Starship Heavy lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas to start the IFT-6 mission. Photo: Richard Gallagher, FMN
SpaceX, never a company to shy away from daunting challenges, said yesterday that it plans to launch its Starship Heavy megarocket from Florida late this year, pending the completion of environmental reviews. Previously, it had been believed that Starship would come in 2026 or even later, due to several factors: permitting, needed construction and incomplete infrastructure needed to launch the 397 foot tall rocket.
The reviews are just one of several obstacles SpaceX will need to overcome in order to actually fly Starship from Florida this year. They will also need to complete the Starship tower that has been at LC-39A for a few years, albeit in a partially finished state. Secondly SpaceX will need to construct propellant infrastructure in or near LC-39A to fuel Starship, and finally, if the company intends to land both the first stage of Starship and the Ship (second stage itself) they will need a second tower for one or the other to settle on after its mission.
Starship tower under construction at LC-39A in 2022 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
On top of that, SpaceX will need to have a mission-capable Starship ready before the end of the year, unless they are planning to conduct test flights from the Space Coast as well as their headquarters in Texas. At this point in time, it appears that is some months away at a minimum as the company conducts test flights of the new rocket system.
All that said, it is a tall order to complete all of those items in 2025, especially at an active launch pad that is the only one that can currently support Falcon Heavy launches. On the other hand, if there is a company that can execute a demanding project plan quickly, it is SpaceX.
The spacecraft successfully established initial communications with mission operators at Caltech’s IPAC in Pasadena, California, at 8:13 PM EST, but telemetry data soon revealed intermittent power problems with Lunar Trailblazer.
Fueled and attached to an adaptor used for secondary payloads, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is seen at SpaceX’s payload processing facility within NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early February 2025. The small satellite is riding along on Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch. Credit: SpaceX
By early Thursday morning, around 4:30 AM EST, the team lost contact with the satellite. However, several hours later, Lunar Trailblazer’s transmitter powered back on, and engineers are now working with NASA ground stations to restore full communication. Efforts are focused on assessing the spacecraft’s power issues and identifying potential solutions.
Lunar Trailblazer was developed as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program, which funds low-cost, high-risk science missions. The initiative allows small spacecraft to hitch a ride alongside larger primary missions, enabling innovative research while accepting a higher level of operational risk.
NASA’S Trailblazer, launching aboard the SpaceX IM-2 mission on February 26, 2025 Photo: Chris Leymarie / Florida Media Now
Weighing a mere 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet wide with its solar panels fully deployed, Lunar Trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system to travel cislunar space to lunar orbit. It is employing a low-energy transfer to save weight and to simplify the propulsion system aboard the spacecraft.
SpaceX Falcon 9 IM-2 lifts off from LC-39A at 7:16 PM in the first of two evening launches. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX launched twice from the Cape Wednesday night, as a Falcon 9 carrying Intuitive Machines second lunar lander lifted off at 7:16 PM from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, and three hours and eight minutes later, the company launched another Falcon 9 on the Starlink 12-13 mission.
Both launches were successful.
IM-2 Launch
The Nova-C lunar lander “Athena”, developed by Intuitive Machines, is embarking on its second mission. This mission includes NASA’s PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1), marking the first demonstration of in-situ resource utilization on the Moon. PRIME-1 comprises two key instruments: the TRIDENT drill, designed to extract lunar ice, and the MSolo mass spectrometer, which will analyze the extracted material.
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission lunar lander, Athena, in the company’s Lunar Production and Operations Center. Photo courtesy Intuitive Machines
Additionally, several other spacecraft are on board:
Lunar Trailblazer, a small-class (D) lunar orbiter under NASA’s SIMPLEx program, is tasked with detecting and mapping water on the Moon’s surface. By analyzing the form, abundance, and distribution of lunar water in relation to geological features, it aims to enhance our understanding of the Moon’s water cycle.
Odin, a spacecraft developed by AstroForge, a company focused on asteroid mining, is set to venture into deep space. Its mission is to observe near-Earth asteroid 2022 OB5 from a distance of approximately one kilometer, providing critical data for AstroForge’s first asteroid retrieval mission. The flyby is expected to take place 11 months after launch.
CHIMERA GEO 1, a transfer spacecraft by Epic Aerospace, is designed to transport payloads into geostationary orbit. On this mission, it carries an unidentified 16U cubesat, manifested by Exolaunch, with the objective of securing an orbital position.
This mission represents a another step in lunar exploration and resource utilization, advancing scientific and commercial ambitions. The Artemis program will be a major beneficiary of IM-2, and if Astroforge is successful on the Odin mission, a new frontier for raw materials and resources may be kicked off. As for Chimera GEO 1, a successful mission will position Epic Aerospace as a viable vendor for satellite delivery to high orbits.
Liftoff of Space Falcon 9 and IM-2 on February 26, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Starlink 12-13
Timelapse of Starlink 12-13. Photo: Chris Leymarie, Florida Media Now
At 10:34 PM EST and 7.5 miles away on Space Launch Complex 40, SpaceX launched for the second time of the day when Falcon 9 launched another batch of 21 satellites for its Starlink mega-constellation.
