Tag: FAA
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U.S. FAA Lifts Temporary Restrictions on Commercial Rocket Launches After Government Reopens
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted temporary restrictions that had limited commercial rocket launches to nighttime hours, easing constraints on companies such as SpaceX following the end of the federal government shutdown. The order, issued on Nov. 10, was designed to reduce workload for air traffic controllers during the shutdown by avoiding daytime…
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FAA Limits Rocket Launches Amid Government Shutdown, Citing Strain on Air Traffic Control
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed temporary restrictions on commercial space launches and landings, allowing them only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., as the ongoing government shutdown strains the nation’s air traffic control system. According to an emergency order issued by the FAA, the measures are intended to ensure safety as reduced staffing…
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Department of the Air Force, FAA clear SpaceX to launch up to 120 Falcon 9 rockets annually from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Crew Dragon atop a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) for the first time on the Crew-9 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of the Air Force gave the green light for SpaceX to more than double its launch cadence from its…
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FAA caused Falcon 9 TRACERS launch scrub
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has noted that it was responsible for the scrub of a SpaceX launch at the Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday. SpaceX was gearing up to launch TRACERS, NASA’s latest mission to study solar wind and how it impacts Earth, with liftoff set to occur at SLC-4E at Vandenberg, with…
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Companies may soon pay a fee for their rockets to share the skies with airplanes
The Federal Aviation Administration may soon levy fees on companies seeking launch and reentry licenses, a new tack in the push to give the agency the resources it needs to keep up with the rapidly growing commercial space industry. The text of a budget reconciliation bill released by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last week calls…
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SpaceX Identifies Distinct Cause of Starship Flight 8 Failure, Targets May 27 for Next Launch
SpaceX has disclosed the cause of the Starship Flight 8 failure, revealing it stemmed from a hardware issue in one of its Raptor engines—distinct from the anomaly that led to the loss of Flight 7. The new details come as the company prepares for the vehicle’s next test flight, now scheduled for no earlier than…
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FAA Clears SpaceX Starship for Flight After March Mishap, Expands Safety Zones
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday granted approval for SpaceX to proceed with its next Starship test flight following an investigation into a March explosion, expanding airspace safety zones and signaling strengthened international coordination with countries along the rocket’s flight path. The green light paves the way for Starship Flight 9 to launch…
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Mere weeks after Starship’s breakup, the vehicle may soon fly again
A little over a month after SpaceX’s large Starship launch ended in an explosion over several Caribbean islands, the company is preparing its next rocket for a test flight. According to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration, the eighth test flight of the Starship vehicle could take place as early as February 26…
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It seems the FAA office overseeing SpaceX’s Starship probe still has some bite
The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s gigantic Starship rocket came to a disappointing end a little more than two weeks ago. The in-flight failure of the rocket’s upper stage, or ship, about eight minutes after launch on January 16 rained debris over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Atlantic Ocean. Amateur videos recorded from…
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Fire destroys Starship on its seventh test flight, raining debris from space
SpaceX launched an upgraded version of its massive Starship rocket from South Texas on Thursday, but the flight ended less than nine minutes later after engineers lost contact with the spacecraft. For a few moments, SpaceX officials discussing the launch on the company’s live webcast were unsure of the outcome of the test flight. However,…