Tag: Falcon launch
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Aliens in L.A.? Santa? Even Elon Musk has some fun with SpaceX rocket’s sky show
The contrail left behind by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch looked like a giant fish in the skies over Southern California. (Elon Musk via Twitter) The bloom of exhaust that blossomed in Southern California’s skies during Friday evening’s liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket sparked jokes and jitters — with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joining in. Was…
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SpaceX puts 10 Iridium telecom satellites in orbit – and creates a spectacle in the sky
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX has sent 10 more satellites into orbit for the Iridium NEXT constellation, passing the halfway point in its 75-satellite launch contract. The satellites went into space aboard a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket launched at 5:27 p.m. PT today…
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SpaceX takes rocket reusability to new heights with launch to space station
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (NASA via YouTube) For the first time, SpaceX has sent a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station from a refurbished launch pad, atop a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon lifted off at 10:35 a.m. ET (7:35 a.m.…
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Next-generation SpaceX rocket engine goes up in flames during Texas test
A Merlin rocket engine undergoes testing at SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX says its next-generation Merlin rocket engine experienced a fiery anomaly during preparations for testing at its facility in McGregor, Texas, but the flare-up isn’t expected to have an effect on the company’s ambitious launch schedule. No injuries were reported in…
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Sweet 16! SpaceX sends KoreaSat-5A into orbit and then lands Falcon 9 booster
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida, sending the Koreasat-5A telecommunications satellite into space. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX executed its 16th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year today, sending the Koreasat-5A telecommunications satellite into orbit and then having the first-stage booster fly itself back to an oceangoing…
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SpaceX launches a satellite and lands a Falcon 9 booster for second time this week
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the SES-11/Echostar-105 telecommunications satellite. (SpaceX via YouTube) Good things came in threes for SpaceX today: For the third time, it used a previously flown Falcon 9 rocket booster to send a payload into space, and had that booster…
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SpaceX launches 10 satellites for Iridium, then lands Falcon 9 booster at sea
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. (USAF via YouTube) SpaceX launched its third batch of 10 Iridium Next communications satellites from California today on a Falcon 9 rocket, then brought down the first-stage booster for a landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. The launch was the…
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SpaceX launches Air Force’s secret X-37B space plane as Hurricane Irma nears
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, sending the Air Force’s X-37B space plane into space. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX launched the Air Force’s X-37B robotic space plane on its latest months-long, classified mission today – marking another first for the company, with an oncoming hurricane adding to the pressure.…
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SpaceX launches Formosat-5 satellite, then lands booster on Pacific drone ship
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX chalked up another successful satellite launch and booster landing today, putting Taiwan’s Formosat-5 Earth observation satellite into orbit in the process. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:51 a.m. PT from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base…
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SpaceX sends a supercomputer and lots more science experiments to space station
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as spectators watch from Florida’s Space Coast. (NASA via YouTube) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has sent a robotic Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station with three tons of supplies and scientific experiments, including a supercomputer that could help blaze the trail to Mars.…