 2412240502 C) 2412300736D) 24 0502-0950, 28 0333-0821, 29 0311-0759, 30 0248-0736E) TEMPORARY DANGEROUS AREA DUE TO ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY SPACEXSTARLINK 11-3 UPPER STAGE IN TAHITI FIR WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDEDBY FOLLOWING POINTS: 0330N 12000W - 0316N 12000W - 0330N 12010W - 0330N 12000W THIS ACTIVITY IMPACTS KZAK, MMFO, SCIZ AND NO FIR AS WELL. AIRSPACE USERS ARE ADVISED OF THE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS NATUREOF THE ACTIVITY AND ARE STRONGLY INVITED TO AVOID THE AREADURING THE ACTIVITY TIME SLOT. OPERATORS ARE INVITED TO FILE THEIR FLIGHT PLAN WITH ATRAJECTORY THAT ENSURES THAT THE AREA IS CIRCUMNAVIGATED.F) SFC G) UNL
Quote from: Ken the Bin on 12/17/2024 10:52 pmI think this NGA Rocket Launching is for this launch. The hazard zone times are not typical for a Starlink launch, but the locations look more like Starlink than like Thuraya 4-NGS.Quote from: NGA171818Z DEC 24NAVAREA IV 1587/24(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 300500Z TO 300859Z DEC, ALTERNATE 310500Z TO 310859Z DEC, 010500Z TO 010859Z, 020500Z TO 020859Z AND 030500Z TO 030859Z JAN IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.00N 080-37.69W, 28-39.00N 080-28.00W, 28-30.00N 080-10.00W, 28-24.00N 080-09.00W, 28-21.00N 080-11.00W, 28-23.00N 080-19.00W, 28-29.35N 080-32.49W. B. 26-24.00N 076-29.00W, 26-29.00N 076-25.00W, 26-29.00N 075-54.00W, 26-12.00N 075-07.00W, 25-44.00N 074-19.00W, 25-24.00N 074-09.00W, 25-10.00N 074-29.00W, 25-17.00N 074-58.00W, 25-43.00N 075-40.00W, 26-01.00N 076-09.00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 030959Z JAN 25.Well the notice is for a launch NET 05:00 UTC on December 30 so it cannot be Group 12-2, of which a NOTAM for NET December 23 has just arrived.Next Spaceflight has it as Group 12-3 from SLC-40, although I haven't been able to nail down a concrete source for that yet.
I think this NGA Rocket Launching is for this launch. The hazard zone times are not typical for a Starlink launch, but the locations look more like Starlink than like Thuraya 4-NGS.Quote from: NGA171818Z DEC 24NAVAREA IV 1587/24(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 300500Z TO 300859Z DEC, ALTERNATE 310500Z TO 310859Z DEC, 010500Z TO 010859Z, 020500Z TO 020859Z AND 030500Z TO 030859Z JAN IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.00N 080-37.69W, 28-39.00N 080-28.00W, 28-30.00N 080-10.00W, 28-24.00N 080-09.00W, 28-21.00N 080-11.00W, 28-23.00N 080-19.00W, 28-29.35N 080-32.49W. B. 26-24.00N 076-29.00W, 26-29.00N 076-25.00W, 26-29.00N 075-54.00W, 26-12.00N 075-07.00W, 25-44.00N 074-19.00W, 25-24.00N 074-09.00W, 25-10.00N 074-29.00W, 25-17.00N 074-58.00W, 25-43.00N 075-40.00W, 26-01.00N 076-09.00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 030959Z JAN 25.
171818Z DEC 24NAVAREA IV 1587/24(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 300500Z TO 300859Z DEC, ALTERNATE 310500Z TO 310859Z DEC, 010500Z TO 010859Z, 020500Z TO 020859Z AND 030500Z TO 030859Z JAN IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.00N 080-37.69W, 28-39.00N 080-28.00W, 28-30.00N 080-10.00W, 28-24.00N 080-09.00W, 28-21.00N 080-11.00W, 28-23.00N 080-19.00W, 28-29.35N 080-32.49W. B. 26-24.00N 076-29.00W, 26-29.00N 076-25.00W, 26-29.00N 075-54.00W, 26-12.00N 075-07.00W, 25-44.00N 074-19.00W, 25-24.00N 074-09.00W, 25-10.00N 074-29.00W, 25-17.00N 074-58.00W, 25-43.00N 075-40.00W, 26-01.00N 076-09.00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 030959Z JAN 25.
UPDATED DECEMBER 17, 2024...FALCON 9The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Astranis MicroGEO mission from pad 40 on December 20 at 10:39 p.m. - 2:39 a.m. EST. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 39A on December 23 at 12:00-4:00 a.m. EST. A Falcon 9 will launch the Thuraya 4-NGS communication satellite for the UAE on December 27 around 12:00 a.m. EST. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Firefly Blue Ghost & second Japanese iSpace HAKUTO-R lunar lander to the moon on mid-January.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabWe made a list (of launch commit criteria), checked it twice (against the weather forecast), and determined conditions for lift-off were naughty not nice. As a result we're now targeting 21 Dec NZT for the launch of 'Owl The Way Up' for @Synspective . ⏰NZT | 3:00 am, 21 Dec⏰PT | 6:00 am, 20 Dec⏰ET | 9:00 am, 20 Dec⏰UTC | 14:00, 20 Dec
133 - December 13 - Starlink group 11-2 (x9) flight 216 [V2 Mini L130], Starlink (x13) [V2 Mini D2C L29] - Falcon 9-409 (B1082.9 OCISLY) - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 21:55:40
Quote133 - December 13 - Starlink group 11-2 (x9) flight 216 [V2 Mini L130], Starlink (x13) [V2 Mini D2C L29] - Falcon 9-409 (B1082.9 OCISLY) - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 21:55:40Starlink Group 11-2 didn't loft any direct-to-cell capability sats though.
