Tag: SpaceX
-
SpaceX has built the machine to build the machine. But what about the machine?
STARBASE, Texas—I first visited SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas a decade ago. Driving down the pocked and barren two-lane road to its sandy terminus, I found only rolling dunes, a large mound of dirt, and a few satellite dishes that talked to Dragon spacecraft as they flew overhead. A few years later, in mid-2019,…
-
X-37B launches USSF-36 mission aboard Falcon 9
The U.S. Department of Defense’s reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has embarked on its eighth overall flight into orbit. Vehicle 1, the first X-37B to fly, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11:50 PM EDT (03:50 UTC on Friday, Aug. 22).…
-
Launch preview: SpaceX to launch X-37B military spaceplane on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
The X-37B on the runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base following its landing there on March 7, 2025. Image: U.S. Space Force. Update Aug. 20, 12:56 p.m. EDT: Added additional information from the 45th Weather Squadron. The U.S. Space Force and SpaceX are preparing to launch the Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane on its eighth mission shortly…
-
Starbase Pad 2: Design Advancements from Pad 1
SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, continues to evolve as the company pushes the boundaries of rocket development with its Starship program. Following the operational experience gained from Pad 1, significant design advancements have been implemented for Pad 2, aiming to enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety for future Starship launches. This includes key modifications…
-
Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Chinese, and Russian missions make up busy week
Two Chinese rockets, a pair of Russian missions, a trio of Falcon 9 launches, a New Shepard, an Electron, and the long-awaited tenth flight of Starship were scheduled to fly this week. In Russia, a Soyuz rocket launched a modernized version of the Vostok capsule that flew crewed missions in the 1960s from Baikonur, while…
-
SpaceX flies 24 Starlink satellites on its 100th Falcon 9 rocket launch of 2025
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Starlink 17-5 mission on Aug. 18, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Aug. 18, 2:36 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of its 24 Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of the year Monday morning.…
-
SpaceX schedules 10th test flight for Starship, details recent setbacks
SpaceX’s Ship 37 performs a static fire test with all six of its Raptor engines as part of prelaunch testing ahead of the Flight 10 mission for the Starship program. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is once again gearing up for a launch of its massive Starship rocket from southern Texas. On Friday, it announced plans for…
-
East Coast sees major progress for future operations at the Cape
Amid recent Falcon 9 and Vulcan launches, a considerable amount of important construction work in the Cape Canaveral area has made major progress in the last few weeks. The structures under construction at the Cape will feature prominently in future spaceflight operations. NSF conducted a flyover this week near the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and…
-
FAA approves Starship Flight 10 after mishap probe, eyes August 24 launch
SpaceX has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket, with a targeted launch date of August 24. The approval for Flight 10 comes after the closure of an investigation into anomalies during the vehicle’s previous mission, marking a key step forward in SpaceX’s test…
-
Ship 37 completes a Spin Prime test following Engine Swap
The target launch date for Flight 10 is one step closer after the retest of Ship 37, which followed an engine change after the ship completed a pair of static fires on Pad 1 (A). Additionally, Booster 16 has been rolled to the rocket garden as it awaits its companion to be ready for flight.…