Starlink Group 12-19 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida is currently scheduled for 2025-06-03 04:43 UTC, or 2025-06-03 00:43 local time (EDT). Booster 1077-21 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL34C2Ha4y0
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75LJrSmh_k
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tC3vAgAIbw
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ug2SJ1m6SI (scrub)
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1929759081495253053
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPJKq_WfqRM

Starlink Group 11-18 launch out of SLC-4E in California is currently scheduled for 2025-05-31 20:10 UTC, or 2025-05-31 13:10 local time (PDT). Booster 1071-25 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89OSFmqA9og
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ZES0-9p2s
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qya9BdjKUig
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1928905164897071517
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0rYMTJV4fE

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2025-05-30, 17:37 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2025-05-30, 13:37 (EDT) | | Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1092-4 | | Landing | A Shortfall of Gravitas | | Payload | GPS Block III | | Payload mass | 4,352.0 kg | | Customer | US Space Force | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Medium Earth Orbit |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwu3nJsyUmQ | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Juq-FD6cRA | | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Npq2klglj8 | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlSANSqPDw | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1928501666413707663 | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWUSNFLZDgI |

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 30th launch from SLC-40 this year

☑️ 6 days, 0:03:50 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 39 days, 9:07:15 hours since last launch of B1092

☑️ 111th landing on ASOG

☑️ 458th Falcon family booster landing, 471st Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 65th Falcon 9 mission this year, 483rd Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 65th SpaceX mission of 2024, 499th overall (excluding Starship flights)

☑️ 68th SpaceX launch this year, 517th overall (including Starship flights)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

GPS III (Global Positioning System) is the first evolution of the third generation of GPS satellites. The U.S. Air Force announced in May 2008 that a team led by Lockheed Martin had won the competition to build the next-generation Global Positioning System (Navstar) Space System program, known as GPS III.

This program will improve position, navigation, and timing services for warfighter and civil users worldwide and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy, and reliability.

When fully deployed, the GPS III constellation will feature a cross-linked command and control architecture, allowing the entire GPS constellation to be updated simultaneously from a single ground station. Additionally, a new spot beam capability for enhanced military (M-Code) coverage and increased resistance to hostile jamming will be incorporated. These enhancements will improve accuracy and ensure availability for military and civilian users worldwide.

The launch of GPS III SV-08 — the eighth satellite in the GPS III constellation — was originally assigned to United Launch Alliance (ULA) but was switched to SpaceX as the military prioritizes getting advanced anti-jamming capabilities into orbit as quickly as possible. The move comes as GPS signals face increasing threats from both nation-state actors and inadvertent commercial interference.

This marks the second consecutive GPS III satellite to be switched from ULA to SpaceX, following December’s launch of GPS III SV-07. ULA’s Vulcan, which received certification to launch national security missions, continues to face delays and has accumulated a backlog of military launches.

In a press call May 28, Space Force officials said the mission was executed on an unusually accelerated timeline. Launch planning for GPS III SV-08 kicked off in February, with Lockheed Martin receiving a formal request on February 21 and SpaceX following on March 7 — just under three months ahead of liftoff. That’s an extraordinary pace for a national security launch, they said, which typically takes 18 to 24 months from contract award.

Starlink Group 10-32 launch out of LC-39A in Florida is currently scheduled for 2025-05-28 13:30 UTC, or 2025-05-27 09:30 local time (EDT). Booster 1080-19 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utN8NIqt7tc
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reGCcC41K4A
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/@NASASpaceflight/streams
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roaNDHAx6hY
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1927717115349606602
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhh1dDAGGsg

Well folks, it's time for the first reflight of a SuperHeavy booster!

Third time's the charm for Starship version 2?

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2025-05-27 23:30 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2025-05-27 18:30 (CDT) | | Launch Window (UTC) | 2025-05-27 23:30 to 2025-05-28 01:00 (90 minutes) | | Launch site | Pad A, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA. | | Booster | B14-2 | | Ship | S35 | | Booster landing | Soft water landing in Gulf of Mexico | | Ship landing | Indian Ocean |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOJKZYSOsGs | | Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6tP0il4z64 | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOzxHN9NOA | | NASASpaceflight | Stakeout stream, Launch stream | | LabPadre | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr7P1Lrom5A | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxvw_fDSFc0 | | VideoFromSpace | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_z8ZjExrVI | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1927498623157198920 | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos |

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 1st reflight of a Super Heavy booster

☑️ 131 days and 53 minutes turnaround for this booster

☑️ 3rd launch of Starship version 2

☑️ 3rd Starship Full Stack launch this year, 9th overall

☑️ 3rd launch from Pad A this year, 9th overall

☑️ 82 day turnaround for this pad

☑️ 66th SpaceX launch this year, 515th overall

Mission Details 🚀

NextSpaceflight

Flight 9 features the first reflight of a Super Heavy booster, Booster 14, which previously launched Flight 7. Of the 33 engines on the booster, 29 are flight-proven.

