Tag: Space
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If Starship is real, we’re going to need big cargo movers on the Moon and Mars
As a SpaceX engineer working on the Starship program about five years ago, Jaret Matthews could see the future of spaceflight quite clearly and began to imagine the possibilities. For decades everything that went to space had to be carefully measured, optimized for mass, and serve an extremely specialized purpose. But Starship, Matthews believed, held…
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SpaceX has now landed more boosters than most other rockets ever launch
SpaceX launches have become extremely routine. On Tuesday evening, SpaceX launched its 42nd rocket of the year, carrying yet another passel of Starlink satellites into orbit. Chances are, you didn’t even notice. All the same, the cumulative numbers are mind-boggling. SpaceX is now launching at a rate of one mission every 2.7 days this year.…
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SpaceX and Northrop are working on a constellation of spy satellites
SpaceX is reportedly working with at least one major US defense contractor, Northrop Grumman, on a constellation of spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. According to Reuters, development of the network of hundreds of spy satellites by SpaceX is being coordinated with multiple contractors to avoid putting too much control of a highly sensitive…
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The hidden story behind one of SpaceX’s wettest and wildest launches
Ten years ago today, when a Falcon 9 rocket took off from Florida, something strange happened. Dramatically, as the rocket lifted off, a fountain of dirty water splashed upward alongside the vehicle, coating the rocket in grime. Following the ultimately successful liftoff of this third cargo Dragon mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX founder…
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Russian space chief says new rocket will put Falcon 9 reuse to shame
Russia’s once-vaunted launch industry has been much in decline due to a combination of factors, including an aging fleet of rockets, a reduction in government investment, and the country’s war in Ukraine driving away Western customers. However, it is has been difficult for the country’s leaders to explain these difficult facts to the Russian people.…
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Kuiper satellite network gets a big lift from Amazon’s CEO, but timeline is a bit hazy
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket sends two prototype Project Kuiper satellites into orbit for Amazon in October 2023. (ULA Photo) In his annual letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says the company’s Project Kuiper satellite venture will be “a very large revenue opportunity” in the future — but he’s hedging his bets as…
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The most metal of rockets has gone into the great mosh pit in the sky
United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket lifted off for the final time on Tuesday. United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket lifted off for the final time on Tuesday. United Launch Alliance The rocket will now go into retirement after 16 flights. United Launch Alliance The rocket will now go into…
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With payload questions, it’s likely Vulcan will not launch again until fall
After the impressive debut of the Vulcan rocket in January, it is unclear when the heavy lift vehicle will fly again. The uncertainty is due to a couple of factors, including the rocket’s readiness and, perhaps more critically, what will fly on top of it. United Launch Alliance, which assembles and launches the Vulcan rocket,…
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How will astronauts cruise around the Moon? NASA narrows choice to three options
NASA has made another bold bet on the nation’s commercial space industry, this time asking private companies to provide a lunar rover that can survive for up to a decade near the South Pole of the Moon. The space agency on Wednesday announced the selection of three teams, led by Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and…
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Russia has a plan to “restore” its dominant position in the global launch market
It has been a terrible decade for the Russian launch industry, which once led the world. The country’s long-running workhorse, the Proton rocket, ran into reliability issues and will soon be retired. Russia’s next-generation rocket, Angara, is fully expendable and still flying dummy payloads on test flights a decade after its debut. And the ever-reliable…