SpaceX is continuing its busy flight schedule for 2025, with four confirmed launches taking place in May.
The leading U.S. space company is running three launches to support the Starlink satellite system, and one manned flight to the International Space Station, which will carry four astronauts.
Why It Matters
SpaceX is the biggest contributor to CEO Elon Musk‘s net worth, and its continued success has been key to U.S space operations. When the shuttle that was meant to return astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore suffered technical difficulties that left them stranded on the ISS for several months, it was a SpaceX flight that returned them home.
May 1- Starlink Group 6-75
The first SpaceX launch in May will happen at 10 a.m. ET. A Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, one of the most common models used by SpaceX currently, will carry Starlink group 6-75. It will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, a launch site that has been used by NASA since the 1950s.
May 1 – Starlink Group 15-3
The second May launch will also take place on the first day of the month, taking off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket, which is also a Falcon 9 Block 5, will launch Starlink group 15-3 at 3 p.m. ET.
Getty Images
May 11 – Small Explorers Program
The third confirmed SpaceX flight in May is part of a NASA project that includes multiple partners. The rocket will launch from Vandenberg, as part of NASA’s Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission. This consists two identical satellites that are to orbit Earth in order to study the interactions between the sun and the Earth’s magnetic fields.
May 29 – Axiom Mission 4
The final SpaceX flight in May to be confirmed so far is the most important, as it is the only manned mission of the four. The Crew Dragon 2 will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station on May 29, launching at 1 p.m. ET.
The flight, named Axiom Mission 4, will take 14 days, and is being operated in partnership with Axiom Space, another U.S. private space company. The flight will carry veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, as well as Shubhanshu Shukla, who will become the first member of India’s astronaut corps to enter space. The launch is a fully private endeavor.
Unconfirmed Flights
According to the Next Spaceflight website, there are four other flights that are included in SpaceX’s schedule for May but have not been allocated specific launch dates or times.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.