Rocket Launches

The partial government shutdown caused the Federal Aviation Administration to miss a Feb. 1 deadline for releasing a draft of revised launch licensing regulations.

An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket today (Feb. 5) launched to Earth orbit two satellites carrying communications payloads for the Indian Space Research Organisation, Saudi Arabia and Greece/Cyprus.

An Ariane 5 rocket will launch two new communications satellites for Saudi Arabia and India today (Feb. 5), and you can watch the liftoff live online!

China has built the world's first robotic, partially submersible boat for launching sounding rockets — a technology that will help meteorologists better understand the atmosphere over Earth's oceans.

The main contractor for the Chinese space program is planning more than 30 launches in 2019, with major missions including the crucial return-to-flight of the heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket in July.

SpaceX's giant Falcon Heavy rocket could take to the skies five weeks from now, if everything goes according to plan.

The China National Space Administration has launched two rockets so far in 2019, placing five satellites in orbit for a variety of uses.

Chinese private companies OneSpace and iSpace are making progress with plans to attempt their first orbital launches in the first half of 2019.

India's first rocket launch of 2019 sent a military satellite and a student-built cubesat into orbit on Jan. 24, 2019. See amazing photos from the launch here!

India launched its first rocket of 2019 yesterday (Jan. 24), lifting two payloads into orbit: a military imaging satellite and a student-built orbital laboratory.

A partial government shutdown now nearly five weeks old is affecting a growing number of space companies and organizations as well as the agencies themselves shuttered by the lapse in funding.

On Jan. 23, 2019, the private spaceflight company Blue Origin launched its New Shepard rocket and capsule on NS-10, its tenth mission yet, and aced a landing. See launch photos here!

Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle flew for the 10th time today (Jan. 23), acing another uncrewed test flight.

Small launch vehicle developer Rocket Lab will launch an experimental satellite for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in February, the first of a planned dozen launches in 2019.

The NROL-71 spy satellite streaked to orbit today (Jan. 19) atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, which lifted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 2:10 p.m. EST.

The United States plans to launch a hush-hush spy satellite Saturday (Jan. 19), and you can watch the liftoff live.

SpaceX launched its eighth and final batch of Iridium Next communications satellites into orbit on Jan. 11, 2019. See photos of the historic mission here!

Japan launched seven spacecraft to Earth orbit today (Jan. 17), including a little satellite designed to create dazzling artificial meteor showers.