Tag: commercial-space
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SpaceX plans Falcon 9 launch Thursday from Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rolls out of the hangar at pad 39A in this file photo. Credit: SpaceX Forecasters predict a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to carry more Starlink broadband satellites into orbit. The launch —…
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Software fix could position Astra for another launch attempt by end of year
Astra’s Rocket 3.1 vehicle lifts off Friday night from Kodiak Island, Alaska. Credit: Astra / John Kraus Astra officials said Saturday a software fix will likely resolve a guidance system problem that caused the company’s first orbital-class rocket to begin drifting off course soon after liftoff from Alaska Friday night, prompting a range safety officer…
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Hints of life renew interest in Venus, and a private mission could lead the way
A synthesized false color image of Venus, using 283-nm and 365-nm band images taken by the Venus Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) on Japan’s Akatsuki orbiter. Credit: JAXA / ISAS / Akatsuki Project Team The announcement Monday of the discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus — an indicator of possible life — has raised…
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Astra launch falters during first stage burn
Astra’s Rocket 3.1 takes off from Kodiak Island, Alaska. Credit: Astra / John Kraus Astra’s privately-developed small satellite launcher crashed shortly after liftoff from Alaska Friday evening on the company’s first try at reaching orbit. The startup launch company confirmed on Twitter that the flight ended during the rocket’s first stage burn, following a successful…
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NASA challenges companies to mine lunar soil
Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA announced Thursday it plans to purchase lunar soil from a commercial company, an effort the agency’s top official said is intended to set a precedent for the transfer of ownership of extraterrestrial material and stimulate a market harvesting resources from bodies throughout the solar system. The initiative is starting small, but…
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Relativity and Reach, Stoke and Starfish: Blue Origin veterans spark space startups
During his time at Blue Origin, Andrew Lapsa won the AIAA Liquid Propulsion Young Professional Award in 2017. Now he’s the CEO of his own startup, called Stoke Space. (Blue Origin Photo via Twitter) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture turned 20 years old this week — and although the privately held company…
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After second hop, SpaceX preps for next phase of Starship testing
After another Starship hop test last week, SpaceX is set to build the first prototype for the next-gen rocket’s huge first stage booster. Meanwhile, testing will commence soon on the Raptor engine model needed for orbital Starship missions. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, said Aug. 31 the first test vehicle for the Starship’s “Super…
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SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites, beta testing well underway
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A Thursday with 60 more Starlink satellites. Credit: SpaceX Sixty more satellites launched Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center to join SpaceX’s Starlink fleet, adding coverage to the broadband network as it is already “well into the first phase of testing.” The next 60 Starlink relay nodes…
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Live coverage: SpaceX launches another 60 Starlink satellites
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will launch SpaceX’s 12th batch of approximately 60 Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter [tabby title=”SpaceX webcast”] [tabby title=”SpaceX mission audio”] [tabbyending]
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Elon Musk offers update on SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket
File photo of SpaceX founder, CEO and chief engineer Elon Musk. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani SpaceX founder Elon Musk detailed progress on the company’s next-generation Starship program Monday, saying the huge rocket could “probably” attempt its first launch into Earth orbit next year, and adding that the Starship will fly hundreds of missions before SpaceX puts…