Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX plans Falcon 9 rocket landing on Pacific drone ship after Jan. 17 launch
The first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket descends toward a drone ship during SpaceX’s April landing try in the Atlantic. The attempt was unsuccessful, but SpaceX plans to try again in the Pacific on Jan. 17. (Credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is planning something completely different for its next rocket-landing trick: After launching the U.S.-European Jason 3 satellite…
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What’s next for SpaceX’s recovered Falcon 9 booster?
The returned Falcon 9 booster flown Dec. 21 is pictured inside the hangar at Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX ground crews at Kennedy Space Center’s Apollo-era launch complex 39A are putting the 156-foot-tall Falcon 9 first stage booster that flew to space and back Dec. 21 through a thorough inspection, setting…
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What’s next for SpaceX’s recovered Falcon 9 booster?
The returned Falcon 9 booster flown Dec. 21 is pictured inside the hangar at Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX ground crews at Kennedy Space Center’s Apollo-era launch complex 39A are putting the 156-foot-tall Falcon 9 first stage booster that flew to space and back Dec. 21 through a thorough inspection, setting…
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Billionaire Space Club pits Elon Musk vs. Jeff Bezos vs. Richard Branson vs. Paul Allen and more
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (in hat and sunglasses) pops open a bottle of champagne after Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket landing in November. (Credit: Blue Origin) When Jeff Bezos welcomed SpaceX to the rocket landing “club” last week, it set off a round of twittering over whether Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and fellow billionaire…
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Speculation mounts over Elon Musk’s plan for SpaceX’s Mars Colonial Transporter
An animation shows a lander separating from the rest of the Mars Colonial Transporter. Later concepts suggest that the entire MCT would land as a unit. (Credit: Michel Lamontagne / ESA via YouTube) In the wake of SpaceX’s successful rocket landing, some of the company’s most ardent fans are guessing at the shape of the biggest…
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GeekWire Radio: Alan Boyle’s guide to the year in space, and what’s next for the universe in 2016
A time-lapse photo showing SpaceX’s historic Falcon 9 rocket launch and landing. (Credit: SpaceX) It was a big year in space: Historic rocket launches; revelations from distant planets; an unprecedented glimpse of the surface of Pluto; evidence of water trails on Mars; SpaceX vs. Blue Origin; the rise of commercial space; and also some big setbacks. Alan Boyle, GeekWire’s aerospace…
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From all angles: Up and down with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster
Relive the experience with imagery from Monday night’s blazing blastoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and its historic, dramatic landing at Cape Canaveral. Carrying 11 Orbcomm communications satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad at 8:29 p.m. EST Monday (0129 GMT Tuesday). The second stage of the rocket…
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Watch SpaceX recover booster: “The Falcon has landed”
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket booster, the equivalent of a 156-foot-tall flying broomstick, turned around and flew back to Cape Canaveral minutes after blastoff Monday, descending to a smooth landing. The rocket-assisted touchdown at Landing Zone 1, situated just to the north of the tip of Cape Canaveral, was the first time a booster stage of…
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Photos: Falcon 9 booster stands upright after landing
SpaceX took a group of reporters and photographers just offshore the Falcon 9 rocket’s landing point Tuesday, a day after the 15-story booster made a pinpoint touchdown after helping send 11 communications satellites into orbit. Seen from a boat just off the coast, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage shows signs of wear after its…
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SpaceX returns to flight with OG2, nails historic core return
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket returned to flight Monday, on a mission for communications firm Orbcomm which also resulted in the first return of the vehicle’s first stage to the launch site. Flying in a new “Full Thrust” configuration, the rocket depart Cape Canaveral at 20:29 Eastern time (01:29 UTC on Tuesday) with the first stage…