Tag: Falcon 9
-
SpaceX wins contract to launch Egyptian communications satellite
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX and the Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat have signed a contract to launch the Nilesat 301 communications craft on a Falcon 9 rocket in early 2022, SpaceX confirmed this week. The commercial agreement was…
-
SpaceX releases preliminary results from Crew Dragon abort test
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Jan. 25 with change in description of trigger setting. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is offloaded from the company’s recovery ship, Go Searcher, after returning to Port Canaveral on Jan. 19 following an in-flight launch escape demonstration. Credit: SpaceX Data from the Jan. 19 in-flight launch escape demonstration of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft indicate…
-
Live coverage: Next SpaceX launch expected no earlier than Monday
Live coverage of SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will launch SpaceX’s fourth batch of Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical Monday on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral…
-
Photos: Crew Dragon returns to port after in-flight abort test
The Crew Dragon spacecraft arrives at Port Canaveral on Jan. 19, 2020, after SpaceX’s in-flight abort test. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now Loaded onto a SpaceX recovery ship, the Crew Dragon capsule that performed a successful in-flight abort test Sunday over Florida’s Space Coast pulled into Port Canaveral hours later after being retrieved from…
-
SpaceX test-fires rocket for next Starlink mission; launch date under review
Nine Merlin engines on the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired for several seconds at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) Monday during a prelaunch static fire test. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now Just one day after a mission from a nearby launch pad, SpaceX test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket Monday at…
-
SpaceX aces final major test before first crew mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster disintegrated in a fireball — as expected — a few seconds after the Crew Dragon capsule fired away from the top of the rocket in an in-flight escape demonstration Sunday. Credit: Spaceflight Now SpaceX performed a dramatic high-altitude test flight Sunday of the company’s Crew Dragon capsule over Florida’s Space Coast,…
-
Photos: SpaceX purposely fails rocket to test crew capsule safety system
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Jan. 21 with additional photos. Credit: Katie Darby SpaceX simulated an in-flight emergency Sunday to verify the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has the capability to catapult itself away from a failing Falcon 9 rocket. The in-flight abort test demonstrated the human-rated capsule can safely and rapidly fly away from a Falcon 9 rocket…
-
SpaceX aces fiery rehearsal of worst-case scenario for Crew Dragon spaceflights
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad to begin an in-flight test of the Crew Dragon space taxi’s abort system. (SpaceX / NASA via YouTube) With a fiery flash and volleys of cheers, SpaceX and NASA today rehearsed something they hope will never happen: a catastrophic rocket failure at the worst…
-
SpaceX will trigger an intentional rocket failure to prove crew capsule’s safety
Illustration of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket during the company’s uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This demonstration test of Crew Dragon’s launch escape capabilities is designed to provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX’s crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX…
-
SpaceX conducts successful Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test
SpaceX successfully launched a unique Falcon 9 rocket at LC-39A for the in-flight abort test of their Crew Dragon spacecraft. The uncrewed test flight saw the spacecraft demonstrate its ability to escape a failing rocket mid-flight. Sunday’s launch occurred at 10:30 AM Eastern, with a successful test resulting in the safe splashdown of the Dragon…