Tag: Falcon 9
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SpaceX and NASA beginning final preparations for Crew-3 mission
With the launch just weeks away, SpaceX, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are making final preparations for the third operational Crew Dragon mission. Crew-3 will be the third long-duration mission flown by SpaceX as part of the Commercial Crew Program. The four Crew-3 astronauts will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a…
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New Raptor Factory under construction at SpaceX McGregor amid continued engine testing
SpaceX’s engine testing facility on 4,300 acres of land in McGregor, Texas, just south of the city of Waco, is undergoing new development and testing related to the Raptor engine for Starship and Super Heavy. With five test bays, the facility will soon become a hub for Raptor 2 engine assembly, with a new factory…
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SpaceX launches Inspiration4, first all-private orbital mission
SpaceX has successfully launched the first-ever all-private orbital mission, Inspiration4. The first-of-its-kind flight saw four private astronauts take flight on a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon ahead of a three-day stay in Low Earth Orbit. The flight is part of a large fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, a pediatric cancer hospital. Liftoff, from…
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SpaceX begins second Starlink shell with Vandenberg launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying a total of 51 second-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. This was the first launch in support of deploying the second shell of Starlink satellites. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at 8:55 PM Pacific time…
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SpaceX Cargo Dragon CRS-23 arrived at the ISS
SpaceX and NASA conducted a Sunday’s launch of the CRS-23 (Commercial Resupply Services 23) mission to the International Space Station on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. A previous attempt on Saturday from LC-39A was scrubbed in the final minutes due to weather constraints over the Cape. Sunday’s launch occurred at 03:14:48…
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Inspiration4 launch nears as intense training schedule continues
Just weeks from launch, SpaceX has started final preparations for the crewed Inspiration4 (I4) mission. I4 will be the first free flight Crew Dragon mission and the first orbital, all private crewed mission. I4 will also be the first worldwide crewed flight that will not dock with a space station since the final Hubble servicing…
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From Apollo to multi-user, the changing yet similar nature of Launch Complex 39
As the Artemis 1 SLS vehicle prepares to take its place on LC-39B later this year for its first round of pad testing ahead of its debut mission, the Space Launch System (SLS) and Artemis program represent yet another major alteration to the LC-39 area of the Kennedy Space Center, originally designed to meet President…
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SpaceX launches 88 spacecraft into orbit — including two of Spaceflight’s orbital tugs
A SpaceX Falcon 9 booster makes its landing after the Transporter-2 launch. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sent dozens of satellites into orbit today with a launch that featured an unusual on-the-ground touchdown for its first-stage booster. Eighty-eight spacecraft were packed aboard the two-stage rocket, which took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force…
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SpaceX successfully launches Transporter 2 mission with 88 satellites
SpaceX launched the Transporter 2 mission on Wednesday, June 30 at 15:31 EDT (19:31 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This followed an attempt on Tuesday where the countdown was held at T-30 seconds due to an aircraft violating the range’s restricted airspace. This was the second dedicated…
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SpaceX launches newest GPS satellite on reused booster
SpaceX has launched another next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the United States Space Force. Falcon 9 lifted off with the GPS-III-SV05 satellite on June 17 from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida right on time at 12:09EDT (16:09 UTC). This was the 19th Falcon 9 launch in 2021, and…