February 2025

The lunar surface as seen by the Hakuto-R spacecraft in February 2025. Photo courtesy of iSpace
A photograph of the Moon taken by iSpace’s RESILIENCE spacecraft.
Photo: iSpace

iSpace announced yesterday that their RESILIENCE lunar lander successfully completed a flyby of the Moon on February 15, 2025. RESILIENCE was launched aboard a Falcon 9 on January 15 from Kennedy Space Center, and has been traveling cislunar space since that time.

According to iSpace yesterday, “RESILIENCE is now on a trajectory out to deep space before completing orbital maneuvers that will bring it back towards the Moon in advance of lunar orbit insertion, expected around early May.”

Falcon 9, carrying the iSpace RESILIENCE lander along with Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander, launching in January 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

RESLIENCE reached its closest point to the lunar surface thus far at 5:43 PM EST (2243 UTC) on Valenitine’s Day, coming within roughly 8,400 kilometers surface on its flyby, a historic first of its type for a Japanese private, commercial lunar lander. It now heads past the moon towards apoapsis and a return to cislunar space and lunar orbit. After that point, preparations for landing can begin.

The flyby was the fifth of ten major milestones for the spacecraft as it prepares to touch down on the lunar surface sometime in May or June of this year. The lengthy time between launch and landing is due to mission designers planning for a longer, energy-efficient trajectory to reach the lunar surface, one that reduced spacecraft complexity by eliminating the need to carry a much larger propulsive unit.

via iSpace

This will be the second landing attempt for iSpace. In April 2023, the first Hakuto lander successfully traveled from Earth and made a landing attempt, however, it crash-landed after its propellant was exhausted due to the spacecraft’s software misjudging the actual altitude of the spacecraft. After improvements and remediations, iSpace is hopeful for a successful landing in late Spring of this year.

Hakuto-R / RESILIENCE Mission Is Primarily A Technology Demonstration

iSpace’s mission with RESILIENCE in mainly one for technology performance and validation, demonstration commercial viability, and international collaboration and coordination. Undoubtedly, the iSpace team will learn a great deal more about real-world operation of their lander in Mission 2, and that in turn will inform future missions to come.

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Demonstration of Advanced Landing Technology

One of the primary goals — if not the major goal — of the RESILIENCE mission is to demonstrate lunar landing capabilities. Secondly, iSpace hope to demonstrate landing with a high level of precision. The company has refined its autonomous landing system with lessons-learned from Mission 1. Their system leverages AI and real-time terrain recognition as part of a safe touchdown on the surface. Perfecting this technology is crucial for future robotic and crewed missions.

Artist’s rendering of Hakuto-R RESILIENCE on the lunar surface. Courtesy iSpace.

Testing of Lunar Surface Mobility and Resource Utilization

RESILIENCE plans to deploy small rovers and payloads to test surface mobility and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. By analyzing the Moon’s regolith and extracting potential resources such as water ice, iSpace hopes to contribute to future lunar sustainability. ISRU is a key aspect of NASA’s Artemis program and other international lunar initiatives, as it could enable long-term human presence on the Moon.

Lunar Data Collection

By gathering environmental and geological data, the RESILIENCE probe will help improve scientific understanding of the Moon’s surface conditions. The mission will assess factors such as temperature variations, radiation levels, and dust behavior—all critical information for designing next-generation lunar habitats and infrastructure.

Supporting Commercial Lunar Activity

iSpace is focused on building a lunar economy, and RESILIENCE will serve as a proof-of-concept for future commercial deliveries to the Moon.

iSpace also plans to become a key player in the emerging lunar industry through collaborations with global space agencies and companies. The company is hopeful that the success of RESILIENCE could pave the way for future joint ventures and technological exchanges in lunar exploration.

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Booster B1067 lifts off on September 18, 2024 with Galileo FM26 and FM32 for ESA Photo: Derek Newsome
Booster B1067 lifts off on September 18, 2024 with Galileo FM26 and FM32 for ESA Photo: Derek Newsome
Booster B1067 lifts off on September 18, 2024 with Galileo FM26 and FM32 for ESA
Photo: Derek Newsome

Tomorrow morning, SpaceX plans to launch Starlink 12-8 to low-Earth orbit. The flight has one remarkable aspect: the flight will be the 26th for the company’s Booster B1067. Liftoff is planned for no earlier than 01:14:10 AM EST from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral. Around eight minutes after liftoff, B1067 is planned to land on ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which is stationed offshore close to The Bahamas.

The All-Time Champion Of Booster Reusability

B1067 has played a significant role in advancing reusable rocket technology since its inaugural flight in June 2021. Like other boosters in the Falcon 9 Block 5 series, B1067 was engineered for rapid turnaround and multiple reuses, aligning with SpaceX’s goal of reducing the costs associated with space exploration.

