We Report Space

01/26/2025

We Report Space Rewind
January 19, ~January 25
Starting off the week, on Sunday the 19th, SpaceX was in the final seconds of the count to launch StarLink 11-8 from Vandenberg Space Force Base when a HOLD, HOLD, HOLD call out was heard. It was announced an unidentified airliner flew into the restricted airspace surrounding the launch center. This caused the launch to be scrubbed and rescheduled 48 hours later. While not confirmed, several social media posts showed a Delta flight in the area.
On January 21st, StarLink 13-1 punched skyward a few minutes into the new day carrying another 21 satellites for SpaceX. While no abnormalities were encountered, and without telemetry or video of the second stage, the possibility presents itself that this may have been a StarShield launch.
Later that same day, SpaceX launched Starlight 11-8 with 27 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Landing of the First Stage Booster marked the 400th landing of a Falcon 9 first stage booster. A feat that just a few short years ago was simply a dream.

In space news from around the world this past week, China sent another group of 18 internet satellites on top of a Long March 6A rocket. The launch originated from the Taiyuan Launch Center. These satellites are the latest group to join an estimated 70 other Quinfan satellites in the “Thousand Sails” cluster. By the end of 2025, there are expected to be an estimated 600 of these satellites in orbit. The second launch from China occurred later in the morning from XiChang Launch Facility. Little is known (probably classified) and Authorities said “It was a communications satellite and that the launch was successful”

In national news and an announcement for NASA, President Trump has placed Janet Petro into the role of acting administrator of NASA. She is a 17 year NASA veteran and also has over three years leadership as Center Director at Kennedy Space Center, backed by 14 years as the Deputy Director of K.S.C. While this temporary placement has been made, the White House has formally nominated Jared Isaacman to be next NASA administrator. This is a nomination that requires Senate confirmation. Isaacman has flown to space twice as part of the Inspiration 4 crew and his boldest flight was the Polaris Dawn mission where he preformed the first private spacewalk.

In local space news, the Titusville Florida based “Space Perspective” a tourism company that had hoped to one day carry passengers above the earth in pressurized balloon capsules has largely scaled down to a “skeleton” staff while they attempt to procure investors. Of the estimated 140 employees, about 75% have been issued pink slips. It is being reported by multiple sources that the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority is suing Space Perspective for eviction for nonpayment of rent of its facilities.

Article: Graham Smith

01/23/2025

Kennedy Space Center, FL. – Today, January 23, 2025, NASA paused and took time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of space exploration. The Day of Remembrance is an annual event that is open to the public on the grounds of the
Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. As in years past, each attendee receives a flower they can place by the Space Mirror at the conclusion of the ceremony to pay respects to the fallen heroes who gave all in the pursuit of space.
Each year, NASA holds this ceremony around the anniversaries of the Apollo 1 fire that occurred during a test that resulted in the loss of the three astronauts on January 27,
1967. The loss of Challenger and the STS-51L crew during ascent after launching from LC-39A on January 28, 1986 and the loss of Columbia and her STS-107 crew when the shuttle broke apart during re-entry on February 1, 2003. While we remember these heroes, there were others that gave this ultimate sacrifice and they too are remembered during this moment of reflection each year.
In a statement from NASA: “On NASA’s Day of Remembrance, we pause to reflect on the bravery, dedication, and selflessness of the extraordinary individuals who pushed the boundaries of exploration and discovery,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free.
“Their legacies remind us of the profound responsibility we have to carry their dreams forward while ensuring safety remains our guiding principle.”
NASA centers around the country also hold remembrance ceremonies including Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. where Administer Jim Free will be leading the ceremony at the Arlington portion of the day’s events. This will also include a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
This morning’s ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center‘s Visitor Center was moved indoors due to rainy and rather cold conditions. Yet despite these dreary conditions, the wreath was still presented at the memorial mirror to honor the fallen heros.
Leading the ceremony was Thad Altman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Office of The Astronauts Memorial Foundation. Opening this morning’s ceremony was the Brevard County Fire Rescue Honor Guard and a singing of the Nation Anthem was sung by LeRoy Darby of Faith Temple Church and Rev. Scott Circe of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church gave the opening invocation.
Speaking on behalf of Kennedy Space Center was Kelvin Manning, Acting Center Director. “Every year we gather to pay tribute to the lives lost in the pursuit of exploration and knowledge…for each of the audacious goals for which we aspire and each of the successes yet before us, we owe a debt of gratitude to the crew of Apollo 1,
Challenger and Columbia and to all who lost their lives in the advancement of science and exploration.”
Also speaking at today’s service were Eileen Collins, Col. USAF and NASA Astronaut Ret. and Tal Ramon, the son of the late Ilan Ramon who lost his life aboard Columbia and the STS-107 mission. Eileen spoke about Michael Alsbury a non-NASA and government astronaut who lost his life aboard the Virgin Galactic “Spaceship 2” named Enterprise. His name has been added to the Memorial Mirror. Tal Ramon spoke about his late father who was a hero to him as a young boy growing up knowing that his father was and is an inspiration to his nation of Israel.
Closing the today’s ceremony was Dr. Shaun Ferguson of Faith Temple Christian Center giving the closing prayer and Violinist Char Good playing America the Beautiful and presenting the wreath at today’s remembrance ceremony were Thad Altman, Kelvin Manning, Tal Ramon and Sheryl Chaffee.
Story & Images: Michael Howard

