March 2025

Falcon 9 and Starlink 12-25 heading to orbit March 18, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX launched another flock of Starlink satellites aboard Falcon 9 this afternoon aboard Starlink 12-25. Liftoff was at 3:57 PM ET from Space Launch Complex 40 on a cloudless, relatively cool day on the Space Coast.

The southeasterly path taken by all Starlink Group 12 launches thus far was the trajectory today. At about 8.25 minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9 booster B1077 successfully completed its 19th flight by touching down offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, which had been pre-positioned in the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic Ocean) east of the Bahamas.

As seen from Merritt Island, Falcon 9 rising off of the launch pad today. Photo: Richard Gallagher / Florida Media Now
As seen from Merritt Island, Falcon 9 rising off of the launch pad today.
Photo: Richard Gallagher / Florida Media Now

Both booster and drone ship will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be transported to Hangar X at Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment prior to its next flight.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

SpaceX will take a brief break from building out its Starlink network to launch a classified payload for the US Space Force. That payload is unknown and the general public does not meet the criteria for need to know.

Mission NROL-69
Organization SpaceX / US Space Force
Location Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA
Rocket Falcon 9 Block 5
Pad Space Launch Complex 40
Status Scheduled
Status Info The launch is officially scheduled for March 24, 2025, at 1:42 PM EDT.
Window Opens Monday, 03/24/2025, 1:42 PM EDT
Window Closes Monday, 03/24/2025, 1:53 PM EDT
Destination Classified
Mission Description Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.
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ASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft while it was still docked to the International Space Station. From left, are NASA astronaut Suni Williams, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Butch Wimore. Photo: NASA

According to NASA, this is standard operating procedure

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be returning to Earth this afternoon aboard Crew 9 after spending some 286 days in space. They and the two other Crew 9 astronauts, Nick Hague and Alexandr Grubonov will begin their fiery descent at around 5:11 PM ET, with a planned touchdown coming some forty-six minutes later at 5:57 PM ET.

NASA said this morning that Crew Dragon will splash down in the Gulf of America, relatively near Tallahassee, Florida.

Suni Williams waves goodbye to crewmates on ISS last night before hatch closure.
Video: NASA livestream

Afterwards, SpaceX will begin recovery efforts on the capsule, leading to the astronauts and cosmonaut exiting Crew Dragon once it is brought aboard SpaceX’s recovery vessel at sea.

As first reported on LiveScience.com, one thing that may surprise casual viewers tuning in to see Wilmore and Williams exit the Crew Dragon capsule is the likelihood that they will be carried in stretchers after leaving the spacecraft. The same may happen with Crew 9 commander Nick Hague and Mission Specialist Alexandr Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gurbonov as well. Both Hague and Gurbonov will have spent 171 days in space when they return to Earth this afternoon.

Wearing their SpaceX pressure suits, Butch Wilmore (l) and Suni Williams (r) post with Nick Hague and Alexandr Gurbonov in ISS shortly before hatch closure on March 17, 2025. 
Photo from NASA livestream
Wearing their SpaceX pressure suits, Butch Wilmore (l) and Suni Williams (r) post with Nick Hague and Alexandr Gurbonov in ISS shortly before hatch closure on March 17, 2025.
Photo from NASA livestream

Talk of Titusville asked NASA for more information, and they replied:

As part of standard procedures, all International Space Station astronauts are placed, or seated, on a mobility aid by recovery teams to assist the crew members returning to Earth’s gravity after several months in space.

After completing medical checks, astronauts are transferred to a waiting helicopter and are taken to a waiting NASA aircraft to return to Houston to be reunited with their friends and families. Then begins the process of post-medical evaluations and reclamation to Earth’s gravity environment.

This process differs for each individual, typically lasting several months, as the longer an astronaut spends in space, the more difficult it is to readapt to gravity. Astronauts returning to Earth after living aboard the space station for extended durations have exhibited balance control problems, muscle weakness, and cardiovascular deconditioning.

NASA’s Human Research Program continues to innovate and pursue the best methods and technologies to keep astronauts healthy during their missions and when they return home. The International Space Station is helping prepare humans for future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, including the exercise needed to address the challenges of living and working in microgravity for extended periods of time.

You can view the process during the recovery of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, beginning at approximately 1:53:00 into the broadcast.