B1067’s maiden voyage occurred on June 3, 2021, during the CRS-22 mission, which delivered supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). Following this successful debut, the booster supported several key missions, including:

SpaceX Booster B1067 prior to its 22nd flight
SpaceX Booster B1067 prior to its 22nd flight in September 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
  • Crew-3 (November 11, 2021): Transported astronauts to the ISS.
  • Türksat 5B (December 19, 2021): Deployed a Turkish communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.
  • Crew-4 (April 27, 2022): Facilitated another crewed mission to the ISS.
  • CRS-25 (July 15, 2022): Conducted a resupply mission to the ISS.
  • Galileo FM26 / FM32: launched two navigation satellites for the European Space Agency

In addition to these missions, B1067 has flown numerous batches of Starlink satellites, contributing to SpaceX’s expanding satellite internet constellation, which now boosts about five million subscribers in over 200 countries worldwide.

In January 10, 2025, B1067 completed its 25th flight during the Starlink 12-12 mission, setting a new benchmark for booster reusability. Tonight, 37 days after that flight, B1067 is slated to break its own record.

Payload

21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities. SpaceX has around 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit already, with plans to have up to 42,000 at some point in the future.

Starlink satellites are space debris neutral, meaning after their operational life is concluded, the company de-orbits a given satellite, with almost no portions reaching the ground.

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 of the US Space Force has issued a Launch Mission Execution forecast: 80% GO through the launch window. Their only concerns are clouds and winds.

Via the 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45. Retrieved 14 February 2025 at 0800 ET

Trajectory

As it has been with previous Group 12 Starlink launches, Falcon 9 will fly southeast from Cape Canaveral.

Online Viewing

SpaceX’s live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff. You can view that on the X platform (@SpaceX).

Spaceflight Now will begin their webcast about an hour prior to liftoff. They are an invaluable resource for anyone planning to watch the launch in person, as they will offer the latest information on the countdown as it proceeds.

Booster B1067 lifts of carrying the Satria payload on June 18, 2023. Photo: Derek Newsome
Booster B1067 lifts of carrying the Satria payload on June 18, 2023.
Photo: Derek Newsome
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Spacex Crew Dragon

NASA and SpaceX have moved up the launch of Crew 10 to the International Space Station to no earlier than March 12, 2025. The date is dependent on crew and spacecraft’s mission readiness and completion of the agency’s certification of flight readiness process. Following several days of handoff, Crew 9 astronauts will depart ISS and return to Earth.

he official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas
he official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas

NASA has announced an earlier launch opportunity for the Crew-10 mission following a decision to modify its original plan. Instead of using a new Dragon spacecraft—which requires additional processing time—the mission will now fly with Endurance, a previously flown Dragon capsule.

Teams are currently conducting thorough assessments of Endurance’s hardware to ensure it meets NASA’s Commercial Crew Program safety and certification requirements. Preparations are underway to refurbish the spacecraft, including installing its trunk, loading propellant, and transporting it to SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, it will be integrated with the Falcon 9 rocket ahead of launch.

Crew 9 astronauts
Crew 9 astronauts prior to liftoff. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

This marks Endurance’s fourth mission to the International Space Station, having previously supported Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7.

Once Crew-10 arrives at the ISS, they will undergo a handover period with the Crew-9 team, who will guide them through ongoing scientific research and station maintenance tasks. This transition ensures a smooth exchange of responsibilities and enhances safety aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Following the completion of the handover, NASA and SpaceX will begin preparations for the return of Crew-9 to Earth. NASA astronaut Nick Hague, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will depart the ISS aboard Crew Dragon.

They will be joined by the former Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. The pair joined Expedition 71/72 after NASA decided to return the Starliner capsule uncrewed after several problems with that spacecraft.

International Space Station. Photo: NASA
International Space Station. Photo: NASA
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Starlink 12-18 liftoff
Starlink 12-18 launches from Cape Canaveral. Photo by Ed Cordero / Florida Media Now
Starlink 12-18 launches from Cape Canaveral. Photo by Ed Cordero / Florida Media Now

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral today, and added another 21 satellites to their Starlink constellation. Liftoff was at 1:53 PM EST. Today’s mission was dubbed Starlink 12-18 publicly, and F9-436 internally at SpaceX.

It was the 18th successful mission for the Falcon 9 Booster B1077, which entered service in 2022 when it debuted carrying astronauts on the Crew-5 mission for NASA. Since then B2077 has lifted Crew-5, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, TD-7, Immarsat I6-F2, GPS III-6, NG-20, and now 11 Starlink missions.

