Launches & Spacecraft
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US military greenlights up to 100 SpaceX launches per year from California
By Mike Wall published
The U.S. Air Force has approved SpaceX's proposal to launch up to 100 rockets per year from Vandenberg Space Force Bas, which sits on California's rugged, beautiful and often cloudy central coast.

China launches internet satellites on 600th mission of Long March rocket (video)
By Mike Wall published
A Long March 8A rocket lofted another batch of China's Guowang internet satellites on Wednesday evening (Oct. 15). It was the 600th launch overall for a Long March vehicle.

On this day in space! Oct. 17, 2016: Antares rocket returns to flight
By Hanneke Weitering last updated
On Oct. 17, 2016, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Space Systems) returned to flight.

Watch SpaceX's Super Heavy Starship booster hover in mid-air before plunging into the sea (video)
By Josh Dinner published
SpaceX video from Starship's Oct. 13 launch shows the rocket's Super Heavy booster hovering over the gulf before its dive into the deep.

Watch the 2nd-ever launch of China's record-breaking Gravity-1 rocket (video)
By Mike Wall published
The Chinese company Orienspace's Gravity-1 solid rocket launched for the second time ever on Oct. 10, sending three satellites to orbit from the deck of a ship.

Watch Europe's upcoming PLATO exoplanet hunter spread its 'wings' (video)
By Elizabeth Howell published
PLATO powered up and extended its solar panels as the exoplanet-hunting spacecraft readies for launch as soon as December.

SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit on 130th Falcon 9 flight of the year
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX launched 28 more of its Starlink broadband satellites on Thursday morning (Oct. 16), sending them up from Florida's Space Coast.

SpaceX launches 21 communications satellites for the US military (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX plans to launch 21 satellites for an advanced new U.S. military constellation this evening (Oct. 15), and you can watch the action live.
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