01/21/2025

With temperatures dipping and precipitation moving across the South-East, SpaceX made its 9th launch of 2025. Lifting off from LC39-A a few minutes past midnight, the Falcon 9 punched through the clouds with its cargo of 21 StarLink satellites on a South East trajectory. into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The first stage booster (Tail # 1083) safely landed down range about 8 minutes 17 seconds later on the ASDS barge A Shortfall of Gravitas which is owned and operated by SpaceX.
Article: Graham Smith Image: WRS Stock

01/19/2025

Weekly WrapUp
January 1-January 19
With all holiday visiting & flights completed, weekly wrap ups will get back to normal. Since the beginning of the New Year, launches have literally been going non-stop. Since January 3rd, SpaceX has already sent skyward 4 Starlink/Falcon 9 launches, 1 StarShield (Vandenberg), and 3 missions that include the Blue Ghost lunar mission, Transporter-12 and the classified NROL-153 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Keeping the month of January hopping, add in the StarShip Flight 7 from Texas and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. This totals 10 launches in the U.S. alone, while China has already launched 3 missions in this New Year.
With all of the launches, there are also 2 reviews i.e. investigations starting to get underway by the F.A.A. When New Glenn launched from LC 36 on early Thursday, for unknown reasons at this time, the first stage booster telemetry was lost prior to an attempted landing on the recovery ship Jacklyn, while later the same day, SpaceX launched from the Boca Chica “Starbase” in Texas, its experimental Starship with Flight 7.
After separation of the first stage booster which made a successful landing, the second stage broke apart over the Caribbean far short of its intended target of the Indian Ocean sending possible debris over the ocean and islands. This event prompted the fast action of passenger flights to divert their flight paths to avoid this effected area of the Caribbean.
As part of a rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9, FireFly Aerospace has their Blue Ghost satellite orbiting the Earth prior to a lunar insertion burn in the next 3 weeks where they will attempt to land on the moon in March where 10 of the latest hi tech experiments will be carried out.
At the same time and part of this rideshare flight, the Japanese company HAKUTO Resilience is taking a different path to a different area of the Moon and this landing will be 4-5 months later than Blue Ghost.
Sierra Space, competing against Astranis, Axient & L3Harris for building and deploying smaller and less expensive R-GPS (Resilient Global Positioning System) received word that their design has passed preliminary reviews.
Stoke Space who currently holds the lease on Launch Complex 14 @ Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has ignited its first stage rocket engine called Zenith. With its bold approach for a fully reusable 2 stage rocket (both stages to be fully recoverable). In addition, Stoke announced the company has raised $260 million from new and returning investors to advance the development of the rocket named NOVA as well as renovations at Launch Complex 14.
Varda Space sent their W-2 capsule into orbit this week aboard the SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission into a sun synchronous orbit. After several weeks it will reenter the atmosphere above the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.
Article: Graham Smith Image: Graham Smith

01/16/2025

A New Day for New Glenn:

After years and years of development and anticipation, the massive “New Glenn” fired its seven BE-4 engines and the rocket rose slowly into history.

