Tag: SpaceX
-
DART in transit to Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of November 2021 launch
After completing months of tests and assembly, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is in transit to Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California ahead of its launch. DART is a first-of-its-kind NASA mission to demonstrate an asteroid deflection via a kinetic impact. The probe will launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from Space…
-
SpaceX and NASA beginning final preparations for Crew-3 mission
With the launch just weeks away, SpaceX, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are making final preparations for the third operational Crew Dragon mission. Crew-3 will be the third long-duration mission flown by SpaceX as part of the Commercial Crew Program. The four Crew-3 astronauts will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a…
-
CRS-23 Dragon returns home following ISS supply run
Following a launch in late August and a month-long stay in orbit, SpaceX and NASA welcomed the return of the CRS-23 (Commercial Resupply Services 23) mission from the International Space Station (ISS). Cargo Dragon undocked from the station on Thursday, September 30, at 13:12 UTC, with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean occurring on schedule…
-
Elon Musk chats about Starship and space telescopes … and Jeff Bezos’ rocket envy
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk chats with journalist Kara Swisher at the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Asa Mathat for Vox Media) In the latest chapter of a long-running space spat, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took aim at his billionaire rival Jeff Bezos today with a barrage of double entendres that were delivered…
-
Ship 20 begins path to Static Fire test milestone
Despite the lack of hops over recent months, SpaceX Starbase continues to be a hive of activity with preparations ongoing for both the upcoming orbital test flight of Booster 4 and Ship 20 and the future acceleration of launch cadence with follow-on vehicles. Most of the recent focus has been directed at the Orbital Launch…
-
Space Force awards $87.5M to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX and ULA for testing
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket on the rise. (Blue Origin Illustration) The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command today announced awards totaling $87.5 million to support prototype commercial projects relating to next-generation rocket testing and enhancements to make upper stages more resilient. The awards were made under the aegis of the…
-
Funko reaches new heights: Company’s ‘Big Bang’ Pop! figure was part of crew on SpaceX mission
Funko, the Everett, Wash.-based maker of Pop! figurines and other collectibles, has expanded its market reach. To space. The company tweeted an image Thursday showing one of its popular toys floating high above Earth, thanks to the fact that it was packed along for the ride aboard the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission by Everett native Chris Sembroski.…
-
Court filings shed light on Blue Origin vs. SpaceX lunar lander fight, with dark spots
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s Starship rocket ship on the moon. (SpaceX Illustration) Redacted versions of documents relating to Blue Origin’s federal lawsuit against the federal government and SpaceX lay out further details about the dispute over a multibillion-dollar NASA lunar lander contract, but the details that are left out are arguably just as intriguing.…
-
NASA VIPER rover and Astrobotic Griffin lander select moon landing site for 2023
The NASA VIPER rover – a precursor mission to human landings in the south polar region of the Moon, and a mission started in 2019 under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program – has had its landing site selected for its 2023 mission. The rover, known as the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, is now…
-
Inspiration4 and all-civilian crew return to Earth with splashdown off Florida coast
The Inspiration4 mission, flown by Crew Dragon Resilience, has concluded its three-day mission with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. Resilience splashed down off the coast of Cape Canaveral at 7:06 PM EDT (23:06 UTC), about 50 minutes after it began its deorbit burn. Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) had been filed for seven areas off…