Satellites and space missions – The Watchers

Starship 36 explodes during static-fire test at SpaceX Starbase facility, Texas

Reet Kaur — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 19:41:21 +0000

Starship 36 exploded during a static-fire test at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas at around 23:00 local time (LT) on June 18, 2025, destroying the prototype and delaying upcoming missions.

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SpaceX Starship ninth test flight ends in dual vehicle loss

Reet Kaur — Wed, 28 May 2025 10:25:04 +0000

SpaceX’s ninth Starship test flight on May 27, 2025, resulted in the failure of both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage. A propellant leak and uncontrolled spin led to the upper stage’s destruction during re-entry, while the booster was lost during its landing attempt.

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SpaceX Dragon CRS-32 returns with sonic boom, splashes down near the coast of California

Reet Kaur — Mon, 26 May 2025 18:41:57 +0000

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft concluded the CRS-32 commercial resupply mission with a sonic boom and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside, California, at 01:44 EDT (05:44 UTC) on May 25, 2025. The spacecraft returned approximately 3 040 kg (6 700 pounds) of cargo from the International Space Station, including scientific experiments and crew supplies.

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Atomic clocks enter orbit to test relativity and redefine time standards

Harsh Vardhan — Sun, 11 May 2025 15:41:00 +0000

The newly launched Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) mission will advance our understanding of how gravity affects the passage of time. By comparing highly accurate clocks aboard the International Space Station with those on Earth, ACES aims to test key concepts in Einstein’s theory of relativity and explore fundamental physics.

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NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH launched to map the universe and track solar wind in 3D

Rishika Yadav — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:51:10 +0000

PUNCH and SPHEREx were successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 20:10 LT (03:10 UTC on March 12, 2025) from Space Launch Complex 4 East on March 11. SPHEREx will conduct an all-sky infrared survey of the universe, while PUNCH will track the Sun's corona as it transitions into the solar wind.

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Starship explodes in spectacular fireball, causing air traffic delays

Rishav Kothari — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:59:50 +0000

The uncrewed SpaceX Starship exploded mid-flight on Thursday, March 6, 2025, after lifting off from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas at 17:30 CST (23:30 UTC). The Super Heavy booster successfully executed a return and mid-air catch, but the Starship upper stage was lost in a spectacular explosion, causing temporary air traffic disruptions.

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Falcon-9 debris lights up European skies before crashing into Poland

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 19:18:00 +0000

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere over Europe on February 19, 2025, creating a bright display across the night sky before debris impacted multiple locations in Poland.

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Starlink satellites reentering Earth’s atmosphere in increasing numbers, creating artificial meteor showers

Rishav Kothari — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 16:02:00 +0000

Starlink satellites are re-entering Earth's atmosphere at an increasing rate, with 120 burning up in January 2025 alone. This has created nightly artificial meteor showers and raised concerns about aluminum oxide accumulation in the atmosphere.

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Starship’s seventh test flight fails after mid-flight fire causes spectacular explosion

Rishika Yadav — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:09:12 +0000

Debris from SpaceX's Starship scattered over the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, January 16, 2025, after the spacecraft broke apart mid-flight. SpaceX conducted its 7th Starship test flight from Boca Chica, Texas, at 17:00 LT (22:00 UTC) on January 16, 2025.

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Tiangong space station welcomes Shenzhou 19 for six-month crewed mission

TW — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:35:31 +0000

A long march 2F rocket topped with the Shenzhou 19 crew spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on October 19, 2024, at 4:27 p.m. EDT ( 20:27 UTC), rising into a night sky above the spaceport.

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