SpaceX launches new crew to ISS
SpaceX early this morning successfully launched a new four-person crew to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its second flight, landing back at Cape Canaveral. The capsule, Freedom, will dock with ISS tomorrow. It is making its fifth flight.
The 2026 launch race:
17 SpaceX
8 China
2 Rocket Lab
2 Russia
1 ULA
1 Europe (Arianespace)
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
SpaceX early this morning successfully launched a new four-person crew to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its second flight, landing back at Cape Canaveral. The capsule, Freedom, will dock with ISS tomorrow. It is making its fifth flight.
The 2026 launch race:
17 SpaceX
8 China
2 Rocket Lab
2 Russia
1 ULA
1 Europe (Arianespace)
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Shouldn’t this be 2026 launch #17 for SpaceX?
F: No. I had made a mistake in the previous launch update, adding a launch to SpaceX instead of China. I have now fixed that mistake.
And this is the first landing at the new LZ-40 after they gave up LZ-1 and LZ-2 back to the Cape officials.
Spacex has launched 80 people to space including this mission.
Russia damaged their only launch pad for manned missions.
China has launched 20 astronauts, but recently needed adhesive window film to bring back a crew.
Rockribbed1 wrote, “China … recently needed adhesive window film to bring back a crew.”
As much as I dislike the Chinese government, this statement is wrong. The crew was brought back by a quickly arranged rescue capsule, while the damaged capsule came back successfully unmanned shortly thereafter.
If anything, China’s response to this situation was smart and fast.
” . . . successfully launched a new four-person crew to ISS . . .”
Shooting people into space used to be news. Glad to see that is no longer the case.
Robert Zimmerman,
F is right. Crew-12 was SpaceX’s 17th F9 mission of 2026.
Dick Eagleson and F: You are both right. I have fixed the count. My head cold made it difficult to do this simple thing correctly.
It’s getting so routine
If things keep up like this, I expect Arianespace to have more launches in 2026 than ULA.
But then, I also expect Rocket Lab to have more launches than both of them put together.
Robert Zimmerman,
I’ve never found accounting to be something I’m particularly good at while ill either.
Richard M,
Those launch predictions look pretty safe to me too.
Both NASA and the War Department need to stage a joint intervention for NorGrum and soon.