Around eight minutes after liftoff, B1077 touched down offshore near The Bahamas aboard ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’. JRTI and B1077 will return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded and returned to SpaceX’s facilities at the Cape to be refurbished and prepared for its next flight. Today’s landing was the 413th Falcon family booster landing, and the 108th landing on JRTI.

Payload

Starlink satellites are part of SpaceX’s initiative to create a global broadband internet network. Some key facts:

  1. Design: Starlink satellites are flat-panel devices equipped with multiple high-throughput antennas and solar panels. The design allows them to be launched in bulk.
  2. Orbit: They operate in low Earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes ranging from approximately 340 km to 1,200 km. This lowers latency compared to traditional satellites in geostationary orbit.
  3. Constellation: SpaceX has deployed thousands of satellite to date, creating a constellation that can provide extensive coverage and capacity across the globe.
  4. Communication: They use advanced phased-array technology for beam forming, allowing for high-speed data transmission to ground stations and user terminals.
  5. User Service: Customers use a Starlink dish (known as a user terminal) to connect to the network, which communicates with the satellites overhead.
  6. Launch: Starlink missions typically involve launching groups of satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets.

Overall, Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency internet access, especially in rural and underserved areas to nearly five million customers in over 200 countries.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Another Group 12 Starlink launch, this time in the wee hours of night:

  • Date: NET February 16, 2025
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 12-8
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 12:00 – 03:59 AM EST
  • Payload: More satellites for Group 12 of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.
Starlink 12-18 in flight. Photo: Ed Cordero, Florida Media Now
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Pandora satellite

SpaceX has been awarded the launch contract for Pandora, NASA’s small satellite that will study exoplanets — planets beyond our solar system — and the activity of their host stars. The launch is scheduled for NET Autumn 2025, implying a Q3 or Q4 launch.

Falcon 9
A Falcon 9. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

What Is Pandora?

Selected in 2021 as part of NASA’s Pioneer mission program, Pandora is designed for long-duration, multiwavelength observations to improve scientists’ understanding of distant worlds.

Pandora EDU hardware. Photo: NASA

The mission is a collaborative effort involving NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, NASA’s Ames Research Center, and several other institutions. Pandora will focus on exoplanets previously discovered by other missions, using the transit method—a technique that detects planets as they pass in front of their stars, causing slight dips in starlight. By analyzing these transits, researchers can gather data on planetary atmospheres, helping to determine their composition and characteristics.

At this time, it is unknown what rocket SpaceX will use for the mission: Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy or even Starship. Most likely, given the size of Pandora (it is a small satellite) the flight will be aboard Falcon 9.

For more information on the Pandora mission, visit their website here.

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Timelapse of Starlink 12-9 flight. Photo: SpaceX
A timelapse of Falcon 9’s ascent Saturday February 8
Photo: SpaceX

Lather, rinse repeat: SpaceX successfully launched another tranche of Starlink satellites Saturday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The mission, dubbed Starlink 12-9, lifted off at 2:18 PM into bluebird skies.

SpaceX Falcon 9 and Starlink 12-9 lift off on February 8, 2025. Photo: SpaceX
Starlink 12-9 liftoff on Saturday, February 8, 2025. Photo: SpaceX

The flight plan was a familiar one: southeast, towards The Bahamas on a path some locals have dubbed “The Bimini Highway.” Booster B1078 completed its 17th mission when it touched down successfully aboard ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which was stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean, and both will now return to Port Canaveral so the booster can be offloaded, returned to SpaceX’s facilities and refurbished for its next flight.

Around the time that the first stage was touching down, the second stage and the Starlink payload was reaching orbit. After a quick rounding burn roughly one hour after launch, the satellites were deployed and the mission concluded successfully.

This was the 434th mission for Falcon 9, and the 1002nd orbital launch from venerable Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

A near-mimeograph of today’s launch NET Tuesday, February 11:

  • Date: NET February 11, 2025
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 12-18
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 12:00 – 4:43 PM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
  • Destination: Low-Earth Orbit

Keep in mind that launch dates and times can and do change often, so be sure to check Talk of Titusville’s Launch Calendar for updates.

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SpaceX completed a doubleheader today; not that many people close to the launch site saw it.

At 6:13 PM, Falcon 9 lifted off out of a gloopy fog at Launch Complex 39A and lofted the Maxar 4 / WorldView 5 and WorldView 6 satellites into orbit on the second successful mission of the day for the company. The rising rocket was seen up the east coast as far as New York City, but here locally, fleeting glimpses was the order of the day.