With over 7,000 satellites in orbit and customers in over one hundred countries, Starlink has been growing rapidly as it provides broadband Internet access to early five million users.
Launch Replay
IM-2
Starlink 12-13
Next Launch
On Saturday, March 1st, SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 and Starlink 12-20 mission from SLC-40 down the Bimini Highway — southeastwards towards The Bahamas. This mission will be a near carbon copy of tonight’s Starlink launch.
Organization: SpaceX
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket: Falcon 9
Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Window Opens: Saturday, 03/01/2025 8:57:00 PM EST
Window Closes: Sunday, 03/02/2025 1:28:00 AM EST
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description: Another batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
SLS Solid Rocket Boosters inside Bay 3 of VAB on February 25, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
NASA offered reporters and press photographers a rare chance to go inside the VAB today to view the progress of the assembly of Artemis II, the next and first crewed launch of the SLS rocket. That mission will carry four astronauts on a circumlunar flight and is currently slated to fly in April 2026.
Workers preparing Artemis II inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center on February 25, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleThe Core Stage of SLS undergoing preparations inside the VAB on February 25, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Currently, the Core Stage of Artemis II is in its own work area, across the aisle from where the Mobile Launch Platform with the Solid Rocket Boosters are sitting. Work continues on both parts of the vehicle.
Workers gathered around a Solid Rocket Booster slated for Artemis II on February 25, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Status of Artemis II
As of now, NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 2026. The mission aims to send four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a 10-day journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed mission of the Artemis program and the first human venture beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.
The Core Stage of Artemis II in its work bay on February 25, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The mission has experienced several delays, primarily due to issues identified during the uncrewed Artemis I mission in November 2022. Post-flight analyses revealed unexpected charring on the Orion capsule’s heat shield, prompting extensive investigations and subsequent design modifications to ensure astronaut safety during re-entry. Seemingly resolved for the time being, the Orion capsule slated for Artemis II is undergoing preparations at Kennedy Space Center.
Artemis II’s Interstage awaits its turn to be assembled onto the SLS rocket. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The Solid Rocket Boosters have completed their stacking operations and engineers will integrate the SLS core stage, currently undergoing processing in the VAB’s High Bay 2, in the coming weeks. No specific timetable for the start and completion of that operation has been given.
Space Available: the area where the Core Stage will be moved into and mounted to the Solid Rocket Boosters is clearly visible on February 25, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleTwo of the emergency escape baskets were inside the VAB on February 25, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleUpper portion of High Bay 3 in the VAB Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Athena completed all integration milestones and is safely encapsulated within SpaceX’s payload fairing in preparation for launch. Photo: SpaceX
Intuitive Machines announced today that its IM-2 mission’s Nova-C class lunar lander, Athena, has successfully completed all integration milestones and is now securely enclosed within SpaceX’s payload fairing, ready for launch. This will be the company’s second attempt to land on the lunar surface.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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
After a rare lull in launch activities from the Cape, business will be picking up this week. SpaceX is planning to launch Starlink 12-7 from Space Launch Complex later this afternoon, and Wednesday evening, the company plans to launch the SpainSat NG I mission from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Both of the company’s flights will be aboard Falcon 9.
Starlink 12-7
Date: NET January 27, 2025
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink 12-7
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 3:22 – 6:21 PM EST
Payload: Starlink satellites
Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
Falcon 9 carrying a batch of Starlink satellites lifts off from SLC-40 in 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Weather
Trajectory
Southeastward, or left to right if you are facing the ocean in Titusville.
SpainSat NG-1
Date: NET January 29, 2025
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: SpainSat NG-1
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
Launch Window: 8:34 – 10:34 PM EST
Payload: Two government-owned telecommunications satellites for the Spanish government and their designees.
Destination: MEO
Falcon 9 lifts off. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Weather
The 45th Weather Squadron has not released a Mission Execution forecast for this launch at the time of this writing.
Trajectory
As always, keep in mind that launch dates and times are subject to cancellations, moves and time shifts.
Starlink 13-1 lifts off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on January 21, 2024. Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX launched Falcon 9 carrying 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit Tuesday morning from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 12:24 AM EST under cloudy skies and relatively cool weather.
Around eight minutes and a half minutes after lifting off, Booster B1083 completed its 8th mission when it touched down safely on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, which was stationed offshore downrange. Previously, B1083 had flown Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, and three Starlink missions, all successfully. ASOG and B1083 will now return to Port Canaveral for offloading and preparation for B1083’s next flight.
The second stage continued to orbit during the booster’s landing sequence and at 1:33 AM EST, SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the payload:
Individual Starlink satellites are part of Starlink constellation, which provides broadband-level Internet access all over the world, especially in remote areas. Currently, there are roughly 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. When each satellite reaches its end-of-life, it is deorbited by SpaceX in order to prevent any accumulation of space debris from the system.
A real-time graphic representation of Starlink satellites in orbit provided by satellite.space.