NASA, March 18, 2025

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft while it was still docked to the International Space Station. From left, are NASA astronaut Suni Williams, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Butch Wimore.
Photo: NASA
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 members pose together for a portrait inside the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft while it was still docked to the International Space Station. From left, are NASA astronaut Suni Williams, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Butch Wimore.
Photo: NASA

Typically, astronauts aboard the station dedicate two hours daily to exercise in order to counteract bone and muscle deterioration caused by weightlessness. Despite these efforts, Wilmore and Williams will undergo intensive rehabilitation in the coming weeks and months as their bodies readjust to the pull of gravity that almost all of us take for granted as part of our daily lives.

Crew 9 re-entry path from NASA

All four Crew 9 astronauts and cosmonaut will also receive extensive medical checks as part of the crew return procedure, and will also be greeted by family, friends and colleagues after their arrival in Texas.

Watch Crew 9’s Return

Pending weather conditions at the splashdown sites, continuous coverage will resume on March 18 on NASA+ prior to the start of deorbit burn. As of the time of this writing, the schedule provided by NASA calls for:

  • 4:45 PM ET – Return coverage begins on NASA+
  • 5:11 p.m. – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)
  • 5:57 p.m. – Splashdown (time is approximate)
  • 7:30 p.m. – Return-to-Earth media conference on NASA+, with the following participants:
    • Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’ Space Operations Mission Directorate
    • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
    • Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station, NASA’s International Space Station Office
    • Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

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butch and suni

The long journey of Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and the Boeing Starliner mission is finally near its end: If everything goes according to plan, one of the most talked about journeys in American spaceflight will come to an end with a splashdown tomorrow evening somewhere off the coast of Florida.

Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore
Photo: NASA

​NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams are set to return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, concluding an unexpectedly extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The deorbit burn is scheduled for approximately 5:11 p.m. EDT, with splashdown anticipated around 5:57 p.m. EDT off the coast of Florida.​

Unexpectedly Extended Mission

Wilmore and Williams launched to the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, initially slated for what was described an eight-day mission. However, technical issues with the Starliner, including thruster malfunctions and a helium system leak, rendered it unsafe for their return. Consequently, the spacecraft returned to Earth uncrewed, leaving the astronauts on Station for an extended period.

International Space Station
Photo: NASA

As a result of the unexpected issues with Starliner, NASA chose to add Wilmore and Williams to the ISS Expedition 71/72 roster. Both astronauts remained active and engaged throughout their prolonged mission, contributing significantly to the station’s objectives, with Williams taking command of ISS itself during her stay. The pair participated in over 150 experiments and observed various Earth phenomena from their unique vantage point. Despite the unforeseen extension, both maintained a positive outlook and never publicly complained about their unexpectedly long mission.

SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, launched on September 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40. This mission was notable for being the first crewed launch from this particular complex. The Crew-9 spacecraft, named Freedom, carried NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the ISS, leaving behind NASA’s three-time space shuttle astronaut Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman, with both being reassigned to unspecified future missions.

Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

For its part, Crew 9 also experienced several delays prior to launch, primarily due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft and scheduling conflicts with other missions on ISS. Originally planned for mid-August 2024, the launch was postponed to late September to accommodate these challenges. ​

Crew 10

The arrival of SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission on March 16, 2025, marked a significant milestone in facilitating the return of Wilmore and Williams. The Crew-10 spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, successfully docked with the ISS, allowing for a seamless transition of responsibilities. ​

The docking occurred at 12:04 a.m. EDT, followed by hatch opening at 1:35 a.m. EDT. The new crew members were warmly welcomed aboard, with the station’s population temporarily increasing to 11. This handover period ensured continuity of operations and allowed Wilmore and Williams to brief their replacements before their departure. ​

Liftoff of Crew 10 on March 14, 2025.
Liftoff of Crew 10 on March 14, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Following the arrival of Crew-10, preparations for the return of Wilmore and Williams intensified. The Crew-9 spacecraft underwent thorough checks to ensure its readiness for re-entry and landing. Both astronauts expressed cautious excitement about returning home, acknowledging the inherent risks associated with re-entry but also their eagerness to reunite with family and resume life on Earth. ​

A Political Football

The extended stay of Wilmore and Williams garnered attention beyond the aerospace community. Public figures, including former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, commented on the situation, with Musk referring to the upcoming return mission as a “rescue” operation.

However, both NASA and the astronauts refuted the notion that they were stranded in space or abandoned, emphasizing that their extended stay was a result of technical challenges and not political decisions. This set off a political firestorm, the intensity of which is rarely seen that involves spaceflight and NASA.

