Tag: Reusability
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SpaceX test-fires Raptor engine on Starship test rocket
Video credit: SPadre / YouTube A test-firing of a Raptor engine on the latest in a series of Starship test rockets Tuesday night in Texas moved SpaceX closer to performing a low-altitude “hop” to gather data on the vehicle’s launch and landing characteristics. The single methane-fueled Raptor engine on the bottom of the Starship…
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SpaceX test-fires rocket for Starlink launch next week
A plume of exhaust erupts from pad 39A’s flame trench at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) Friday during SpaceX’s static fire test. Credit: William Harwood/CBS News SpaceX test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket with a previously-flown first stage booster Friday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, keeping pace for a launch scheduled next Thursday, April…
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Rocket Lab reports recovery test success
Aiming for reusability, Rocket Lab has demonstrated the mid-air recovery of a booster test article in a key test before rigging the first stage of the company’s Electron launcher with a parachute on missions beginning later this year. The company said the test in early March showed Rocket Lab’s concept of catching a descending Electron…
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Photos: SpaceX cargo capsule returns to Southern California after space station mission
SpaceX technicians offloaded a Dragon cargo capsule from its recovery ship Thursday after returning the thrice-flown supply freighter to the Port of Los Angeles, marking the final planned return of a Dragon spacecraft to the West Coast. The cargo vehicle splashed down Tuesday, April 7, under parachutes in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles…
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With successful splashdown, SpaceX retires first version of Dragon spacecraft
SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule — flying on SpaceX’s CRS-20 mission — is seen berthed at the International Space Station in this photo taken March 24. Credit: NASA For the final time, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm Tuesday and splashed down hours later in Pacific Ocean southwest…
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SpaceX successfully launches sixth Starlink launch despite engine issue
SpaceX launched the Starlink V1.0 L5 mission from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Falcon 9 (B1048.5) flew for a record fifth time but failed to land after an engine issue late in first stage flight. Falcon 9 is able to continue with an engine out, but it was likely the engine that suffered…
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SpaceX launch aborted in final second before liftoff
A Falcon 9 rocket stands on pad 39A seconds after an aborted launch Sunday. Credit: SpaceX The countdown for a planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida automatically aborted in the last second before liftoff Sunday after an on-board computer detected unexpected data during an engine power…
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Live coverage: SpaceX delivers Starlink satellites to orbit despite engine failure
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will launch SpaceX’s sixth batch of Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”SpaceX Webcast”] [tabby title=”SpaceX Mission Audio”] [tabbyending] Spaceflight Now members can…
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SpaceX set to fly Falcon 9 booster for fifth time on Starlink launch Sunday
The Falcon 9 rocket for SpaceX’s next mission was test-fired Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now The launch of 60 Starlink Internet satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will mark SpaceX’s first mission to fly a Falcon first stage for a…
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Live coverage: SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites
Live coverage of SpaceX’s preparations for the next Falcon 9 rocket launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will launch SpaceX’s fifth batch of Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.