Tag: SpaceX
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Amazon fires back at SpaceX in regulatory war of words over satellite constellations
An artist’s conception shows an Atlas V rocket launching Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites. (United Launch Alliance / Amazon Illustration) Amazon laid out out a laundry list of SpaceX’s regulatory tussles today in a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission, marking the latest chapter in a bare-knuckles battle over broadband satellite constellations. The letter —…
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Elon Musk goads Jeff Bezos on Twitter as their prolonged space spat escalates
The rivalry between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has surfaced on Twitter. Again. (Musk Photo: TED via YouTube; Bezos Photo: GeekWire / Kevin Lisota) SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has fired a fresh volley of tart tweets at Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the Blue Origin space venture, in the…
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SpaceX adds Bob and Doug multipurpose ships to streamlined recovery fleet
The arrival of Doug, the newest addition to the SpaceX recovery fleet, indicates further consolidation of the company’s rocket recovery operations. Although the launch cadence has slowed as SpaceX prepares the next generation of Starlink satellites, the fleet has been busy working on its next generation of recovery vessels to support what will hopefully be…
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Starbase Launch Tower enters Mechazilla installation phase
At SpaceX Starbase, Booster 4 and Ship 20 continue processing operations for their test flight from a launch site that is now receiving its Mechazilla hardware. The Quick Disconnect (QD) arm was installed on the Launch Tower, with the two “chopstick” arms now in the final stages of fabrication ahead of joining the QD arm…
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SpaceX Cargo Dragon CRS-23 arrived at the ISS
SpaceX and NASA conducted a Sunday’s launch of the CRS-23 (Commercial Resupply Services 23) mission to the International Space Station on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. A previous attempt on Saturday from LC-39A was scrubbed in the final minutes due to weather constraints over the Cape. Sunday’s launch occurred at 03:14:48…
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SpaceX continues forward progress with Starship on Starhopper anniversary
At ~5:02 pm CDT on August 27, 2019, SpaceX successfully launched its Starhopper test vehicle on a 150-meter flight test. After ascending to 150-meters, Starhopper successfully landed at a landing pad ~160-meters away. The 150-meter flight was the last of a long line of tests that Starhopper, the first vehicle in the Starship program, conducted.…
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Inspiration4 launch nears as intense training schedule continues
Just weeks from launch, SpaceX has started final preparations for the crewed Inspiration4 (I4) mission. I4 will be the first free flight Crew Dragon mission and the first orbital, all private crewed mission. I4 will also be the first worldwide crewed flight that will not dock with a space station since the final Hubble servicing…
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Ship 20 primed for pre-flight testing amid future refinements
Following the iconic first view of a fully integrated Starship stack during fit checks on the Orbital Launch Site (OLS) mount, both Ship 20 and Booster 4 are being prepared for testing ahead of the milestone orbital launch attempt. Ship 20 has returned to the launch site, taking up suborbital Pad B ahead of proof…
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NASA agrees to pause SpaceX lunar contract until November after Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin files suit
An artist’s rendering shows SpaceX’s Starship rocket ship on the moon. (SpaceX Illustration) NASA paused its contract with SpaceX to take astronauts back to the moon pending the initial outcome of a lawsuit filed by Blue Origin. The voluntary stay will expire on Nov. 1, two weeks after oral arguments are set to take place…
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From Apollo to multi-user, the changing yet similar nature of Launch Complex 39
As the Artemis 1 SLS vehicle prepares to take its place on LC-39B later this year for its first round of pad testing ahead of its debut mission, the Space Launch System (SLS) and Artemis program represent yet another major alteration to the LC-39 area of the Kennedy Space Center, originally designed to meet President…