Current Return Plans for Crew 9

As the deorbit burn approaches, scheduled for approximately 5:11 p.m. EDT, mission teams are closely monitoring weather conditions and spacecraft systems to ensure a safe re-entry and landing. The splashdown is anticipated around 5:57 p.m. EDT off the coast of Florida, where recovery teams will be stationed to assist the returning astronauts. ​

Click to open NASA+ for live coverage of Crew 9 activities

In a press release today, NASA said that they and SpaceX met on Sunday, March 16th, to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18. The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week.

NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17.

The successful end of the Crew 9 astronauts will finally end a long and controversial mission, and one that NASA surely hopes will never be repeated.

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First Full Successful NASA CLPS Lunar Lander Set To End Mission

A solar eclipse as seen from the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander on March 14, 2025
A solar eclipse as seen from the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander on March 14, 2025
Photo: Firefly Aerospace

The first fully successful lunar lander mission in the NASA CLPS program is nearly complete. Lunar sunset at Mare Crisium is expected on March 16, 2025, and without sunlight to power the vehicle’s solar panels, the operations of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will end.

This morning on X.com, Firefly Aerospace said

Notably, the last major act of the lander will be to “capture the sunset glow and dust levitation seen by the Apollo 17 astronauts as they were leaving the Moon.” If Firefly engineers are able to capture that rare and only once-seen phenomena, it will be a fitting finale for a thoroughly successful mission.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
—Dylan Thomas

Sunset On The Moon Is A Very Strange Time There

During the Apollo 17 mission, astronauts observed a faint light near the Moon’s horizon during sunrise and sunset, known as lunar horizon glow. This phenomenon is attributed to the electrostatic levitation of lunar dust particles.

On the Moon’s daylit side, solar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation can cause dust particles to become positively charged, leading them to repel from the surface and rise to altitudes ranging from meters to kilometers.

Conversely, on the night side, dust particles acquire a negative charge due to interactions with the solar wind. At the lunar terminator—the dividing line between day and night—intense electric fields may develop, resulting in horizontal dust transport, sometimes referred to as “Moon storms.”

Blue Ghost will attempt to further measure this phenomenon, as it has only been witnessed once, and that some fifty-three years ago.

This Just After A Solar Eclipse

Two days ago, Blue Ghost captured a solar eclipse, albeit the the first one recorded from the lunar surface — on Earth, a lunar eclipse was underway, and the Earth’s shadow was darkening the face of the moon for observers on the ground.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025, at 3:34 a.m. EST, near Mons Latreille within the Mare Crisium basin. This mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, delivered ten NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface.

irefly's Blue Ghost 1 lander in lunar orbit in February, 2025.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lander in lunar orbit in February, 2025.
Photo: Firefly Aerospace

Among the payloads, the Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) successfully collected, transferred, and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen gas. The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) operated effectively, demonstrating potential applications in mitigating lunar dust accumulation on various surfaces.

The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflectors (NGLR) provided precise measurements of the Earth-Moon distance, contributing to our understanding of the lunar interior and fundamental physics. The Reconfigurable, Radiation-Tolerant Computer System (RadPC) demonstrated resilience to the Moon’s radiation environment, marking a significant step in developing robust computing technologies for space missions.


Blue Ghost Mission 1 cast its shadow on the lunar surface in March 2025
Blue Ghost Mission 1 cast its shadow on the lunar surface in March 2025
Photo: Firefly Aerospace

The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) successfully received GPS and Galileo signals at lunar distances, proving the viability of using these systems for lunar navigation. The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) measured heat flow from the Moon’s interior, providing insights into its thermal properties.

The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) captured images of Earth’s magnetosphere interacting with the solar wind, enhancing our understanding of space weather phenomena. Additionally, the mission serendipitously captured images of a total lunar eclipse from the Moon’s surface, offering a unique perspective on this celestial event.

NASA awarded Blue Ghost Mission 1 to Firefly Aerospace in February 2021 as part of the NASA CLPS program. The contract was valued at approximately $93.3 million, making Blue Ghost 1 a bargain providing far more scientific returns than it cost.

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It was a good day to have a good day here in Florida, and that’s exactly what NASA, SpaceX and Crew 10 had today at Kennedy Space Center.

Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut toward orbit and the International Space Station just as the sun was starting to set in the west. Some seven and a half minutes later, SpaceX booster B1090 completed its duty for the day by landing at LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, 8.8 miles south of LC-39A.

