Tag: SpaceX
-
Launch Roundup: Soyuz launches ISS crew; Vega C and Falcon 9 launch customer missions
This week has seen seven launches from five different rockets from across the world. SpaceX launched two missions on its workhorse Falcon 9, while a Russian Soyuz launched three new crew members towards the International Space Station from Kazakhstan. A Russian military payload launched atop an Angara 1.2 from northern Russia, and South Korea launched…
-
NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Crew Missions, Converts Next Flight to Cargo
NASA said on Monday it has reduced the number of Starliner missions Boeing is required to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) and has redesignated the spacecraft’s next flight as a cargo-only mission, marking the latest shift in the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Under the original contracts awarded to Boeing and SpaceX, each company…
-
SpaceX’s Newest Starship Booster Suffers Major Damage During Early Test in South Texas
SpaceX’s latest Starship first-stage booster sustained significant damage during pre-launch testing early Friday in South Texas, marking a setback for the company’s next-generation rocket program. The vehicle, known as Booster 18 and representing the first “Version 3” Starship design, was rolled out only a day earlier as SpaceX announced the start of its test campaign.…
-
Booster 18 suffers anomaly during proof testing
SpaceX rolled out the next generation of Starship to Masseys for testing, but during a routine gas system pressure test as SpaceX calls it, the Liquid Oxygen Tank ruptured. This leaves SpaceX with no Block 3 Boosters to test with after just finishing stacking Booster 18, 16 days ago. Booster 18 See Also SpaceX Starship…
-
U.S. FAA Lifts Temporary Restrictions on Commercial Rocket Launches After Government Reopens
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted temporary restrictions that had limited commercial rocket launches to nighttime hours, easing constraints on companies such as SpaceX following the end of the federal government shutdown. The order, issued on Nov. 10, was designed to reduce workload for air traffic controllers during the shutdown by avoiding daytime…
-
Preparing pads for SpaceX’s future Starship cadence
As SpaceX ramps up production and testing of its Starship vehicles and engines, significant advancements are unfolding across key launch infrastructure, ranging from the readiness of Pad 2 at Starbase and 39A at KSC to the demolition of parts of Pad 1 ahead of its alignment with SpaceX’s standardized launch site for the future. From…
-
SpaceX Marks 500th Reused-Rocket Orbital Mission With Launch of EU Ocean-Mapping Satellite
SpaceX launched a European ocean-monitoring satellite from California early Monday, completing the company’s 500th orbital mission using a flight-proven rocket booster. The Sentinel-6B spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:21 a.m. EST (0521 GMT). “Sentinel-6B rising, extending nearly four decades of the precise sea-level record from space,” NASA…
-
Launch Roundup: Shenzhou-22 flies un-crewed to Tiangong, SpaceX launch four Falcon 9 missions
In another busy week of launches, SpaceX launched four Falcon 9 missions — four are Starlink missions; a fifth, the Transporter 15 rideshare mission, was expected but has now been pushed back to next week. Internationally, China has launched three rockets from Jiuquan and Xichang, including an uncrewed mission to the Tiangong space station. The…
-
Sentinel-6B ocean monitoring satellite launches aboard Falcon 9
Sentinel-6B, a joint US-European ocean monitoring satellite, launched Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place at 9:21 p.m. Pacific time (05:21 UTC on Monday). The Sentinel-6B spacecraft is the second of two Jason Continuity of Service (Jason-CS) missions, launching five years after its sister satellite, Sentinel-6A Michael…
-
Amazon Rebrands Project Kuiper as ‘Amazon Leo’ as Satellite Network Takes Shape
Amazon has rebranded its satellite communications initiative, announcing that Project Kuiper will now be known as Amazon Leo, a reference to the low Earth orbit in which its planned satellite constellation will operate. The company first unveiled Project Kuiper in 2019 with the aim of delivering high-speed internet to underserved regions through a network of…