Tag: 39A
-
SpaceX, Falcon 9 for Demo-2 mission conducts critical static fire test
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has conducted a static fire test ahead of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. The static fire was part of the ongoing series of final tests and reviews before SpaceX embarks on its first human spaceflight mission. The test took place at 16:33 EDT (20:33 UTC). The test was the final time…
-
SpaceX successfully launches sixth Starlink launch despite engine issue
SpaceX launched the Starlink V1.0 L5 mission from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Falcon 9 (B1048.5) flew for a record fifth time but failed to land after an engine issue late in first stage flight. Falcon 9 is able to continue with an engine out, but it was likely the engine that suffered…
-
SpaceX conducts successful Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
SpaceX successfully launched a unique Falcon 9 rocket at LC-39A for the in-flight abort test of their Crew Dragon spacecraft. The uncrewed test flight saw the spacecraft demonstrate its ability to escape a failing rocket mid-flight. Sunday’s launch occurred at 10:30 AM Eastern, with a successful test resulting in the safe splashdown of the Dragon…
-
Construction of Starship 39A launch and landing facility picking up the pace
The construction of the new Starship launch and landing facility at Pad 39A is in full swing as heavy equipment lays the foundations at the iconic Kennedy Space Center pad complex. Built alongside the 39A ramp, a new launch mount will be installed for what will be the maiden launch of SpaceX’s Starship Mk2 prototype…
-
Elon Musk’s upcoming Starship presentation to mark 12 months of rapid progress
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is set to provide a highly anticipated update on the company’s Starship program on September 28th from Boca Chica, Texas. The presentation is expected to take place in front of the first nearly completed Starship prototype – capping off 12 months of rapid progress which has seen the program transition from…
-
Eastern Range updates ‘Drive to 48’ launches per year status
Just one week after launching a SpaceX Falcon 9 and a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in less than 35 hours of each other, the 45th Space Wing of the U.S. Air Force has provided an update to their goal of supporting a significantly increased launch rate from the Florida spaceport – with a…
-
SpaceX present to future: From retesting boosters to planning a Starship pad
SpaceX is busy on all fronts, from its bread and butter commercial satellite launches to planning its ultimate future of deep space transportation and multi-planetary colonization. A second static fire test was ordered – and completed for Falcon 9 B1047.3 ahead of next week’s AMOS-17 launch, while a key environmental report shed new details on…
-
As Ball completes design review for IXPE, SpaceX launch contract points to growing mission profiles
NASA’s award to SpaceX for the launch contract for their future X-ray telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), points to SpaceX’s growing launch profile options for customers. This spacecraft would normally be a Pegasus mission due to its orbital requirements. However, SpaceX offered the capability via Falcon 9 and at a lower cost. IXPE…
-
SpaceX completes most-challenging flight with Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 mission
After years of payload preparation, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launched one of the company’s most-challenging missions to date. Space Test Program 2 (STP-2), a U.S. Air Force contracted flight with 24 government and civilian testbed payloads, launch within at 4-hour launch window from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The launch window opened at…
-
SpaceX readying Starhopper for hops in Texas as Pad 39A plans materialize in Florida
With the arrival of a new Raptor engine at their Boca Chica launch facility, SpaceX is gearing up for a second round of testing with the Starhopper vehicle in South Texas. The latest test campaign is slated to begin in mid-June and is expected to include the first untethered hop of Starhopper. Meanwhile, on the…