Gadgets On Flight

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  SpaceX Fires Up Starship Upper Stage for Ninth Test Flight in Static Fire Trial

  SpaceX ignited all six Raptor engines on Starship’s upper stage in a 60-second static fire at Starbase, moving closer to its ninth test flight. The trial marked the third such test for this vehicle. While past 2025 flights failed mid-air, booster landings were successful. A launch date for Flight 9 has not yet been announced.

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  SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites from Florida: What You Need to Know

  SpaceX launched 28 Starlink satellites from Florida on May 10, just hours after a similar mission from California. The Falcon 9 booster completed its 11th flight, landing on a drone ship. With over 7,300 satellites now in orbit, the Starlink network continues to grow rapidly, reinforcing SpaceX’s dominance in global satellite deployment.

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  SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches 28 Starlink Satellites to Orbit From Florida

  SpaceX launched 28 new Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on May 6, marking its 53rd mission of 2025. The booster landed safely at sea, while the satellites will soon integrate into the 7,200+ strong Starlink network, continuing the company’s mission to provide high-speed global internet, especially to underserved remote re...

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  Space X Falcon Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Star Wars Day from Florida

  On May 4, 2025—Star Wars Day—SpaceX launched 29 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The flight marked the rocket booster’s 20th successful launch and landing, setting a reuse record. This mission carried the largest Starlink payload to date, advancing SpaceX’s goal of global broadband coverage through its growing sate...

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  SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket From Cape Canaveral

  SpaceX launched 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, aboard a brand-new Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centre. Marking its second launch of the day's mission, this was the first flight for this booster and the 50th Falcon 9 launch of the year, further expanding the Starlink megaconstellation in low Earth orbit.

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  Falcon 9 Launches 28 Starlink Satellites, Scores Droneship Landing for 23rd Time

  SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 28 new Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral and nailed its 23rd booster landing on a droneship in the Atlantic. The mission adds to a rapidly growing orbital network now exceeding 7,000 satellites, marking the 47th Falcon 9 flight of 2025 and the company’s 30th Starlink mission this year.

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  First Orbital Rocket Launch from European Soil Delayed Due to Winds

  Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket was set to launch from Norway’s Andøya Spaceport but was delayed due to strong winds. The maiden flight was scheduled within a three-hour launch window on March 24. The company confirmed that both the rocket and infrastructure remain unaffected, and a new launch window is being determined. The test flight, which ...

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  NASA Plans Another Starliner Test Flight Amid Propulsion System Challenges

  NASA is considering another test flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner before it is used for crew rotations to the International Space Station. Reports suggest that propulsion system issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, are still being investigated. NASA’s Steve Stich has stated that Boeing is testing new seals and propulsion c...

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  SpaceX Starship Flight 8: Booster Caught, Upper Stage Lost Again in Mid-Flight

  SpaceX launched its eighth Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, on March 6. While the Super Heavy booster executed a successful landing and was caught by the launch tower arms, the upper stage suffered multiple engine failures and was lost mid-flight. This marked the second consecutive test where the upper stage failed to complete its traject...

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  SpaceX Delays Starship Flight 8 Launch After Technical Glitches

  The scheduled launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8 on March 3 was delayed due to last-minute technical issues. The test flight was expected to evaluate the booster recovery system and deploy four Starlink satellite models. A previous test, Flight 7, saw partial success, with the booster landing as planned but the upper stage failing due to a prop...

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  Katy Perry to Launch on Blue Origin’s First All-Female Spaceflight Mission

  Singer Katy Perry has been confirmed as part of an all-female crew set to launch into space on Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission this spring. The suborbital flight, led by Lauren Sánchez, includes professionals from science, media and aerospace. The reusable New Shepard rocket will carry the team past the Kármán line, offering minutes of weightlessn...

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  Blue Origin Completes 10th Human Spaceflight on New Shepard with Six Passengers

  Blue Origin successfully completed its 10th human spaceflight, launching six passengers aboard the New Shepard rocket from its West Texas facility. The mission, designated NS-30, lasted about 10-12 minutes, giving passengers a few moments of weightlessness. The booster and capsule safely landed, with all parachutes deploying as expected. This fligh...

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  NASA, General Atomics Test Nuclear Fuel for Faster Mars Missions

  NASA and General Atomics conducted key tests on nuclear reactor fuel at Marshall Space Flight Center. The fuel was exposed to extreme temperatures to assess its viability for nuclear thermal propulsion. With successful results, the technology could enable faster space travel, reducing risks for astronauts on long-duration missions. NASA and DARPA a...

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  Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation

  Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission, marking the first lunar gravity simulation on its New Shepard vehicle. The capsule rotated mid-flight to replicate Moon gravity for research payloads, including NASA-supported experiments on lunar dust behaviour and fire safety. Over half of the 30 payloads focused on Moon-related technologies. T...

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  SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Explosion Raises Concerns Over Air Pollution

  The explosion of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 in mid-January has raised concerns among scientists about atmospheric pollution. The upper stage, weighing 85 tons without fuel, detonated at 90 miles (146 km) above Earth, potentially releasing 45.5 metric tons of metal oxides and 40 metric tons of nitrogen oxides. Experts warn these pollutants could i...