Tag: SpaceX
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FAA grounds SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket following landing mishap
A streak shot of the Starlink 8-6 mission showing the Falcon 9 rocket flying away from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Aug. 28, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration for the second time in less than two months,…
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For the first time in more than three years, SpaceX misses a booster landing
Early on Wednesday morning, at 3:48 am ET local time, a Falcon 9 rocket booster making its 23rd launch took off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission successfully delivered 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 of the larger vehicles with direct-to-cell capabilities, before attempting a landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas.…
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One of the most adventurous human spaceflights since Apollo may launch tonight
SpaceX is set to launch the 14th crewed flight on its Dragon spacecraft early on Tuesday morning—and it’s an intriguing one. This Polaris Dawn mission, helmed and funded by an entrepreneur and billionaire named Jared Isaacman, is scheduled to lift off at 3:38 am ET (07:38 UTC) on Tuesday from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy…
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Polaris Dawn on hold; SpaceX booster fails on landing
Another busy week of spaceflight activities contained a landing failure of a Falcon 9 booster for the first time in over three years. Looking forward, Falcon 9 could launch up to three times this week, including three Starlink flights. Polaris Dawn’s launch date has been delayed due to an unacceptable weather forecast at the time…
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NASA not comfortable with Starliner thrusters, so crew will fly home on Dragon
Following weeks of speculation, NASA finally made it official on Saturday: Two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June will not return home on that vehicle. Instead, the agency has asked SpaceX to use its Crew Dragon spacecraft to fly astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to…
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SpaceX completes static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for the Polaris Dawn astronaut mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignites its Merlin engines during a static fire test at dawn on Aug. 25, 2024. The test followed a dry dress rehearsal of the mission’s flight day. Image: Spaceflight Now The SpaceX and Polaris Dawn teams checked a couple of important boxes before they are ready to launch the historic…
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Second Tower complete at Starbase as Flight 5 preps continue
SpaceX completed stacking Launch Tower 2 at Orbital Launch Pad B at Starbase, Texas, in record time, allowing for the next phase of preparations, including adding its own chopstick system. Preparations are also continuing on Orbital Launch Pad A’s Tower 1 to prepare it for the launch of Flight 5 and a possible catch of…
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Polaris aiming to break barriers, build experience with Polaris Dawn
One of the most highly anticipated missions in 2024 is now mere days away from taking flight. The Polaris Dawn mission, scheduled to launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon with a four-person complement no earlier than Monday, Aug. 26, will see the introduction of new technologies and many records eclipsed — setting a…
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Polaris Dawn astronauts, set to perform first commercial spacewalk, arrive in Florida ahead of launch
The crew of the Polaris Dawn mission pose in front of the Alpha jets they flew in on to the Kennedy Space Center. Left to right: Mission Specialist Anna Menon, Pilot Scott “Kidd” Potent, Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now The four-member crew of what is set to be an…
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Launch Roundup: Polaris Dawn aims high, Starlink launches continue
A total of five flights were on the worldwide launch manifest for this week. Most notable was to be the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Polaris Dawn mission. A modified Crew Dragon capsule will carry four astronauts into the highest orbit a crewed mission has flown in since the Gemini missions. In…