https://spacewatch.global/tag/falcon-9/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:02:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/falcon-9/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2025/11/spacewatchgl-chasing-falcon-9-chinas-new-launch-vehicles-gear-up/ Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68758
Written by Blaine Curcio
As the deployment of low-Earth-orbit satellite-internet constellations enters a critical phase, demand for high-capacity, low-cost launch has soared. Despite this, production ramp-up of the state-built Long March series of rockets has not kept pace with demand, with SOEs preferring a “slow and steady” approach that prioritizes reliability over rapid iteration. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/09/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-in-europe-sovereignty-without-competitiveness/ Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67378
Written by Gilles Rabin
The war in Ukraine has exposed our weaknesses on the Old Continent and has finally made European sovereignty in space a priority. Admittedly, before the conflict in Ukraine, autonomous access to space was still being discussed by the major European countries, while at the same time German, Italian, and even Eumetsat military satellites were being launched by SpaceX. There was always doubt, delay, and the perception that the european launchers were too expensive in a market dominated by SpaceX (Bloomberg, June 2025).]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/08/space-norway-asbm-mission-launched-into-elliptical-orbit/ Wed, 14 Aug 2024 06:00:06 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=56558 Space Norway’s constellation of two large communication satellites have launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 04:02 AM Norwegian time, Monday morning, August 12. The Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) went swimmingly with everything going according to plan. Space Norway has also reported receiving the first, crucial signals from both satellites. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/05/nro-launches-nrol-146-mission-aboard-falcon-9/ Thu, 23 May 2024 06:00:47 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=55304 The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), in partnership with U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 30 and SpaceX has successfully launched the NROL-146 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This mission is the first launch of the NRO’s proliferated systems featuring responsive collection and rapid data delivery.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/04/ssc-successfully-launches-wsf-m-weather-satellite/ Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:00:01 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=54697 Space Systems Command (SSC) and its mission partners have successfully launched the United States Space Force (USSF)-62 Weather System Follow–on–Microwave (WSF-M) satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in northern Santa Barbara County, California. This mission brings new capabilities to the US and its allies by placing the first satellite of two new generations of operational environmental monitoring satellites into orbit.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/02/nasa-launches-pace-mission-to-study-ocean-atmosphere/ Fri, 09 Feb 2024 07:00:40 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=53593 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite. The satellite launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity. NASA subsequently confirmed signal acquisition from the satellite about five minutes after launch.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/12/spacex-to-launch-3rd-private-astronaut-mission-to-the-iss/ Fri, 15 Dec 2023 07:00:49 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=52840 Axiom Space announced it plans to launch its third mission, Ax-3, on the 9th of January 2024.  Four commercial astronauts will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/12/uzma-and-satellogic-to-advance-geospatial-capabilities-in-southeast-asia/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 07:00:27 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=52710 Uzma, a energy and technology company and Satellogic Inc, a Earth Observation (EO) data collector, announced on the 7th of December a new collaboration. The companies are aiming to evolve the landscape of satellite imagery capabilities and geospatial services in Southeast Asia. As part of the agreement Satellogic will design and manufacture a EO satellite. It is planned to be launched in the second half of 2024 as ‘UzmaSAT-1’ aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/10/nasa-selects-spacex-for-tracers-mission/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 06:00:55 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=51455 NASA has selected SpaceX and its Falcon 9 rocket to provide the launch service for the agency’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission. The mission comprises a pair of small satellites that will study space weather and how the Sun’s energy affects Earth’s magnetic environment or magnetosphere.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/07/euclid-launches-to-space-to-study-dark-matter/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:00:34 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=49721 The European Space Agency has launched the Euclid Space Telescope, an orbital telescope built to shed light on mysterious cosmic phenomena known as dark energy and dark matter. The space telescope launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States of America. The mission has cost about $1.4 billion and has a design lifespan of about six years. Furthermore, the Agency expects it to transform astrophysics and potentially the understanding of the very nature of gravity itself.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/03/unseenlabs-will-launch-its-9th-satellite/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 06:00:33 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=47574 Unseenlabs, a French radio frequency (RF) data and solutions provider for Maritime Domain Awareness, has announced today the coming launch of BRO-9. This will be the ninth satellite for its constellation dedicated to the geolocation of all the vessels at sea. BRO-9 will be launched in April 2023 as part of the Transporter-7 Mission aboard SpaceX’s launcher Falcon 9 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/02/launcher-orbiter-sn1-mission-update/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 07:00:16 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=46732 On January 3, 2023 at 09:55 ET, Launcher successfully launched its first spacecraft (Orbiter SN1) to orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 (Transporter-6). Upon successful separation on Launcher’s 24” separation system, the spacecraft powered up and communicated to the ground (command uplink and telemetry downlink) during its first scheduled ground station pass. The Company also communicated with the vehicle for the duration of expected battery life.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/01/planet-to-launch-36-superdove-satellites-with-spacex/ Tue, 03 Jan 2023 07:00:52 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=45781 American public Earth imaging company, Planet, is planning to launch 36 SuperDove satellites, Flock 4y, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today, as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission. This will be the company’s eighth launch with SpaceX.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/12/spacex-launches-54-gen2-starlink-satellites/ Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:00:24 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=45697 SpaceX successfully launched 54 of Starlink’s new generation of satellites into low Earth orbit on a record-setting 60th flight of the year and the eleventh launch and landing for the Falcon 9 first stage booster. SpaceX conducted 31 launches in 2021.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/12/hypernova-to-demonstrate-electric-propulsion-technology-aboard-endurosats-platform/ Wed, 14 Dec 2022 07:00:13 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=45488 Space application technologies provider Hypernova, will validate its plasma electric propulsion system in orbit, aboard space data services provider, EnduroSat’s Platform-2, EnduroSat said. The launch is scheduled for 27th December on SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-6 mission. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/11/ispace-to-launch-hakuto-r-mission-1-aboard-falcon-9/ Wed, 30 Nov 2022 07:00:18 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=45155 ispace, inc., a global lunar exploration company, has announced that it has completed launch preparations, including integration of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As a result, the lunar lander is now scheduled to take off on Thursday, December 1, 2022. The tentative launch time is 08: 37 GMT (3:37 a.m. EST) and it will launch from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/11/ispace-receives-license-to-conduct-business-activity-on-the-moon/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 07:00:33 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=44639 Japan-based Global lunar exploration company ispace, has received a license from the Japanese government to conduct business activity on the Moon as part of its first lunar mission, the company said. The approval is the first granted under Japan’s Act on the Promotion of Business Activities for the Exploration and Development of Space Resources (Space Resources Act). ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/11/spacex-successfully-launches-ussf-44-mission-atop-falcon-heavy/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 07:00:26 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=44476 After over three years, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launched to space again carrying US military payloads as part of the USSF-44 mission to a geosynchronous Earth orbit. Falcon Heavy consists of three modified Falcon 9 first stage boosters.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/10/eutelsats-hotbird-13f-launches-aboard-falcon-9/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 06:00:29 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=44044 SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched Eutelsat’s Hotbird-13F geostationary communications satellite, NASA said. This was the 47th Falcon 9 flight this year and the third flight for booster B1069.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/10/uae-on-track-to-launch-first-lunar-rover-november/ Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:00:08 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=43999 The UAE is on track to launch its lunar rover Rashid to Moon between 9-15th November despite Hurricane Ian in Florida, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said. The rover will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral.]]>