01/15/2025

The Blue Ghost flight, perched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida lifted off in the cool morning air bound for the moon. Packed with 10 of the very latest high-tech experiments, BlueGhost is scheduled to spend about 30 days in earths orbit doing exhausting checkouts of the equipment prior to being inserted into orbit around the moon.
Regardless if Blue Ghost is a success, a second Blue Ghost 2 is being scheduled for launch/landing on the far side of the moon in 2026. Scientific equipment known at this time is an astrophysics experiment & 2 smaller unidentified payloads.
BlueGhost will be controlled and communications maintained from their command center in Cedar Park, Texas for the life of the mission which is planned for about 60 days.
Once in orbit, the tiny spacecraft will orbit the moon for up to 14 days before attempting to land. If Blue Ghost lands, FireFly will be the 3rd private company to land with NASA’s CLPS project (Commercial Lunar Payload Services). The first two companies to try, have failed (Astrobotic & Intuitive Machines).
Experiments on board:
Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) University of Maryland
A target for lasers on Earth to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Moon by means of a laser pulse.
Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) Aegis AeroSpace Inc
RAC will determine how lunar moon dust, small rocks, soil type material on the surface of the moon stick to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment throughout the lunar day.
Radiation Tolerant Computer System (RadPC) Montana State University
The Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) is a technology testing the capabilities of a radiation tolerant computer system.
Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) Boston University
LEXI is a wide field-of-view soft X-ray imager to study how energy is coupled from the flowing solar wind into Earth's space environment
Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS) Southwest Research Institute
This will measure natural time-varying electric and magnetic fields from the solar wind and Earth’s
Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) Honeybee Robotics
PlanetVac will collect samples of lunar regolith (soil) from the surface using a pneumatic technique (powered by compressed gas) for testing

Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER ) Texas Tech University
LISTER will measure heat originating from the interior of the Moon
Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) 1.1 NASA LaRC
It will capture video and still image data of the lunar surface prior to, during, and after the lander’s descent engine plumes mix with the lunar surface
Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA Kennedy Space Center
active dust mitigation devicewhich uses electric fields to move dust from surfaces and to prevent dust accumulation on various surfaces
Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) will test the absolute latest technology in global positioning for satellites

Article: Graham Smith Image: Michael Seeley

01/14/2025

Cape Canaveral S.F.S., FL.- This morning, January 14, 2025, the Blue Origin “New Glen” rocket is still vertical at Launch Complex 36. After some delays in launching this new massive rocket and a scrub on the first attempt to a sub-system issue, it is being told that ice had formed in a purge-line of an auxiliary unit which powers some of the hydraulic systems. On Monday evening of the 13th, Blue Origin was again attempting a new launch for Tuesday the 14th at 1:00 AM EST, but unfavorable weather brought a new scrub early in the evening. While no official launch date has been given, there are some reports of a Thursday January 16, 2025 new opportunity. Story by: Michael Howard Images by: Graham Smith and Michael Seeley for We Report Space

01/10/2025

Cape Canaveral S.F.S. FL. - This afternoon, January 10, 2025, SpaceX launched yet another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. In this particular mission were 13 direct to cell satellites as well as 8 V2 mini-satellites. This was the 12-12 mission and liftoff came at 2:11 PM EST from LC-40 and flew on a South-East flight path. Of note for this launch, this marks a record 25th launch and successful landing of Booster 1067-25. Landing took place shortly after launch downrange near the Bahamas on the recovery ship "Just Read the Instructions". Stock Image: Michael Howard - We Report Space

01/07/2025

Canaveral S.F.S. FL. - Under cloudy skies with gusting winds throughout the Space Coast most of the day, the clouds broke and winds diminished and SpaceX made their second launch of 2025 under a sky of blue. Liftoff came from SLC 40 and the Falcon 9 took a South East trajectory towards the Bahamas. Today’s launch mission, 6-71 was the first StarLink launch of 2025.
The Falcon 9 carried the newest load of 24 v2 mini internet satellites to complement the 4,700 + operational satellites already in orbit.
The first stage booster B-1077 made a normal offshore landing on the recovery ship “Just Read the Instructions” located near the Bahamas, while recovery ship Bob was working on retrieving the fairings.
Article: Graham Smith Images: WRS Stock Image

01/04/2025

https://wereportspace.com/2025/01/04/2024-a-look-back-and-a-glimpse-forward/

As we look back to 2024, a few items come to mind that We Report Space were grateful to have witnessed and covered.

