Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX launches new Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission following ‘water intrusion’ issue
A Falcon 9 rocket soars above Florida on the Starlink 10-5 mission. NASA and SpaceX decided to use the first launch of booster B1085 on this Starlink flight instead of first flying it on the Crew-9 mission due to a “water intrusion” issue that happened during transport from Texas to Florida. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now…
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SpaceX completes static fire of Falcon 9 rocket ahead of Starlink and Crew 9 missions
On Monday, SpaceX fired the nine Merlin engines on its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of the planned launch of the Starlink 10-5 mission on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. The booster, B1085, will also launch the Crew-9 mission for NASA no earlier than Sept. 24. Image: Spaceflight Now SpaceX completed a test fire of a brand-new…
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SpaceX launches Transporter-11 rideshare with 116 payloads
On Friday, Aug. 15, 2024, SpaceX launched the Transporter-11 rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). Liftoff occurred at 11:56 AM PT (18:56 UTC), 36 minutes into a 53-minute launch window. At the end of the mission SpaceX declared that all payloads were successfully deployed. Payloads were deployed…
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SpaceX launches 116 payloads on Falcon 9 rideshare mission, Transporter-11
A collection of smallsats integrated ahead of SpaceX’s rideshare mission, Transporter-11, ahead of encapsulation within the payload fairings. Image: SpaceX Update 5:46 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms successful deployment of all payloads. SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, sending dozens of spacecraft into orbit with its latest rideshare mission launching from…
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SpaceX launches 2nd pair of Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
A Falcon 9 rocket ascends from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying a pair of Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellites to a mid-inclination orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 10:57 am EDT: SpaceX confirms deployment of the second of two WorldView Legion satellites on this mission. SpaceX launched a pair of Maxar Space…
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Launch Roundup: Progress MS-28, Indian SSLV, Chinese CZ-4B, and Falcon 9 flights scheduled
The second full week of August is another busy one, with five flights scheduled including the final certification flight of a new launch vehicle from India. The Falcon 9 and Soyuz rockets were also scheduled to fly this week with one mission to the International Space Station and a pair of non-Starlink flights from both…
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Cybertrucks on Mars? Space advocates and NASA consider ideas for sample return
These AI images of a “Cybertruck on Mars” were created by the Stable Diffusion image generation program, running on Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer in 2022. (Tesla via YouTube) Tesla’s Cybertruck may look ungainly on Earth, but a pressurized version of the vehicle might be just the thing for gathering up samples of Martian rock and soil…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 at sunrise with 23 Starlink satellites
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center at sunrise Monday carrying 23 Starlink satellites in to orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites at sunrise Monday, capping a busy long-weekend for the launch company that saw three launches and two scrubbed countdowns over four…
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SpaceX launched twin communications satellites for Space Norway
An illustration of the two Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) program satellites on orbit. Illustration: Northrop Grumman SpaceX completed its second launch of the weekend with a mission for Space Norway. The company launched its Falcon 9 rocket for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM). The satellites, called ASBM-1 and ASBM-2, are designed to provide…
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Flight 5 and 6 Preparations Underway as SpaceX reveals Raptor 3
SpaceX continues with the Starship pace, with another busy week involving the reveal and first firing of the Raptor 3 engine, a spin prime — and not a static fire — for Ship 30, tons more Orbital Launch Pad B work. SpaceX noted it is also working Flight 6 preparations while waiting for Flight 5…