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Crew 10 launch
Falcon 9 rising off of LC-39A Friday evening
Photo: Derek Newsome

It was a good day to have a good day here in Florida, and that’s exactly what NASA, SpaceX and Crew 10 had today at Kennedy Space Center.

Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut toward orbit and the International Space Station just as the sun was starting to set in the west. Some seven and a half minutes later, SpaceX booster B1090 completed its duty for the day by landing at LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, 8.8 miles south of LC-39A.

Liftoff of Crew 10. Photo: Charles Boyer
Liftoff of Crew 10. Photo: Charles Boyer

Mechanical issues had delayed this launch, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th, but hydraulic issues with ground-side equipment scotched that attempt, with the second launch attempt planned for today. This evening’s attempt was literally picture-perfect, and Falcon 9 rose like clockwork after a quiet countdown.

Press photographers capturing the launch of Crew 10.
Can’t help but cheer: press photographers capturing the launch of Crew 10.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville

Crew Dragon Endurance is now in orbit, with NASA Astronauts Anne McClain,  Nichole Ayers, JAXA Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov aboard. The spacecraft will track down ISS, with docking planned to dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

While not officially announced by SpaceX, Starlink 12-16 is expected to launch early Saturday morning.

  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
  • Status: To Be Confirmed
  • Status Info: Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty due to information found at secondary sources.
  • Window Opens: Saturday, 03/15/2025 6:28:00 AM
  • Window Closes: Saturday, 03/15/2025 10:59:00 AM
  • Destination: Low Earth Orbit
  • Mission Description: A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

Crew 10 Launch Gallery

Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Crew 10, March 14. 2025. Photo: Derek Newsome
Photo: Derek Newsome
Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Crew 10, March 14. 2025. Photo: Derek Newsome
Photo: Derek Newsome
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Falcon 9

The FAA released a statement today announcing the draft results of an Environmental Assessment for more than doubling the allowable launch operations at SpaceX’s facility at Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral starting in 2026. The assessment also contains information on the construction and operation of a landing zone at SLC-40 with up to 34 first-stage booster landings at the new landing zone annually.

The document outlines a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

Falcon 9
Falcon 9

Talk of Titusville first reported on SpaceX’s plans to build a new landing zone at SLC-40 in January of this year. In 2023, the 2-pad launch site has been allocated to Cocoa, Florida based Vaya Space and also Phantom Space through the Department of the Air Force’s Launch Pad Allocation Strategy (LPAS), a program designed to support the commercial space market and demand at the Eastern Range.

FAA Statement

The FAA is posting for public review a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing the SpaceX proposal to increase Falcon 9 operations from 50 to up to 120 per year from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Draft EA also reviews the construction of a first-stage booster landing zone at the site with up to 34 landings per year.

In order to meet the Department of the Air Force (DAF) National Environmental Policy Act requirements, the FAA has also posted a link to the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for public comment on behalf of DAF.

A virtual public meeting will be held on April 16 and the public comment period closes on April 24, 2025.

That assessment can be found here:

In it some preliminary conclusions are found:

No Degredation Of The Human Environment

“The FAA has preliminarily concluded that the Proposed Action would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.”

No Adverse Effects On Natural Resources / Energy Use

[The FAA has preliminarily concluded that] “the Proposed Action is not expected to contribute in any substantive 17 manner to adverse cumulative effects to supplies of natural resources or energy use.”

Negligible Effects On Increased Hazardous Waste

“Cumulative effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions with the Proposed 13 Action would not contribute a noticeable incremental effect from hazardous materials and waste.”

Minimal Effect On Public Parks And Recreation

“Reasonably foreseeable future actions in the area, such as SLS launches at LC-39B, may require temporary closures of both the refuge and the seashore by USFWS and NPS. These temporary closures are related to crowd control and access for emergency services and are not related to a public safety hazard from a launch. If any such closures were to occur, they would be both infrequent and temporary in nature. As a result, the cumulative effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions with the Proposed Action are not expected to result in a significant impact to [publicly owned park and recreation areas that are open to the general public.] resources.”

No Significant Adverse Effect On Land Use

“The Proposed Action would not result in significant adverse cumulative land use impacts.”

No Significant Cumulative Effects On Coastal Resources

“There would be no significant cumulative effects to coastal resources.”

Little Effect On Wildlife

“Several of the projects [..] include construction and development in both undisturbed and 37 previously disturbed areas. Disturbance to existing launch areas or other developed and semi-developed 38 The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation Cumulative Effects Draft Environmental Assessment 4-10 March 2025 Falcon 9 Operations at SLC-40 sites would have little effect on wildlife because these areas have limited habitat value.”