01/03/2025

Early reports are coming in from reputable sources that Blue Origin's New Glenn maiden flight has been pushed back from Monday Jan 6 @ 1AM to Wednesday @ 1 AM.

12/30/2024

12/23-12/29
WEEKLY WRAP
The beginning of the end…or the end of an era….SpaceX announced earlier this year that recovery operations for Dragon spacecraft will now take place in the Pacific Ocean instead of the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic. On Monday, Shannon left Port Canaveral bound for berthing in Long Beach, California where she will join Go Beyond used for recovering fairings and Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), currently used for a mobile landing barge on 1st stage boosters.
A little over 6 years ago, ULA sent a Delta IV Heavy off from SLC-37B carrying the Parker Solar Probe. The mission has had the probe go into orbit around Venus, approach the sun & loop again about Venus to build up speed and approach the sun a bit closer. This scenario has been duplicated a total of 5 times. Christmas Eve day, PSB @ 7:53 EDT was traveling 804,670 kph (500,000 mph). It closed to within 6.2 million Km (3.9 million miles) of the surface of the sun. The shield protecting the probe from the temperatures of 2500 F is roughly 4 ½ inches & is made of a special carbon-composite. The shield also helps protect against lethal doses of radiation.
Officials were forced to wait until midnite hours December 27th before the Parker Solar Probe reemerged from its orbit about the sun & moved into a clear view of earth and transmitted “I’m safe” signal. Data transfer of what the Parker Solar Probe captured will start after the beginning of January, 2025.
Looping about Venus help increase speed needed for the flyby as well as looping around the sun. So far in its life time the spacecraft has completed 22 orbits about the sun and two more passes about the sun are planned in 2025, the first in March and a follow-up in June.
Probably one of the most anticipated events occurred early Friday evening, when Blue Origin started a 24 second static burn of the New Glenn NG-1 rocket known as 'So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance.' on Space Launch Complex 36 of all BE-4 engines as fog descended about Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Earlier on Friday the FAA, had granted Blue Origin a license to launch. Rollback to the HIF where “Blue Ring” PathFinder a test vehicle will be attached. Launch is now scheduled January 6, 2025. Talk about a stellar Christmas present!!
Launches
StarLink 12-2 lifted off of SLC-39A powered by the 1st stage booster (Tail # B10800 with its 9 Merlin engines, carrying 12 Direct To Cell satellites & 8 v2 mini satellites for the 131st launch this year by SpaceX.
Christmas Day in the isolated Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan atop a Soyus 2.1b rocket the Resurs-P # 5 satellite was launched. According to sources, this launch marked the 2,000 launch of a Soyuz R-7 rocket since it first flew in 1957. The satellite can provide imagery at a resolution sharper than one meter per pixel, primarily for civilian applications
24 hours later, in China at the Jiuquan Rocket Center, CAS Space owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences sent the signal to a Kinetica 1 4 stage rocket carrying 11 satellites bound for a synchronized orbit around the sun.
A CAS statement said that after the 3rd stage had fired, for unknown reasons at this time the mission abruptly ended. Mission ending anomalies can be hard to pinpoint.

