Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 and Electron to extend satellite constellations
This week’s manifest includes the delayed launches of a Falcon 9 with Galileo global positioning satellites and an Electron with a second batch of satellites for Kinéis. SpaceX also launched a batch of 20 Starlink satellites from California as the constellation increases to 6,000 operational satellites. Following last weekend’s return and recovery of the Polaris…
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Polaris Dawn returns home after landmark commercial spaceflight
After a historic mission, the Polaris Dawn mission, flown by Crew Dragon Resilience with private astronauts, has successfully splashed down off the Florida coast. Polaris Dawn, which made history with the highest altitude attained by a crewed spacecraft since 1972, and the first commercial spacewalk, returned to Earth early on Sunday, Sept. 15. The Crew Dragon…
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Rocket Report: China leaps into rocket reuse; 19 people are currently in orbit
Welcome to Edition 7.11 of the Rocket Report! Outside of companies owned by American billionaires, the most imminent advancements in reusable rockets are coming from China’s quasi-commercial launch industry. This industry is no longer nascent. After initially relying on solid-fueled rocket motors apparently derived from Chinese military missiles, China’s privately funded launch firms are testing…
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Launch Pad work continues at Starbase as Flight 5 delayed by FAA
SpaceX is still preparing for Flight 5 of Starship but may have to wait at least six more weeks for regulatory approval from the FAA. With Booster 12 and Ship 30 patiently waiting for rollout and integrated testing, workers are busy continuing to prepare the launch site for the catch of the former, which would…
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Polaris Dawn crew gears up for Thursday spacewalk
An artist’s impression of a Polaris Dawn astronaut flowing just outside the Crew Dragon capsule in the first commercial spacewalk. Graphic: SpaceX Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis prepared to open the forward hatch of their Polaris Dawn spacecraft early Thursday to take turns floating outside in the first non-government spacewalk in…
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SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from West Coast
A Falcon 9 lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on September 12, 2024, carrying 21 Starlink satellites. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX launched its latest batch of 21 Starlink satellites on a Thursday night Falcon 9 launch from California. The Falcon 9 rocket launch set a new record for Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking…
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SpaceX launches five BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
Update: The Falcon 9 lifted off on time and successfully deployed the five BlueBird satellites. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the first five of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch five of AST SpaceMobile’s…
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Polaris Dawn crew conduct first commercial spacewalk
Two days into their mission, the Polaris Dawn crew conducted the highlight of their mission on Thursday, with Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis stepping outside Dragon Resilience for the first EVA by commercial astronauts. The spacewalk marks another milestone in the development of the commercial space industry. Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned…
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SpaceX says regulators will keep Starship grounded until at least November
The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled to SpaceX that it won’t approve a launch license for the next test flight of the Starship rocket until at least late November, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. This is more than two months later than the mid-September timeframe the FAA previously targeted for determining whether…
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Polaris Dawn takes to the skies, setting the stage for a daring private spacewalk
A Falcon 9 rocket streaked into the black predawn sky above Florida on Tuesday, carrying four people on the most ambitious private human spaceflight to date. The crew of the Polaris Dawn mission, led by a billionaire pilot named Jared Isaacman, were injected into an orbit intended to reach an apogee of 1,200 km and…