Tag: Electric Propulsion
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Starlink ‘train’ traces path across twilight skies
This view of the train of 60 Starlink satellites was captured Nov. 11 from Castaic, California. This view was created by merging four long exposure images. Credit: William G. Hartenstein The 60 Starlink satellites deployed Monday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket have traced paths across twilight skies around the world this week, but their…
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Photos: Falcon 9 launches with 60 Starlink satellites
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the heaviest payload ever launched by SpaceX took off Monday morning from Cape Canaveral with 60 satellites for then company’s Starlink broadband network. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket lifted off at 9:56 a.m. EST (1456 GMT) Monday, powered by nine Merlin 1D engines generating 1.7 million pounds of thrust. The kerosene-burning…
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Successful launch continues deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink network
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral at 9:56 a.m. EST (1456 GMT) Monday. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now Sixty upgraded satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network rocketed into orbit Monday from Florida’s Space Coast, debuting performance enhancements and notching new firsts in SpaceX’s list of rocket reuse accomplishments. SpaceX’s second batch of Starlink…
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SpaceX readies upgraded Starlink satellites for launch
Artist’s illustration of a Starlink satellite. Credit: SpaceX New satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network set for launch Monday from Cape Canaveral will debut several performance and safety upgrades, but they do not include changes to reduce the brightness of the satellites, a modification SpaceX says it will introduce on future Starlink craft to mitigate their…
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Aerojet Rocketdyne, Firefly to collaborate on propulsion
At its Central Texas test site, Firefly is conducting “quad” testing of four Reaver first stage engines for the company’s Alpha launch vehicle. Credit: Firefly Aerospace/Edwards Media Firefly Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne have announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on rocket propulsion, an agreement that could lead to Firefly’s use of Aerojet’s AR1 engine in…
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Japanese satellite re-enters atmosphere after experiments in ultra-low orbit
Artist’s concept of the Tsubame satellite, also known as the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS). Credit: JAXA An experimental Japanese satellite has ended its mission after proving it could operate at super-low altitudes, testing an Earth-imaging camera and using ion propulsion to fight against aerodynamic drag at an altitude of 112 miles (181 kilometers).…
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NASA chooses Maxar to build keystone module for lunar Gateway station
Artist’s illustration of the Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element. Credit: Maxar NASA has selected Maxar Technologies for a $375 million contract to design, build and launch the core element of a mini-space station in orbit around the moon that will double as a deep space research outpost and a staging point for future human expeditions…
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Falcon 9 rocket rolled out for first dedicated Starlink launch
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated after static fire. File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad in September 2018. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX ground teams at Cape Canaveral transferred a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 40 and rotated the booster vertical Monday for a preflight hold-down firing, ahead of a liftoff…
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SpaceX plans to launch “dozens” of Starlink test satellites this month
A Falcon 9 rocket climbs into the night sky over Cape Canaveral early May 4 with a Dragon supply ship heading for the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s next launch, scheduled for no earlier than May 15, will loft dozens of small test satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral for the company’s planned Starlink…
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Photos: Falcon 9 flight marks Cape Canaveral’s first launch of 2019
The first launch from Cape Canaveral this year placed into orbit an Indonesian communications satellite, a privately-funded Israeli moon lander, and an experimental space surveillance microsatellite for the U.S. Air Force. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket fired into a starry sky over Florida’s Space Coast at 8:45 p.m. EST on Feb. 21 (0145 GMT Feb. 22)…