Launch Replay
Spaceflight Now archives launch coverage on their YouTube channel. Here is last night’s coverage.
Next Launch
Another Falcon 9 / Starlink launch is scheduled for Friday, January 24th.
Date: NET January 24, 2025
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink 10-12
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 roared off the launch pad at 1:11 AM EST this morning from Kennedy Space Center carrying two lunar landers into orbit and on their way to the moon.
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on January 15, 2025.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The second stage and lunar landers achieved their initial orbits at seven minutes and forty-nine seconds into the flight, and that orbit was modified fifty-eight minutes and twenty-four seconds later by a relatively long one minute and one second second burn by the second stage prior to payload deployment.
Around eight minutes and twenty seconds after lifting off, Booster B1085 completed its 5th mission when it touched down safely on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which was stationed offshore downrange. JRTI and B1085 will now return to Port Canaveral for offloading and preparation for B1085’s next flight.
At 2:18 AM EST, SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the Firefly Blue Ghost Lander:
Blue Ghost will begin a roughly 45-day journey to the Moon, where it will land on Mare Crisium. It will then conduct numerous experiments for NASA and the Artemis Program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface in this decade.
At 2:45 AM, SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of the iSpace HAKUTO-R lander:
“We have established communication with the RESILIENCE lander, and have stabilized its attitude and power supply,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “We will make full use of the knowledge and experience gained in Mission 1 to prepare for the first orbit control maneuver scheduled in the near future. While the lander carries 6 payloads including the TENACIOUS micro rover, no deficiencies in the lander’s core system have been identified.”
The deployment of HAKUTO-R concluded the customer portion of SpaceX’s flight.
Payloads
Firefly Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is designed to deliver a suite of scientific instruments and commercial payloads to the Moon’s surface. Developed under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Blue Ghost aims to demonstrate innovative technologies while advancing lunar science.
Joining Blue Ghost is the Hakuto-R lunar lander, developed by iSpace, a Japanese company dedicated to expanding humanity’s presence on the Moon. Hakuto-R is part of iSpace’s bold vision to establish a lunar economy through cargo delivery services and resource utilization.
Artist’s rendering of HAKUTO ‘Resilience’ on the lunar surface. Credit: iSpace
Key objectives for Hakuto-R include:
Demonstrating landing and operational capabilities on the lunar surface.
Delivering payloads for commercial customers.
Advancing technologies to enable sustainable lunar operations.
Payloads
On board the RESILIENCE lunar lander will be commercial customer payloads including:
· Water electrolyzer equipment: From Takasago Thermal Engineering Co.
· Food production experiment: A self-contained module from Euglena Co.
· Deep space radiation probe: Developed by the Department of Space Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan
· Commemorative alloy plate: Developed by Bandai Namco Research Institute, Inc. and modeled after “Charter of the Universal Century” from the animation Mobile Suit Gundam UC
· TENACIOUS micro rover: Developed by ispace-EUROPE, this rover will explore the landing site, collect lunar regolith, and relay data back to the lander. It will be equipped with a forward-mounted HD camera and a shovel.
· Moonhouse: A model house by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg that will be mounted on the rover.
The RESILIENCE lander will serve as a cultural artifact, carrying a UNESCO memory disk that preserves linguistic and cultural diversity.
For more details about Hakuto-R and iSpace’s ambitions, visit their official website.
iSpace infographic on the key milestones for the HAKUTO MISSION 2 ‘Resilience’ lander. Click the graphic to enlarge. Credit: iSpace
What’s Next?
iSpace announced today that mission operations specialists in the HAKUTO-R Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo have established a communication link with the RESILIENCE lunar lander and confirmed a stable attitude as well as stable generation of electrical power in orbit.
iSpace provided this chart illustrating the progress of the mission early this morning:
HAKUTO-R ‘RESILIENCE’ mission status as of 7:01 AM EDT on January 15. 2025
From Firefly, the Blue Ghost lander next steps are
Transit: Blue Ghost will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon, including about 25 days in Earth orbit, 4 days in lunar transit, and 16 days in lunar orbit.
Descent: Blue Ghost’s final autonomous descent will take approximately an hour, starting with a Descent Orbit Insertion burn that will place Blue Ghost on its descent trajectory.
Surface Operations: Upon touchdown, Blue Ghost will operate 10 NASA instruments for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days).
Total Eclipse:Just before lunar night, Blue Ghost will capture HD imagery of a total eclipse from the Moon where the Earth blocks the sun.
Lunar Night: At the end of the mission, Blue Ghost will capture the lunar sunset before operating several hours into the lunar night.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
Blue Origin plans to make a second attempt to launch its New Glenn rocket on its debut mission
Date: NET January 16, 2025
Organization: Blue Origin
Mission: NG-1
Rocket: New Glenn
Launch Site: LC-36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 01:00 – 04:00 EST (0600-0900 UTC)
Payload: Blue Ring Pathfinder
Note: this article was prepared using information and text from iSpace and Firefly Aerospace.
You must be logged in to post a comment.