Tag: Falcon Heavy
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Falcon Heavy enabler for Dragon solar system explorer
SpaceX head Elon Musk has revealed plans to utilize the Falcon Heavy and Dragon 2 vehicles for science missions throughout the solar system. Citing Dragon 2’s capability as a “science delivery platform”, Mr. Musk claimed the crew-capable spacecraft could also be tasked with landing scientific payloads at destinations ranging from the Moon and Mars –…
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Arabsat contracts go to Lockheed Martin, Arianespace and SpaceX
Artist’s concept of the Lockheed Martin-built Arabsat 6A and HellasSat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 satellites. Credit: Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin will build two communications satellites for Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat, and Arianespace and SpaceX will launch the commercial relay platforms under contracts valued at $650 million announced Wednesday. Riyadh-based Arabsat said in a press release that it had…
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KSC Pads continue preparations for future vehicles
Both of the iconic pads at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are being revamped for their roles with new launch vehicles. Pad 39B is set to receive additional Catacomb Roof reinforcements to cope with the massive SLS Block 1B rocket, while Pad 39A’s landscape continues to change with modifications at the pad and the construction of…
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Falcon Heavy rocket hangar rises at launch pad 39A
SpaceX’s new hangar goes up at launch pad 39A. Credit: Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now SpaceX began erecting a new hangar at a former space shuttle launch pad in Florida last week, moving the historic facility closer to launching astronauts again. Positioned at the south perimeter of launch pad 39A, the hangar sits on the gravel crawlerway…
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Falcon Heavy into production as Pad 39A HIF rises out of the ground
SpaceX’s new rocket system, the Falcon Heavy, is continuing preparations for her 2015 debut, with work taking place around the country. Modifications to Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are now making visible progress, in tandem with the opening hardware fabrication and testing at SpaceX assets – hardware that is being born with SpaceX’s…
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SpaceX leases property for landing pads at Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg
Artist’s concept of a Falcon rocket stage on final descent to a vertical propulsive landing as envisioned by SpaceX. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX plans to set up landing pads on abandoned launch sites at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base in a step toward the company’s vision for eventual recovery and reuse of rocket boosters.…
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SpaceX releases new animation of mighty Falcon Heavy
A new animation of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket set for a debut flight later this year shows how the powerful launcher will blast off from Kennedy Space Center’s famed Apollo-era launch pad 39A, and could eventually fly back to Florida’s Space Coast for refurbishment and reuse. Driven skyward by 27 kerosene-fueled booster engines, the Falcon Heavy…
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24 launches scheduled at Cape Canaveral this year
A Falcon 9 rocket streaks into orbit Jan. 10 in this long exposure photograph from Kennedy Space Center’s press site. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Up to 24 launches are planned from Cape Canaveral in 2015, thanks to jam-packed manifests for SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to send up satellites for the U.S. military, NASA and…
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Pad 39A – SpaceX laying the groundwork for Falcon Heavy debut
SpaceX has confirmed it is now into the construction phase of converting Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A for its Falcon Heavy debut, with a large amount of work now taking place to build a new vehicle facility at the complex. The former Apollo and Space Shuttle pad is being re-purposed to host the maiden flight of SpaceX’s new…
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KSC continuing its spaceport transition for the new era
It’s been over three years since the world famous Kennedy Space Center (KSC) last felt the rumble of a launch from within its grounds. However, the spaceport hasn’t fallen completely silent, as a realignment of the center’s role continues apace, ahead of the new era of commercial and government launches that may ultimately result in humans…