Tag: Falcon Heavy
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Falcon Heavy prepares for debut flight as Musk urges caution on expectations
Developing rockets is difficult – even when those rockets use existing rocket boosters. Such is the case for SpaceX and the development of the Falcon Heavy. Once operational, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in the world. While the path to its inaugural mission has been challenging, Elon Musk is urging caution surrounding expectations…
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Elon Musk is bullish on Dragon space rides, but Red Dragon on Mars? Not so much
Artwork shows a Red Dragon capsule firing its thrusters for a Mars landing. (SpaceX Illustration) SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he expects to see astronauts flying to the International Space Station on his company’s Dragon capsules by mid-2018 – but is downplaying a technology that would have opened the way for robotic “Red Dragon” missions to…
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SpaceX aims to restore damaged launch pad to service by end of summer
File photo of the damaged strongback tower at Complex 40 shortly after the Sept. 1 Falcon 9 rocket explosion. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Construction crews at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad are busily repairing and upgrading the facility after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded there last year, with the pad’s return to service…
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First core of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket fired in Texas
The center section of SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket has been test-fired at the launch company’s test facility in Central Texas, a sign of progress toward the behemoth booster’s long-delayed maiden mission scheduled some time in the final months of 2017. The core stage is a modified version of the first stage that powers SpaceX’s…
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First core of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket fired in Texas
The center section of SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket has been test-fired at the launch company’s test facility in Central Texas, a sign of progress toward the behemoth booster’s long-delayed maiden mission scheduled some time in the final months of 2017. The core stage is a modified version of the first stage that powers SpaceX’s…
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SpaceX tweets Falcon Heavy rocket test
SpaceX showed off the first static-fire engine test for the center core of its three-core Falcon Heavy rocket – a yet-to-be-flown launch vehicle that could someday send robotic probes to Mars. The heavy-lift rocket has been in the works for years. Last week’s test firing took place at SpaceX’s rocket development center in McGregor, Texas, and…
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SpaceX improving launch cadence, testing new goals
Following the launch of the NROL-76 spacecraft on Monday – which also included a successful Second Stage extended coast test – SpaceX is already deep into preparations to launch its next mission, with the Inmarsat 5 F4 satellite, in the middle of this month. The company’s improving launch cadence is being achieved mainly via the use…
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Falcon Heavy build up begins; SLC-40 pad rebuild progressing well
As SpaceX continues to make excellent progress on rebuilding SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the company has achieved a major milestone toward the debut of its Falcon Heavy rocket. With the first Falcon Heavy side core on the test stand at McGregor, Texas, SpaceX is in final preparation for the all important…
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Musk wants to make Falcon rockets fully reusable
This illustration of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage re-entering the atmosphere is part of an animation released in 2011. SpaceX officials have not discussed technical details of how the company would recover upper stages under founder Elon Musk’s latest emphasis on the project. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX chief Elon Musk said last week he is…
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Musk previews busy year ahead for SpaceX
Elon Musk speaks with reporters after Thursday’s launch of SES 10. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Spaceflight Now There’s a lot on SpaceX’s agenda this year if the company can maintain its pace, including refinements of the Falcon 9 rocket to hasten refurbishment between flights and the debut of the long-delayed Falcon Heavy launch vehicle…