Tag: commercial-space
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Iridium boss senses shift in SpaceX rhythm with another launch set for Friday
The Falcon 9 rocket set to launch Iridium’s fifth batch of new-generation voice and data relay satellites stands on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. On the eve of the Iridium’s fifth launch with SpaceX, the mobile telecom satellite operator’s chief executive says he no longer has to wait for SpaceX’s rockets…
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Iridium boss senses shift in SpaceX rhythm with another launch set for Friday
The Falcon 9 rocket set to launch Iridium’s fifth batch of new-generation voice and data relay satellites stands on its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. On the eve of the Iridium’s fifth launch with SpaceX, the mobile telecom satellite operator’s chief executive says he no longer has to wait for SpaceX’s rockets…
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DigitalGlobe books two launches with SpaceX for Earth-imaging fleet
Artist’s illustration of a WorldView Legion satellite. Credit: SSL Two Falcon 9 rockets with reused first stage boosters will place the initial block of DigitalGlobe’s commercial WorldView Legion satellite fleet in orbit in 2021, the Earth-imaging company recently announced. Financial terms of DigitalGlobe’s contract with SpaceX were not disclosed in the March 14 contract release,…
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Ground equipment problem slips next Falcon 9 launch to Friday
File photo of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Thales Alenia Space Trouble with a piece of ground equipment used for testing of the 10 Iridium communications satellites aboard the next Falcon 9 rocket launch has forced a 24-hour delay in the mission to Friday, officials said Tuesday. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from…
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Relativity Space raises $35 million to boost 3-D printed rocket venture to new heights
An illustration shows how Relativity Space’s Stargate metal 3-D printer compares with the height of a human. (Relativity Space Illustration) Just a week after unveiling an agreement to use one of NASA’s rocket test complexes in Mississippi, Relativity Space is announcing $35 million in new funding that’ll help the rocket-building startup take advantage of the…
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Relativity strikes deal with NASA to use rocket engine test complex in Mississippi
Relativity’s Aeon 1 engine undergoes a test firing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. (Relativity Photo) Relativity, a rocket startup with roots at Blue Origin and SpaceX, says it has been awarded an exclusive 20-year lease to use a 25-acre engine test complex at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The arrangement furthers Relativity’s plans to…
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ULA touts new Vulcan rocket in competition with SpaceX
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Artist’s illustration of a Vulcan rocket launching from Cape Canaveral. Credit: United Launch Alliance SpaceX and its visionary founder Elon Musk win the lion’s share of public attention in the commercial rocket arena, with dramatic, increasingly routine booster landings and spectacular stunts like the launch of Musk’s Tesla…
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Launch preps advance in California for next Falcon 9 flight
All 10 Iridium Next satellites for the next Falcon 9 launch have arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for liftoff March 29. Credit: Iridium SpaceX’s fifth launch of replacement spacecraft for Iridium’s global voice and data communications network is set for March 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a flight that…
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NASA releases summary of investigation into SpaceX’s 2015 launch failure
NASA’s independent review team that investigated the destruction of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon supply ship shortly after liftoff in June 2015 concluded a design error led to the loss of more than two tons of provisions and equipment heading for the International Space Station. Engineers from NASA’s Launch Services Program, a group…
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Spaceflight Industries firms up European satellite alliance and $150M funding round
Workers assemble BlackSky’s Global-1 Earth observation satellite. (BlackSky via YouTube) It’s official: After receiving all government approvals, a French-Italian joint venture has taken a minority stake in Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries as part of a $150 million funding round. The French and Italian partners in The Space Alliance, Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, have also joined…