Tag: commercial-space
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SpaceX successfully deploys 60 Starlink satellites, but loses booster on descent
A Falcon 9 rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:59 p.m. EST Monday (0359 GMT Tuesday) with 60 more Starlink internet satellites. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now SpaceX successfully launched 60 more Starlink internet satellites Monday night from Cape Canaveral, but lost the Falcon 9 rocket’s reusable first stage booster…
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Photos: Falcon 9 test-fired before Starlink launch
SpaceX test-fired nine Merlin engines Saturday before the company’s next launch from Cape Canaveral, clearing a key readiness test before liftoff as soon as Sunday night with 60 more Starlink internet satellites. The nine Merlin engines fired at 12:50 p.m. EST (1750 GMT) Saturday on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ramping up…
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ULA delivers Vulcan test article to Cape Canaveral for ‘pathfinder’ operations
EDITOR’S NOTE: See additional photos of the Vulcan booster at the bottom of this page. The Vulcan booster for the Pathfinder Tanking Test arrives at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance’s first full-scale Vulcan booster with two Blue Origin BE-4 engines arrived at Cape Canaveral Space…
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SpaceX gearing up for two more Starlink missions within days
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on Feb. 13 after static fire on pad 40. Also updated with launch delay of Starlink V1.0-L17 to Wednesday, Feb. 17. File photo of a Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX Days after SpaceX opened preorders for Starlink…
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NASA decides to launch Europa Clipper on commercial rocket in 2024
Artist’s concept of the Europa Clipper spacecraft, with Europa and Jupiter in the background. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA has decided to launch the multibillion-dollar Europa Clipper mission on a commercial heavy-lift rocket in October 2024, and not on the government-owned Space Launch System, officials said Wednesday. The decision ends a prolonged dilemma for NASA, which until…
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Crew Dragon breaks record for longest flight by human-rated U.S. spacecraft
An astronaut snapped this picture of the Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft while outside the International Space Station on a spacewalk Jan. 27. Credit: NASA The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that carried four astronauts to the International Space Station in November broke the record Sunday for the longest spaceflight by a U.S. crew vehicle, surpassing the…
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SpaceX wins contract to launch first pieces of NASA’s Gateway lunar outpost
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch in April 2019. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Spaceflight Now NASA announced Tuesday it has awarded SpaceX a $331 million contract to launch the first two pieces of the Gateway lunar outpost in 2024 using a modified version of the Falcon Heavy rocket to hurl the massive…
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After success in 2019, Chinese startup fails on second orbital launch attempt
This image of the Hyperbola 1 launch was shared on Chinese social media. The second orbital launch attempt by Chinese launch company iSpace failed shortly after liftoff Feb. 1, following a successful debut flight in 2019 that made iSpace the first private firm in China to put a payload into orbit. The Hyperbola 1 rocket…
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SpaceX Starship prototype lost in test flight landing mishap
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION A prototype SpaceX Starship vehicle exploded on touchdown after a successful climb and descent. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX launched a prototype Starship rocket Tuesday from its Boca Chica, Texas, flight facility, successfully sending the silver booster up to an altitude of about six miles as planned. But the unpiloted…
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FAA approves Starship test after saying SpaceX violated safety rules on last flight
Update: Starship completed a successful climb to approximately 10 kilometers altitude and descended horizontally toward the landing site. It appeared to lose control as it was in the process of flipping back to a vertical position and exploded as it bellyflopped onto the landing pad. We’ll have a full report later. SpaceX defied public safety…