SpaceXFalcon 9 Block 5Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
TRACERS
Launched
July 23, 2025 · 18:13 UTC
Image: SpaceX
Summary
TRACERS launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on July 23, 2025 at 18:13 UTC. The launch window ran from 18:13 to 19:10 UTC. It was SpaceX's 542nd launch, 93rd this year and humanity's 7,007th orbital launch attempt. It was the 451st Falcon 9 Block 5 flight and the 90th this year. Booster B1081 flew for the 16th time and landed at Landing Zone 4. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). LIDE, one of 11 catalogued objects, reached a 597 × 603 km orbit inclined 97.7°. 11 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.
- Watch
- Vehicle
- Falcon 9 Block 5 · SpaceX
- Booster
- B1081 · flight 16 · Return to Launch Site at Landing Zone 4 · landed35/35 landed here · 40 days after its previous flight, Starlink Group 15-6
- Mission
- Heliophysics · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)for NASA
- Milestone
- 451st Falcon 9 Block 5 flight · 90th this yearSpaceX's 542nd launch93rd this yearhumanity's 7,007th orbital launch attempt158th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Simulate in Flight ClubOrbit: as tracked
LIDE · NORAD 64869 · 2025-154 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 11 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2025-154A
- Epoch
- 2025-07-23 22:49:55 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.91514962 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0004519
- Inclination
- 97.7165°
- Ascending node
- 271.036°
- Arg. of perigee
- 230.8627°
- Mean anomaly
- 220.5945°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile. Booster return drawn from padside's representative arc.
Flight timeline
- T−38MGO for Prop Load
- T−35MStage 1 LOX Load
- T−35MProp Load
- T−16MStage 2 LOX Load
- T−7MEngine Chill
- T−1MTank Press
- T−1MStartup
- T−45SGO for Launch
- T−3SIgnition
- T−0Liftoff
- T+1M12SMax-Q
- T+2M13SMECO
- T+2M17SStage 2 Separation
- T+2M21SStage 1 Flip
- T+2M24SSES-1
- T+2M30SBooster Boostback Burn Startup
- T+2M56SFairing Separation
- T+3M26SBooster Boostback Burn Shutdown
- T+6M4SEntry Burn Startup
- T+6M21SEntry Burn Shutdown
- T+7M12SStage 1 Landing Burn
- T+7M46SStage 1 Landing
- T+8M2SSECO-1
- T+50M44SSES-2
- T+50M47SSECO-2
- T+54M30SPayload Separation
- T+54M50SPayload Separation
- T+1H5M40SSES-3
- T+1H5M41SSECO-3
- T+1H30M7SSES-4
- T+1H30M8SSECO-4
- T+1H34M26SPayload Separation
- T+1H40M41SPayload Separation
- T+1H44M46SPayload Separation
- T+1H45M6SPayload Separation
- T+1H45M26SPayload Separation
Catalogued objects
11 catalogued: 11 payloads; 11 still in orbit
- LIDE · NORAD 64869 · in orbit
- TRACERS 1 · NORAD 64870 · in orbit
- EPIC Athena · NORAD 64871 · in orbit
- Skykraft 4B · NORAD 64872 · in orbit
- TRACERS 2 · NORAD 64873 · in orbit
- Bard · NORAD 64874 · in orbit
- REAL · NORAD 64875 · in orbit
- Skykraft 4C · NORAD 64896 · in orbit
- Skykraft 4A · NORAD 64897 · in orbit
- Skykraft 4D · NORAD 64898 · in orbit
- Skykraft 4E · NORAD 65227 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, consisting of two identical satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem (one following the other), will help understand magnetic re-connection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere. Magnetic re-connection occurs when activity from the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. By understanding this process, scientists will be able to better understand and prepare for impacts of solar activity on Earth. Hitchhiking small satellites: * Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) * Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) * Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss (REAL)
Pad
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
205th launch from Space Launch Complex 4E, 31st this year · 819th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Jul 23, 11:13 AM PDT, in daylight
303 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
4 days 14 hours after the previous launch from this pad
Updates
Launch success
Show 9 earlier updates
All payloads deployed
SwGustav · 7/23/2025 · source
Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
LL2 · 7/23/2025 · source
Liftoff.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/23/2025 · source
Official Webcast by SpaceX has started
LL2 · 7/23/2025 · source
Go for launch.
juststephen · 7/22/2025 · source
Scrubbed, next attempt TBC.
juststephen · 7/22/2025 · source
Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
LL2 · 7/22/2025 · source
Updated launch window.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/22/2025 · source
GO for launch.
Cosmic_Penguin · 7/19/2025 · source
Questions
When did TRACERS launch?
TRACERS launched on July 23, 2025 at 18:13 UTC. The launch window ran from 18:13 to 19:10 UTC.
Where can I watch TRACERS?
Coverage: SpaceX - Falcon 9 - TRACERS & Others - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB - July 23, 2025; Watch live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches NASA's TRACERS mission from Vandenberg, California; TRACERS Mission. Watch the replay
What rocket launched TRACERS?
Falcon 9 Block 5, flown by SpaceX. Falcon 9 Block 5 spec sheet
Where did TRACERS launch from?
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. Liftoff was Jul 23, 11:13 AM PDT local time at the pad.
Did the booster land?
Booster B1081 flew for the 16th time and landed at Landing Zone 4.
What orbit did TRACERS reach?
LIDE, one of 11 catalogued objects, reached a 597 × 603 km orbit inclined 97.7°.
How many satellites did TRACERS launch?
11 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 11 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).