Unlike the previous four launches, Booster 14 will not attempt a catch at the launch tower and will be used to test several experiments, including controlling the booster flip direction, a more efficient high-angle-of-attack booster return, and engine-out capability during the final 3-engine landing burn.

SpaceX website (current, archive)

• Ship objectives include deployment of 8 Starlink simulators, an in-space Raptor relight, and testing of Ship ver2 heatshield and flap design on reentry.
• "Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction before initiating its boostback burn. This will be achieved by blocking several of the vents on the vehicle’s hotstage adapter, causing the thrust from Starship’s engines to push the booster in a known direction. Previous booster flips went in a randomized direction based on a directional push from small differences in thrust from Starship’s upper stage engines at ignition." Diagram by Killip.

Link to Starship Dev thread

SpaceX are scheduled to stream a company update titled The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary at 2025-05-28 01:00 UTC, or 2025-05-27 20:00 local time (CDT).

Webcasts:

• SpaceX: tweet, direct link
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7cY0ImiOF0
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos

Starlink Group 17-1 launch out of SLC-4E in California is currently scheduled for 2025-05-27 16:57 UTC, or 2025-05-27 09:57 local time (PDT). Booster 1082-13 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

First Starlink launch to an SSO inclination in over 2 years. The flight path will be nearly directly south and slightly west, with an inclination of 97.61°.

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJfeLlENLU
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxQyNozzRR0
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmVWAoxXNUM
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1927407002310824348
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Sml-JZTnY

Starlink Group 12-22 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida is currently scheduled for 2025-05-24 17:19 UTC, or 2025-05-24 13:19 local time (EDT). Booster 1069-24 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=419oXoaPTJU
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycSeKTEe50
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOrOul28sGI
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdwYfIlk-yM
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1926325431608762755
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-BfXCx0ugo

The timing of the Flight 8 failure was similar to Flight 7 in January, which also featured several engine shutdowns and a loss of communications about eight and a half minutes after liftoff. However, SpaceX says the two failures had different causes.

“While the failure manifested at a similar point in the flight timeline as Starship’s seventh flight test, it is worth noting that the failures are distinctly different,” the company stated.

In the case of Flight 8, SpaceX said one of the center Raptor engines in Starship suffered a hardware failure, details of which the company did not disclose. That failure enabled “inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition” that caused the loss of the Raptor. Immediately thereafter, the other two center Raptor engines shut down, along with one of the three outer vacuum-optimized engines with larger nozzles. The vehicle then lost control authority.

The company said it made changes to the Raptors in the Starship upper stage, with “additional preload” on key joints and a new nitrogen purge system as well as improvements to the propellant drain system. A future version of Raptor in development will also have reliability improvements to address the problem seen on Flight 8.

On Flight 7 in January, SpaceX, said the vehicle suffered a harmonic response several times stronger than expected, creating additional stress on the vehicle’s propulsion system. That caused leaks that triggered a fire in the engine bay.

“The mitigations put in place after Starship’s seventh flight test to address harmonic response and flammability of the ship’s attic section worked as designed prior to the failure on Flight 8,” SpaceX said.

The agency is expanding the size of hazard areas in the United States and in other countries based on an updated "flight safety analysis" from SpaceX and because SpaceX will reuse a previously flown first-stage booster—called Super Heavy—for the first time.

The size of FAA-mandated airspace closures can expand or shrink based on the reliability of the launch vehicle. The failures of Starship earlier this year raised the probability of vehicle failure in the flight-safety analysis for Starship Flight 9, according to the FAA.

If SpaceX can reel off a series of successful Starship flights, the hazard areas will likely shrink in size.

Starlink Group 11-16 launch out of SLC-4E in California is currently scheduled for 2025-05-23 22:32 UTC, or 2025-05-23 15:32 local time (PDT). Booster 1075-18 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-bCWJOh-4Q
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84dv5yW8et8
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3oWmFLdCHM
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1926042565100425336
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvmiAfHPupE

SpaceX is moving ahead with expansion plans at Vandenberg Space Force Base that will double its West Coast launch cadence and enable Falcon Heavy rockets to fly from California.

Last week, the Department of the Air Force issued its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which considers proposed modifications from SpaceX to Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg.

At the heart of the request are three key items:

• Modifying the pad to support the launches of both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets
• Constructing two new landing pads adjacent to SLC-6
• Increasing SpaceX’s permitted launch cadence from Vandenberg from 50 launches to 100

Starlink Group 12-15 launch out of LC-39A in Florida is currently scheduled for 2025-05-21 03:19 UTC, or 2025-05-20 23:16 local time (EDT). New booster 1095-1 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmT7Egm5tNM (scrub)
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkCxJUzHWN4 (scrub)
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuKRsw56NL0 (scrub)
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEc2rGxKgwY (scrub)
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1925026941423518105 (scrub)
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phemYwlfkVw