Tag: SpaceX
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A nearly 20-year ban on human spaceflight regulations is set to expire
In 2004, Congress passed a law that established a moratorium on federal safety regulations for commercial astronauts and space tourists riding to space on new privately owned rockets and spacecraft. The idea was to allow time for new space companies to establish themselves before falling under the burden of regulations, an eventuality that spaceflight startups…
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A nearly 20-year ban on human spaceflight regulations is set to expire
In 2004, Congress passed a law that established a moratorium on federal safety regulations for commercial astronauts and space tourists riding to space on new privately owned rockets and spacecraft. The idea was to allow time for new space companies to establish themselves before falling under the burden of regulations, an eventuality that spaceflight startups…
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Falcon Heavy launches largest ever geostationary satellite
For its third flight this year, Falcon Heavy conducted the record-breaking launch of EchoStar 24. Also known as Jupiter 3, this payload will be the heaviest satellite launched to a geostationary transfer orbit, massing 9.2 tonnes. As such, Falcon Heavy needed to expend its center core to gain additional performance, like what has been done…
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SpaceX teases another application for Starship
You’ve probably heard about SpaceX’s plans to use its giant new Starship vehicle to land people on the Moon and Mars, send numerous Starlink satellites or large telescopes into space, or perhaps even serve as a high-speed point-to-point terrestrial transport for equipment or people. There’s another application for SpaceX’s Starship architecture that the company is…
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Launch roundup: Falcon Heavy launches largest GEO satellite, Rocket Lab’s Electron to complete 40th flight
The week of July 24 through July 30 will end the month with at least four more launches, focused mostly on increasing the number of Earth-imaging satellites sent to space. Firstly, China launched Yaogn satellites atop the Chang Zheng 2D; SpaceX also launched a Starlink mission and Falcon Heavy launched the largest-ever geostationary (GEO) satellite into…
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Space Force releases NSSL phase three second draft
The United States Space Force (USSF) recently released a second draft of a request for proposals (RFP) for the forthcoming phase three of the national security space launch (NSSL) program. Phase three will cover launch orders over a five-year period starting in October 2024 — the start of fiscal year (FY) 2025 — and has…
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Someone new will join the US military’s roster of launch contractors
The US Space Force, long content with using just one or two contractors to carry the military’s most vital satellites into orbit, has announced it will seek a third provider for national security launch services in its next multibillion-dollar round of rocket procurement. This is good news for Blue Origin, which has long sought to…
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Booster 9 rolls to the upgraded Starbase pad ahead of Static Fire test
Booster 9 has arrived at the Orbital Launch Site ahead of a Static Fire test, which will also be used to validate repairs and upgrades of Starship’s launch pad. That rollout is a key milestone in the campaign ahead of the second flight of the world’s most powerful rocket. SpaceX has also started the test…
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Launch Roundup: Rocket Lab conducts Electron reuse attempt, SpaceX flies two Starlink v2 missions
The week of July 16 through July 23 saw four more launches take place around the world, potentially increasing the orbital launch count to 108 so far in 2023. This included Rocket Lab’s launch of the “Baby Come Back” mission (which featured a first stage recovery attempt), two more SpaceX Starlink v2 missions, and the…
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Rocket Report: Rocket Lab’s next step in reuse, Blue Origin engine explodes
Welcome to Edition 6.02 of the Rocket Report! I’m on my third week at Ars, and the space beat is as busy as ever. Going forward, Eric and I will alternate work on the Rocket Report every other week. SpaceX broke its own booster reuse record this week, and a Chinese company made history with…