Article: Graham Smith Images: Michael Seeley

12/29/2024

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station~
What late night beach combers, tourists, & Brevard County residents saw, was not early fireworks for the New Year, rather the latest SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-40 going out over the Atlantic carrying 4 MicroGEO satellites built by Astranis.
The MicroGEO satellites made in San Diego, Ca. are as their name implies smaller than a typical GEO satellite. Weight wise the normal GEO weighs in at about 6500 kg (14,300 lbs), & can take about 4 years to manufacture. The MicroGEO steps onto the scales and weighs in at around 420 Kg (925 lbs) and a current manufacture time of about 1 year
One satellite named AGILA (will supply reliable broadband access to the Philippines through Orbits Corporation of up to 2 million users, government agencies, first providers. 2 of the remaining satellites NuView A & B will be dedicated to maritime & aviation connectivity. The remaining satellite (UtilitySat) will actually be an “On-orbit spare. Plans call for it to replace a failed satellite.
One of the reasons for this launch is to allow a steady internet service to a country where typhoons can flood fiber communication line, topple microwave towers. The reasonable choice was to keep connectivity via satellite. The NuView satellites will provide a faster, more secure connectivity in critical aviation & maritime situations.
This launch marks 133 launches for SpaceX in 2024. & the first stage booster ( - 17th Flight) landed roughly 8 minutes after ignition in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the ASDS A Shortfall of Gravitas
Article: Graham Smith Images: Graham Smith
White Room Images: Courtesy of Astransis & SpaceX, TechCrunch

12/23/2024

We Report Space
Weekly Wrap Dec 15-21

With the holidays rapidly descending about as fast as the rockets are ascending & the New Year & its festivities getting ready, the space industry is definitely finishing 0224 off with a BANG!!
This past week, The Peoples Republic of China were the first to set the week in motion with 2 back to back launches on the same day roughly 8 hours apart.
A Long March 5B/YZ-2 with 10 communication satellites from Wenchang Space Launch Site, followed by a Long March 2D PieSat-2 carrying 4 earth observation satellites at Taiyuan Launch Center.
Monday had one other launch, this one from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station where SpaceX used the Falcon 9 to place the RRT-1 mission GPS III-7 satellites into a MEO (Medium Earth Orbit).
Tuesday was just about as busy with SpaceX using a different Falcon 9, this time @ Vandenberg Space Force Base to launch a Dep of Defense National Reconnaissance Office group of StarShield satellites into orbit.
Meanwhile, some 9 hours later back @ Kennedy Space Centers SLC 39A, SpaceX again used a new Falcon 9 first stage booster for the orbit insertion of O3b mPOWER 7 & 8 communication satellites.
Back in China under the cover of darkness, the Chines startup firm Galactic Energy continued on their impressive count of launching & successfully completing their 4th sea launch from a mobile platform.
They used a Ceres-1 rocket to insert 4 Tianqi satellites which will be operated by Guodian Gaoke. This brings the total to 33 satellites they have placed into orbit , and adds to the credibility of the Ceres-1 as a delivery vehicle with 15 launches completed
The weekend failed to impact launches or other activities. From the home of Haka & the Maori culture, New Zealands Rocket lab set off the 3 stage Electron on itds 545th successful mission from Mahia Peninsula (SLC-1B). The StriX-2 satellite is used for data collection of the terrain.
For the 3rd time this week, The Peoples Republic of China set off a Long march (3B/E) series rocket Few details have been released.
The planned launch of SpaceX launching Astranis with their 4 MicroGEO satellites was scrubbed due to a Hot Abort on ignition from SLC-40 The rocket & payload are safe & the rocket is currently horizontal undergoing a comprehensive exam. A new date is listed NET December, 2024.
Rounding the week out, SpaceX had numerous viewers watching the skies about Vandenberg Space Force Base again as a Falcon 9 (Tail # B1071) made its 21st flight & 130th SpaceX flight for 2024.
Aboard was Bandwagon2 a dedicated rideshare mission. A Rideshare mission uses a rocket to deploy multiple SmallSats which can if designated be deployed at different altitudes. To date there are about 600 Smallsats in orbit.
Somewhere in this time frame SpaceX brought home the Dragon CRS-31 SpX-31 (Commercial Resupply Services) Serial # C208. On Saturday AM, Megan slid into the Port Canaveral and proceeded through the locks northward on the Banana River, docking at the slip aside Hanger “S”.

Article: Graham Smith Images: Graham Smith-WRS, Michael Seeley WRS