Tag: SpaceX
-
Famously secret about its finances, SpaceX opens its books for the first time
After nearly a quarter of a century operating as a private company, with its financial accounts a closely guarded secret, SpaceX on Wednesday afternoon released a detailed accounting of its business in a nearly 400-page S-1 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. SpaceX, founded in 2002 and still led by Elon Musk, submitted…
-
Launch preview: SpaceX tries again for first launch of its Starship Version 3 rocket
SpaceX scrubbed the planned launch of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket on the Flight 12 mission on May 21, 2026. Image: Spaceflight Now Update May 21, 8:03 p.m. EDT (0003 UTC): SpaceX scrubbed the mission after dipping in and out of multiple holds at T-minus 40 seconds. SpaceX stood down from its first attempt to launch…
-
SpaceX’s sunrise Starlink launch adds 29 satellites to low Earth orbit megaconstellation
Shortly after stage separation on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the payload fairing halves that encapsulated the 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites separated, creating a so-called ‘jellyfish effect’ during the Starlink 10-31 mission on May 21, 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update May 21, 7:36 a.m. EDT (1136 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 29…
-
SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 17-42 mission on May 19, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update May 20, 12 a.m. EDT (0400 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of the Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday…
-
Starship Flight 12: Block 3 Impresses on First Flight
On Friday, May 22, 2026, at 5:30:21 pm CDT, Starship Flight 12 lifted off from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. This stack, which comprised Ship 39 and Booster 19, was the first Block 3 stack to fly for the Starship Program. As well as launching from the completely redesigned Pad 2 at Starbase. This flight…
-
Launch Preview: Falcon 9, Electron, and Vega C launch missions alongside Starship Flight 12
Six launches are scheduled worldwide during the next week, with the 12th flight of SpaceX’s Starship serving as the headline. Outside of Starship, SpaceX is scheduled to launch three Starlink missions on Falcon 9 from the company’s launch facilities in California and Florida. Internationally, Avio launched the joint European and Chinese SMILE mission atop a…
-
The US space enterprise is desperately waiting for Starship—will it finally deliver?
These days, one would be forgiven for forgetting that SpaceX is, at its core, a rocket company. Consider the company’s mega deals over the last year. SpaceX paid $17 billion—more than it has spent developing every one of its rockets—to EchoStar for wireless spectrum to boost its Starlink network. It revealed plans to launch 1…
-
SpaceX’s new Starship pad readies for first launch
Over the last two years, SpaceX has been constructing a completely redesigned launch pad for Starship, drawing on lessons learned from the first 11 flights. The new pad alongside Block 3 of Starship is a clean-sheet design that should help SpaceX move toward a much more reusable launch pad. Flame Trench Pad 2 is a…
-
SpaceX targets May 19 for debut of Starship Version 3, Launch Pad 2
SpaceX’s first Starship V3 rocket stands at Launch Pad 2 prior to a fueling demonstration on Monday, May 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19, for the long awaited debut of the third major iteration of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket. The announcement came the day after it completed…
-
SpaceX CRS-34 launches to ISS on third attempt
Just over two weeks after Progress MS-34 docked to the Station, the ISS is set to receive a new visiting vehicle loaded with cargo. A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched the CRS-34 cargo mission to ISS on Friday, May 15 at 6:05 PM EDT (22:05 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape…