Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX rocket sends cargo ship to space station, then returns to land
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its Florida launch pad. (Credit: NASA) SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station tonight with a couple of precedent-setting payloads on opposite ends of the size spectrum: a 5-foot-wide docking adapter, which was built by Boeing to accommodate future commercial space taxis; and the first…
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Photos: Falcon 9 rocket lifted vertical for cargo launch
SpaceX installed time-sensitive cargo into the pressurized cabin of a Dragon resupply capsule Sunday in the final hours before liftoff with nearly 2.5 tons of experiments and a critical docking system to welcome piloted commercial spaceships to the International Space Station. Using a pristine, climate-controlled access port, SpaceX technicians added the “late load” cargo into…
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SpaceX conducts static fire Falcon 9 rocket ahead of CRS-9 launch
SpaceX has conducted a critical test firing of all nine core stage engines of its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of an early-Monday/late-Sunday scheduled launch of the CRS-9 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver food and supplies to the Station crew as well as vital experiments and a new commercial…
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Iridium satellites rolling off assembly line in Arizona
The first two fully-complete Iridium Next satellites. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Construction is complete on the first batch of 81 new satellites to overhaul Iridium’s mobile communications network, and the data relay stations will soon head from their factory near Phoenix to California’s hilly Central Coast for launch in September on a SpaceX Falcon 9…
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SpaceX discusses progress toward human missions of Dragon/Falcon 9
While continuing to impress even themselves with their ability to successfully propulsively land Falcon 9 first stages on land and in the ocean, SpaceX is continuing to progress on its human spaceflight endeavors, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9, and ground operations development all keeping pace for a second quarter 2017 debut of the…
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SpaceX conducts Falcon 9 dual satellite launch
SpaceX launched its sixth mission of the year Wednesday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of communications satellites – Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A – into orbit. Liftoff from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral occurred at the start of a 44-minute window that opened at 10:29 local time (14:29 UTC). SpaceX Launch: Wednesday’s…
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SpaceX conducts Falcon 9 dual satellite launch
SpaceX launched its sixth mission of the year Wednesday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of communications satellites – Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A – into orbit. Liftoff from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral occurred at the start of a 44-minute window that opened at 10:29 local time (14:29 UTC). SpaceX Launch: Wednesday’s…
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SpaceX readies another Falcon 9, close in on reuse testing
SpaceX’s next mission is moving into the business end of its pre-launch flow with the next Falcon 9 conducting a Static Fire test at Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 on Sunday. The SpaceX workhorse is tasked with the dual launch of the Eutelsat 117W B and ABS 2A satellites “No Earlier Than (NET)” June 15. SpaceX is…
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SpaceX speaks up for its Seattle satellite operation after months of low-key work
SpaceX’s Redmond office is the center for its satellite operations. (GeekWire photo by Kevin Lisota) SpaceX has provided a rare update on its Seattle-centric plans to develop a multibillion-dollar Internet satellite network, saying that the work is now at a “critical stage.” That assessment is part of the company’s argument against giving away the bandwidth…
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Reusability success on Earth is the proving ground for Mars goals – SpaceX
SpaceX’s Lars Hoffman stated his company’s continued advancements with its reusability goals are not only focused on reducing launch costs, but are aimed at providing a technology roadmap for its Martian goals. As the latest recovered Falcon 9 first stage sailed into Port Canaveral, Mr. Hoffman stated the recovery achievements are providing the tools for…