Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy on Wednesday after 18 month hiatus
After a hiatus of more than a year and a half, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket finally flew again from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The mission, named ViaSat-3 F3, saw a third internet satellite deployed as part of the ViaSat-3 internet satellite constellation into geostationary orbit (GEO).…
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Launch Capacity Hits Critical Bottleneck Despite Record Investment
Is launch capacity the new limiting factor for space commerce? Despite $8.2 billion in launch industry investment over the past three years, orbital access has become the primary constraint throttling commercial space growth. Satellite operators are now facing 18-24 month wait times for dedicated launches and 12-18 months for rideshare slots, creating a fundamental mismatch…
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Launch preview: SpaceX seeks second attempt at Falcon Heavy launch following weather scrub on Monday
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket stands in the vertical launch position ahead of the flight of the ViaSat-3 Flight 3 mission for Viasat. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now SpaceX will try again Wednesday to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, following a last-minute scrub Monday due to poor weather. The heavy lift rocket…
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With new patch design, the Crew-13 astronauts clearly aren’t superstitious
NASA has assigned its first crew to launch on a mission “13” since Apollo 13 “had a problem” on the way to the Moon 56 years ago. Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney with NASA, Joshua Kutryk with the Canadian Space Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will lift off for the International Space Station as…
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SpaceX scrubs Falcon Heavy launch of final ViaSat-3 satellite due to poor weather
SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket on Monday, April 27, in the final minute due to poor weather in the area. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update April 27, 10:48 a.m. EDT (1448 UTC): SpaceX scrubbed the mission due to poor weather. SpaceX stood down from launching its first Falcon Heavy rocket in…
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Launch Preview: Falcon Heavy returns, Atlas V and Ariane 6 to launch Amazon Leo satellites
Six launches are expected from Florida, California, and French Guiana this week, with SpaceX scheduled to launch its Falcon Heavy vehicle for the first time since October 2024. Meanwhile, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Ariane 6 are all expected to launch internet satellites for the Starlink and Amazon Leo constellations, and Falcon 9 will close…
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Blue Origin Captures Major Defense Contracts from SpaceX
How is Blue Origin competing with SpaceX for defense contracts? Blue Origin has secured $2.8 billion in Pentagon launch contracts over the past six months, directly challenging SpaceX’s dominance in the national security launch market. The company’s New Glenn rocket, which achieved operational status in late 2025, now offers launch services at $89 million per…
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FCC Dismisses SpaceX Spectrum Bids as D2D Market Consolidates
Why Did the FCC Block SpaceX’s Satellite Spectrum Challenge? The Federal Communications Commission has dismissed challenges by SpaceX and other companies seeking access to Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum, effectively protecting incumbent operators’ rights to frequencies increasingly valuable for Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity. The FCC ruling comes as the D2D market rapidly consolidates, with spectrum rights…
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Starship Progress at the Cape with Hoping to Launch this year
As the first flight of Block 3 approaches, SpaceX continues to make progress on the Gigabay at Roberts Road and the launch pads at LC-39A and the first pad at SLC-37. SpaceX hopes to launch from LC-39A sometime this year. Roberts Road Over the past several months, SpaceX and its contractors have been making great…
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SpaceX launches final GPS III satellite for the U.S. Space Force
A Falcon 9 streaks through a sky filled by the Milky Way in this long duration streak shot. It carried a Global Positioning System satellite for the U.S. Space Force. Photo: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now. The U.S. Space Force launched its final Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite into medium Earth orbit in the predawn hours…