Some Effect On Wetland Habitats

“The Proposed 1 Action and some of the actions in Table 4-2 involve clearing of native upland habitat. Some of the actions 2 in Table 4-2 could also potentially involve clearing and/or filling of a limited amount of wetland habitat. 3 The Proposed Action would not directly affect wetlands; potential impacts would consist of 4 construction -related sedimentation from runoff.”

“Cumulative loss and fragmentation of native upland and 5 wetland habitats may cause long-term effects on wildlife breeding, roosting, or foraging, particularly of 6 individuals with limited mobility and those without corridors to another suitable habitat. Construction 7 noise and general disturbance could cause similar impacts, but the effects would be temporary.”

Have Your Say

A virtual public meeting will be held on April 16 and the public comment period closes on April 24, 2025.

The FAA invites interested parties to submit comments on the Draft EA. Instructions on how to submit comments can be found on the FAA webpage linked here: 

https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/SpaceX_Falcon_SLC_40_EA.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the Draft EA by April 24, 2025.

The FAA will hold a virtual public meeting on the Draft EA on April 16, 2025, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Eastern). Interested parties must register to join the virtual public meeting. Registration is now available at the link below.

RegistrationLink: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8qtN8bzPS1eApVobqo8poA

Dial-in phone number: 888-788-0099 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 853 9161 5696
Passcode: 743444

If any accommodation for public meeting is needed (such as additional translation services), please submit a request by April 4, 2025 to SpaceXFalconSLC40@icf.com.

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It wasn’t the launch we wanted, but it was a launch that we needed after the disappointment of Crew 10 scrubbing earlier in the evening last night: SpaceX launched Falcon 9 and Starlink 12-21 with another batch of 21 Starlink satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday evening. Liftoff was at 10:35 PM ET, with Falcon 9 taking the southeasterly familiar path towards The Bahamas as has been the case with all other Starlink Group 20 launches. The mission was successful.

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Starlink 12-21 as seen from Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville

It wasn’t the launch we wanted, but it was a launch that we needed after the disappointment of Crew 10 scrubbing earlier in the evening last night: SpaceX launched Starlink with another batch of 21 Starlink satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday evening. Liftoff was at 10:35 PM ET, with Falcon 9 taking the southeasterly familiar path towards The Bahamas as has been the case with all other Starlink Group 20 launches. The mission was successful.

Starlink 12-21’s trajectory
Graphic: Talk of Titusville

After multiple delays, Falcon 9 finally flew from SLC-40, ending a rare dry spell of launches from the Eastern Range. This mission was initially delayed for checkouts after an issue with Falcon 9 booster B1086 and Starlink 12-20. On that mission, the booster experienced a fuel leak and was destroyed by fire shortly after landing on March 2 and SpaceX spent time reviewing data from that event and also making sure it would not repeat itself during last night’s flight.

A crowd gathered at Rotary Riverfront Park to watch the flight of Falcon 9 from SLC-40 last night. The rocket's plume of flame temporarily turned night into day and vividly reflected light off of the Indian River.
A crowd gathered at Rotary Riverfront Park to watch the flight of Falcon 9 from SLC-40 last night. The rocket’s plume of flame temporarily turned night into day and vividly reflected light off of the Indian River.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

High winds at ground level scrubbed a launch attempt on Monday. SpaceX announced an attempt but did not fuel the Falcon 9 used for Starlink12-21 on Tuesday, following the launch of NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions from Vandenberg Space Force Base and also because of the then-upcoming launch of Crew-10 (which was delayed last night after a hydraulic issue on the launch pad.)

After completing its part in the ascent of the mission, booster B1069 landed successfull on ASDS A Shortfall Of Gravitas after its 22nd flight. There have no reports of a repetition of the issue that ended B1086’s lifetime. ASOG and B1069 will now travel to Port Canaveral where the booster will be unloaded, transported to SpaceX’s refurbishment facility at Kennedy Space Center and ostensibly prepared for its next flight at some future date.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

  • Mission: Crew 10
  • Location: Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Pad: Launch Complex 39A
  • Status: Go for Launch
  • Window Opens: Friday, 03/14/2025 7:03:00 PM ET
  • Window Closes: Friday, 03/14/2025 7:03:00 PM ET
  • Destination: International Space Station
  • Mission Description: SpaceX Crew-10 is the tenth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
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