Tag: Raptor
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SpaceX to build BFR factory in Southern California
Artist’s concept of SpaceX’s planned spaceship on the moon. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX plans to build its massive BFR rocket boosters and spaceships inside a cavernous new factory at the Port of Los Angeles, officials announced this week. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed Monday during a State of the City address that SpaceX will produce…
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Musk: Atmospheric tests of interplanetary spaceship could happen next year
Artist’s concept of the BFR spaceship deploying a satellite in orbit. Credit: SpaceX A team of SpaceX engineers is building a prototype of the spaceship Elon Musk hopes will one day carry people and cargo deep into the solar system, and it could begin low-altitude testing next year, kicking off a multi-step test campaign before…
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The Moon, Mars, & around the Earth – Musk updates BFR architecture, plans
Speaking at the 2017 International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, Elon Musk has laid out a much anticipated update to SpaceX’s Mars colonization plan – including a slightly scaled back version of the BFR vehicle introduced last year. Included in this update, excitingly, was the announcement of the company’s aim to establish a human base…
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ITS Propulsion – The evolution of the SpaceX Raptor engine
With the spaceflight community still in awe at the unveiling of the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS), SpaceX has set itself some lofty long-term goals. However, while the realization of the plan is up for debate, the presentation has at least revealed some of the key specifications of the system, not least the Raptor engine. The…
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Orbital ATK, SpaceX nab U.S. Air Force propulsion contracts
Blue Origin successfully test fires its BE-3 high-performance liquid hydrogen engine thrust chamber at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in this 2012 file photo. Credit: NASA Orbital ATK and SpaceX won Pentagon contracts worth a combined value of up to $241 million Wednesday in public-private partnerships crafted to hasten the U.S. military’s move away from Russian-supplied propulsion…
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Orbital ATK, SpaceX nab U.S. Air Force propulsion contracts
Blue Origin successfully test fires its BE-3 high-performance liquid hydrogen engine thrust chamber at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in this 2012 file photo. Credit: NASA Orbital ATK and SpaceX won Pentagon contracts worth a combined value of up to $241 million Wednesday in public-private partnerships crafted to hasten the U.S. military’s move away from Russian-supplied propulsion…
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Battle of the Heavyweight Rockets – SLS could face Exploration Class rival
With the recent announcement the Space Launch System (SLS) has become challenged by her schedule, the NASA rocket may soon find herself in a battle with a commercial “alternative”. SpaceX’s super powerful Exploration Class rocket is targeting crewed missions to Mars up to 10 years ahead of SLS – although both vehicles continue to avoid being…
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SpaceX Roadmap building on its rocket business revolution
Following the recent success of the Falcon 9 launch with six ORBCOMM spacecraft, SpaceX is in the midst of speedy turnaround of its Cape Canaveral launch site, ahead of the ASIASAT-8 mission. While SpaceX remains on track for a record year, CEO Elon Musk believes the time is coming where there will be thousands of…
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SpaceX advances drive for Mars rocket via Raptor power
SpaceX Co-Founder and Vice President of Propulsion Development Tom Mueller has revealed the company is deep into the development of the first “full flow methane-liquid oxygen” rocket engine. Known as the Raptor, nine of these immensely powerful engines – on one or three cores – will be utilized to send SpaceX’s Super Heavy Lift Launch…
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SpaceX progress on Dragon abort test and Raptor engine
SpaceX provided another glimpse into their future ambitions by announcing they have completed a review of their 2014 abort test for their commercial crew program. The company also announced they would begin testing of their new Raptor engine – a key element of their Mars mission architecture – early next year at NASA’s Stennis Space…