Artemis II Launches: Humanity Returns to Deep Space
Featured Story

Artemis II Launches: Humanity Returns to Deep Space

Ryan Bale
·April 2, 2026
Read Full Story

Latest Coverage

View All
From Launch to Port: The Complete Lifecycle of Falcon 9 Booster Recovery

From Launch to Port: The Complete Lifecycle of Falcon 9 Booster Recovery

When a Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Center, the mission does not end once the payload reaches orbit. For SpaceX, the recovery of the first stage booster is an integral part of the launch architecture.The Falcon 9 system was designed from the beginning to support rapid reuse. Recovering and refurbishing the booster dramatically lowers launch costs while enabling higher launch cadence. Today, it is common for Falcon 9 boosters to fly more than a dozen

Ryan BaleMar 6, 20265 min
NASA Reshapes Artemis Program, Adds New Mission and Refines Lunar Exploration Architecture

NASA Reshapes Artemis Program, Adds New Mission and Refines Lunar Exploration Architecture

NASA has announced a significant restructuring of its Artemis program, introducing a new mission and refining the overall architecture intended to return astronauts to the Moon. The changes are designed to increase mission cadence, reduce technical risk, and better prepare for sustained human exploration beyond Earth orbit.The updated strategy comes as the agency prepares for the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the program, which will send astronauts on a lunar flyby for the fi

Ryan BaleMar 3, 20263 min
Artemis II Faces Delay as Helium Issue Prompts SLS Rollback to VAB

Artemis II Faces Delay as Helium Issue Prompts SLS Rollback to VAB

NASA has announced that its next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, destined to carry four astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission, will likely be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center following a newly discovered technical issue — even after a hard-won success in its most recent full-scale test.In a post on X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed that what appears to be an interruption in helium flow to the rocket’s Interim C

Ryan BaleFeb 21, 20263 min

Upcoming Launches

Full Schedule
Falcon 9 Block 5 launch preview
Falcon 9 Block 5
Next Launch
GOFalcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-21

SpaceX·Falcon 9 Block 5
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

Launch Time

Local Pad · Fri, Apr 10 · 7:39 PM PDT // 02:39 UTC

Launch Window

Window not open

Open

7:39 PM PDT

Target

7:39 PM PDT

Close

11:39 PM PDT

Estimated GO

90%

Hourly forecast: overcast · precip 5% · clouds 84% · wind 8 mph · gusts 13 mph · vis 16.2 km

As of 2026-04-10 · Source

Live Countdown

T minus

--:--
View Mission Details

Photo Gallery

Original aerospace photography by Ryan Bale

View All Photos
Free Newsletter

Never Miss a Launch

Get original reporting, photography, and launch alerts delivered directly to your inbox. No spam — just aerospace journalism done right.

Join thousands of aerospace enthusiasts. Unsubscribe anytime.

Independent Journalism

Original Reporting. Original Photography.

Spaceflight News is an independent aerospace journalism platform dedicated to original launch coverage, mission reporting, and professional launch photography — by a reporter who is actually on the pad.

About Spaceflight News