After staging, Booster B1076 begins its descent maneuvers (top) while Falcon 9’s second stage continues its ascent (bottom)
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Falcon 9 Maxar 4
Falcon 9 carrying Maxar 4 / WorldView 5 & 6 to orbit this evening from Kennedy Space Center
Photo: Ed Cordero, Florida Media Now

SpaceX completed a doubleheader today; not that many people saw it. At 6:13 PM, Falcon 9 lifted off out of a gloopy fog at Launch Complex 39A and lofted the Maxar 4 / WorldView 5 and WorldView 6 satellites into orbit on the second successful mission of the day for the company.

After staging, Booster B1076 begins its descent maneuvers (top) while Falcon 9’s second stage continues its ascent (bottom)
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

The former side core of the Falcon Heavy that launched GOES-U in June of last year, Booster B1076, completed its fourth mission by returning to the fog and scattering the wildlife before touching down at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral. Despite the fog, a sonic boom followed and spread out through the Space Coast region.

Check out the deer running away as the booster comes in to land. Look at ~5 o’clock and 8 o’clock on the screen. Video: SpaceX

Meanwhile, Falcon 9’s second stage and payload continued to orbit, which it achieved seconds after B1076 touched down. Two rounding burns later, the payload was deployed, marking yet another successful mission for SpaceX and Falcon 9.

Payload

WorldView Legion 5 and 6 are two of Maxar Technologies’ first constellation of hawk-eyed satellites providing Earth observations to the company’s clients.

Another view of post-staging from Eric Moore of Florida Media Now.

Maxar Reseller Apollo Mapping describes WorldView Legion as

WorldView Legion is a constellation of six, 34-centimeter (cm) high-resolution Earth observation satellites owned and operated by Maxar Technologies. The first two Legion satellites successfully launched on May 2, 2024 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. On August 15, 2024, Legion 3 and Legion 4 launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The remaining two satellites are planned to launch in the near future.

WorldView Legion satellites offer 34-cm resolution panchromatic imagery, making them among the highest resolution commercial satellites available. They also capture multispectral imagery at 1.36-meter (m) resolution with eight bands: coastal, blue, green, yellow, red, red edge 1, red edge 2, and near-infrared (NIR). This spectral diversity enables enhanced analysis capabilities for a wide variety of applications including vegetation analysis and monitoring, mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, forestry studies, and land use-land cover classifications.

Once fully deployed, the WorldView Legion constellation will be positioned in various orbits to provide frequent revisits, with up to 15 revisits per day in some areas. Legion 1 and Legion 2 are currently in sun-synchronous orbits; and were joined by Legion 3 and Legion 4 orbiting at the Earth’s mid-latitudes (Legion 5 and Legion 6 will also be in mid-latitude orbits). At a 45-degree inclination, mid-latitude orbit, Legion 3 and Legion 4 have greater daytime coverage and more revisits in high-interest areas. With 90% of the world’s population living between 45° North and 45° South latitudes, the WorldView Legion constellation has shorter revisit times to these regions, while still covering the far northern and southern latitudes with two sun-synchronous satellites.

Main Engine Cutoff of Falcon 9
Photo: Eric Moore / Florida Media Now

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Another Falcon 9 / Starlink launch is scheduled for Friday, January 24th.

  • Date: NET February 7, 2025
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 12-9
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 1:50 – 5:50 PM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
  • Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
Falcon 9 Booster B1076 descending to its landing on February 4.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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The view from SpaceX’s pad-side livestream camera at liftoff shows how foggy it was at the launch pad this morning. Photo: SpaceX via X.com

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying 21 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, dubbed Starlink 12-3, lifted off at 5:15 AM into nearly opaque fog in the launch area.

It was the 21st successful mission for the Falcon 9 Booster B1069, which entered service in 2021 when it debuted carrying the CRS-24 mission for NASA. Since then it has lofted Hotbird 13F, OneWeb 15, SES 18&19, and now 17 Starlink missions.

At At 6:20 AM, SpaceX confirmed deployment of the satellites, making a successful conclusion to the company’s busy day.

Launch Replay

Payload

21 Starlink Mini v2 satellites, which will join Group 12 of Starlink’s orbital Internet connectivity constellation. Currently, there are roughly 7,000 operational Starlink satellites in orbit, according to Dr. Jonathon McDowell of the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Starlink Mini v2 satellites being deployed. This photo was provided by SpaceX last year and was not from today’s mission.
Photo: SpaceX

Next Launch

SpaceX plans to launch t from Launch the Maxar 4 mission from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

  • Date: NET February 4, 2025
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Maxar 3 / WorldView Legion 5/6
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Launch Window: 6:07 – 7:07 PM EST
  • Payload: WorldView Legion is a constellation of Earth observation satellites built and operated by Maxar. Constellation is planned to consist of 6 satellites in both polar and mid-inclination orbits, providing 30 cm-class resolution.
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