Watch SpaceX launch Earth-observation satellite for Luxembourg and 7 other satellites today

Watch live! SpaceX launches military recon satellite for NATO defense and 7 others - YouTube

SpaceX plans to launch a new Earth-observation satellite along with several smaller spacecraft from California on Tuesday (Aug. 26), and you can watch it live.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Luxembourg's National Advanced Optical System (NAOS) spacecraft is scheduled to lift off during a 27-minute window that opens at 2:53 p.m. EDT (1853 GMT or 11:53 a.m. PDT local) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

SpaceX is planning to webcast the mission beginning about 15 minutes prior to launch. You can watch it here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company's website or its account on the X social media network.

an artist's rendering of a white cylindrical satellite with blue and gold solar wings in Earth orbit — Artist's rendering of OHB Italia's NAOS (National Advanced Optical System) Earth-observation satellite, which was built for Luxembourg. (Image credit: OHB Italia)

Booster 1063 missions

In addition to NOAS, which was built for Luxembourg by the company OHB Italia, the Falcon 9 will loft small satellites for Dhruva Space (LEAP-1); the San Francisco-based company Planet (Pelican-3 and Pelican-4); and Exolaunch (Capella's Acadia-6 and Pixxel's FFLY-1, FFLY-2, and FFLY-3).

If all goes to plan, NAOS will be deployed about 12 minutes into the flight, with the secondary payloads following over the next hour.

LEAP-1 (or Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads-1) is comprised of two demonstrations, including an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) module and a hyperspectral imager. The Pelican satellites will join Planet's Earth-imaging constellation.

The Acadia and FFLY nanosats are also commercial observation platforms, the former featuring synthetic aperture radar technology and the latter high-frequency hyperspectral imaging.

— Falcon 9: SpaceX's workhorse rocket

— Vandenberg: West Coast launch site

Once spent, the Falcon 9's first stage will land back at Landing Zone-4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg. If successful, it will be the booster's (B1063) 27th recovery.

This launch will be SpaceX's 104th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and the 522nd Falcon 9 launch since 2010.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.

In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.