Tag: SpaceX
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Starship set for full stack fueling test ahead of static fire campaign
A fully stacked Starship is still set to conduct the next round of tests for its fully reusable launch system ahead of its debut orbital launch attempt as soon as later this year. This is despite a surprise destack of Ship 24 on Sunday, although this does not preclude restacking ahead of the next phase…
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Hotbird-13F launches aboard Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral
The Eutelsat Hotbird-13F geostationary communications satellite launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Falcon 9 booster 1069-3, which had flown the CRS-24 and Starlink 4-23 missions, launched the Hotbird satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch occurred at the end of the window on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1:22 AM…
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SpaceX Crew-4 returns to Earth with Atlantic splashdown
After living and working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for close to six months, Crew-4 and its crew of international astronauts have undocked from the orbiting laboratory and made their return to Earth. The four-person crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Kjell N. Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha…
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SpaceX successfully lofts Intelsat Galaxy duo
SpaceX launched Intelsat’s Galaxy 33 (G-33) and Galaxy 34 (G-34) satellites on Saturday from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch came after scrubbing two previous attempts due to a helium issue. This mission adds to SpaceX’s already record-setting year, marking their 46th flight of 2022. SpaceX…
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SpaceX Crew-5 mission docks with ISS
SpaceX and NASA have launched a group of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Crew-5 mission. The crew flew atop a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 12:00:57 PM EDT (16:00:57 UTC). With…
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Amid Starship milestones, Booster 7 set to return for pre-launch testing
SpaceX’s Starship program continues to march through a fluid set of milestones, ranging from a new record number of Raptor engines firing simultaneously, to the anticipated presence of a vehicle on the Starship pad at Florida’s historic LC-39A by the second quarter of 2023. Booster 7 achieved the seven-engine static fire test milestone before rolling…
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Florida spaceports brace for Hurricane Ian
The Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are bracing for the arrival and effects of Hurricane Ian, a major tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico that made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida at 3:05 PM EDT (19:05 UTC) on Wednesday, Sept. 28 with maximum sustained winds at 241 km/h (150 mph). Updates…
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Starlink Group 4-35 mission lofts 52 Starlink satellites to orbit
SpaceX has launched yet another batch of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on its Starlink Group 4-35 mission. Launching from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida, the Falcon 9 is lifted off at 7:32 PM EDT (23:32 UTC) on Sept. 24. This mission marks SpaceX’s 43rd mission…
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Starlink Group 4-34 mission finally lifts off after weather delays
A SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 carrying 54 Starlink satellites has finally launched at 8:18 PM EDT on Sunday, Sept. 18 (00:18 UTC on Sept. 19) after unfavorable weather scrubbed attempts on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. A Saturday launch opportunity was also called off. This mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at…
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SpaceX and NASA in final preparations for Crew-5 mission
With the launch just weeks away, SpaceX, NASA, and their international partners are in final preparations for the fifth operational Crew Dragon mission. As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), Crew-5 will be SpaceX’s fifth long-duration crew mission, eighth overall crewed mission, and the first mission with a Russian Cosmonaut. Crew-5 will launch from…