On Friday, December 13 at 1:55 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
UPDATED DECEMBER 18, 2024...FALCON 9The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Astranis MicroGEO mission from pad 40 on December 20 at 10:39 p.m. - 2:39 a.m. EST. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 39A on December 23 at 12:00-4:00 a.m. EST. A Falcon 9 will launch the Thuraya 4-NGS communication satellite for the UAE on December 27 at 12:00-4:00 a.m. EST. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Firefly Blue Ghost & second Japanese iSpace HAKUTO-R lunar lander to the moon on mid-January TBA.
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, December 21 at 3:34 a.m. PT for a Falcon 9 launch of the Bandwagon-2 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, there is a backup opportunity on Sunday, December 22 at 3:12 a.m. PT.A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.There are 30 payloads on board this mission for KOREA ADD, Arrow Science and Technology, Exolaunch, HawkEye 360, Maverick Space Systems, Sidus Space, Tomorrow Companies Inc., True Anomaly, and Think Orbital.This will be the 21st flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, Transporter-9, NROL-146, and 13 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
SpaceX is targeting Friday, December 20 for Falcon 9’s launch of the Astranis: From One to Many mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 229-minute window opens at 10:39 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Sunday, December 22 during a 129-minute window that opens at 12:00 a.m. ET.A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.This will be the 17th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, NG-20, TD-7, and nine Starlink missions. After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
NASA approached Axiom earlier this year to find ways to deconflict USDV from the Axiom modules. One option would have been for the USDV to dock to the Axiom modules. “That potentially presents a risk to Axiom if, for some reason, they had to deorbit and we weren’t ready to separate,” said Mark Greeley, chief operating officer of Axiom Space and program manager for Axiom Station.The company decided to revise the sequence of the station’s assembly. It will now start with the PPTM, which includes power and thermal systems as well as eight science racks for research payloads. Rather than dock PPTM to Node 2 Forward, it will instead berth to one of two ports currently used by cargo spacecraft like Cygnus.Axiom Station sequenceThe revised assembly sequence for Axiom Space’s station. Credit: Axiom Space“The huge advantage here to both NASA and Axiom is the fact that they do not have to reconfigure the forward port,” said George Motter, chief engineer and architect of Axiom Station. “They can bring the deorbit vehicle at any time. They can prepare for deorbit on their schedule, and once we arrive, we can stay there for a short time or a long time. We’re not in the way.”Axiom would then launch the first habitat module, Hab1. However, rather than dock it to the ISS, the PPTM would depart the ISS and dock with the habitat module, enabling a free-flying station with just two modules, supporting four crew members. That could take place as soon as 2028, the company said, sooner than previous plans.“The dream sequence would be to go to ISS, be there for a bit, wait for Hab1 to launch, leave ISS and dock fairly directly with Hab1,” Motter said. However, both the habitat module and the PPTM have the ability to loiter in orbit independently if needed.Once the station is free flying, Axiom will add an airlock module, a second habitat module and a research module. Each module will have its own power and thermal capabilities, and the first habitat module also has a robotic arm used to reconfigure the station.Thales Alenia Space Italia (TASI) is producing the modules for Axiom. It has started work on the PPTM by using components that were originally manufactured for the two habitat modules. Motter said TASI will deliver the PPTM to Axiom in 2025 for final outfitting and a launch no earlier than 2027. ...“In a sense, we’re a station in two [launches] instead of a station in four,” Motter said, with full capability added in a third launch of the airlock module. “The two gives us everything you need to be a functioning space station.”
Starlink G12-2 Pre-LaunchDerived from a pre-launch Starlink-G12-2 state vector, provided by SpaceX. SupGP data is provided for the entire stack, as well as one for a single satellite.Launch: 2024-12-23 05:00:00 UTC. Deploy: 2024-12-23 06:05:14.620 UTC. Launch window: 2024-12-23 05:00:00 UTC to 2024-12-23 09:00:00 UTC. Backup Launch Opportunity #1Launch: 2024-12-24 04:28:00 UTC. Deploy: 2024-12-24 05:33:14.620 UTC.Launch window: 2024-12-24 04:28:00 UTC to 2024-12-24 08:28:00 UTC.Bandwagon-2 Pre-LaunchDerived from individual Pre-Launch Bandwagon-2 state vectors for each object in the initial deployment, provided by SpaceX.Launch: 2024-12-21 11:34:23.990 UTC.Deployments: 2024-12-21 12:26:09.830 UTC to 2024-12-21 13:18:46.110 UTC.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabWe are standing down from today’s launch attempt for @Synspective to take a closer look at sensor data.We have back-up opportunities in the coming days, so standby for the new launch date shortly.
Owl The Way UpLaunch TimeSat Dec 21, 2024 14:00 GMT