Tag: SpaceX
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Musk declares Starship is ready for its second test flight, following stacking
Aerial view of the fully stacked Starship vehicle at Starbase, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2023. Image: SpaceX. Story updated with information confirmed to Spaceflight Now by the Federal Aviation Administration on Sept. 7, 2023. Another SpaceX Starship rocket stands fully integrated against the South Texas horizon and company-founder Elon Musk said from his perspective, they’re…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches record-breaking 62nd mission of the year
Update: 10:57 p.m. EDT: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 10:47 p.m. EDT (0247 UTC), marking an historic 62nd orbital launch this calendar year. The mission broke its own orbital launch record that it set back in 2022 when it launched 61 orbital missions for the full year. In a…
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SpaceX Crew-6 returns to Earth after six-month ISS Stay
After more than six months in space, four people splashed down in the waters near Florida. The SpaceX Crew-6 mission, which launched on March 2 and docked with the International Space Station (ISS) the following day, undocked on Sept. 3 at 7:05 EDT (11:05 UTC). Recovery vessels retrieved the crew and their capsule, Crew Dragon…
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Pension fund’s lawsuit questions Amazon’s decisions on Kuiper satellite launch deal
Amazon plans to have satellites sent into orbit by (from left) United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan-Centaur rockets, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets and Arianespace’s Ariane rockets. ULA’s Atlas V rockets are also in the mix — but not SpaceX’s rockets, at least for now. (Amazon Illustration) An Ohio-based pension fund has filed a lawsuit alleging that…
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SpaceX notches 60th launch of the year with Starlink mission, one shy of tying record
Update 11:00 p.m. EDT: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The first stage booster, tail number B1077, landed on the drone ship, A Shortfall of Gravitas. Update 8:58 p.m. EDT: SpaceX shifted the launch time of the mission to a new T-0 at 10:21 p.m. EDT (0221…
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Why did SpaceX give up on “catching” falling fairings? Its VP of launch explains
Amid much fanfare, SpaceX started landing its Falcon 9 rockets in 2015, and it began reusing them less than two years later. The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, with nine engines and the bulk of the mass, accounts for about half of the cost of manufacturing a rocket, so this represents a considerable…
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Four people from four different nations ride SpaceX rocket into orbit
SpaceX launched a Dragon spacecraft into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast early Saturday, carrying a multinational crew from the United States, Denmark, Japan, and Russia on a flight to the International Space Station. The four crew members strapped into their seats inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft overnight and then waited for a Falcon 9…
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SpaceX completes successful hot fire test of its massive Starship rocket
SpaceX conducted a second hot fire test of its Super Heavy booster on Friday afternoon, likely taking a key step toward the next launch of its massive new rocket. A few minutes after the test firing, SpaceX founder Elon Musk characterized it as “successful” on the social media network formerly known as Twitter. SpaceX later…
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SpaceX completes successful hot fire test of its massive Starship rocket
SpaceX conducted a second hot fire test of its Super Heavy booster on Friday afternoon, likely taking a key step toward the next launch of its massive new rocket. A few minutes after the test firing, SpaceX founder Elon Musk characterized it as “successful” on the social media network formerly known as Twitter. SpaceX later…
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SpaceX completes successful hot fire test of its massive Starship rocket
SpaceX conducted a second hot fire test of its Super Heavy booster on Friday afternoon, likely taking a key step toward the next launch of its massive new rocket. A few minutes after the test firing, SpaceX founder Elon Musk characterized it as “successful” on the social media network formerly known as Twitter. SpaceX later…