Tag: SpaceX
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Pad B Starts to Rise As Booster 12 Static Fire nears
SpaceX preparations for flight 5 of Starship continue to focus on replacing Ship 30’s heat shield as teams prepare for Booster 12 to roll out for a static fire this upcoming week. Meanwhile, long-term planning centers around Pad B construction at the launch site. Orbital Launch Pad B SpaceX is building Orbital Launch Pad (OLP)…
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SpaceX Successfully Launches 20 Starlink Satellites, Including Direct-to-Cell Capabilities
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Wednesday morning, carrying 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 equipped with direct-to-cell (DtC) capabilities. The launch, initially delayed by technical issues, lifted off at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 UTC) following a two-hour postponement. “The Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including…
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NASA selects SpaceX to launch a gamma-ray telescope into an unusual orbit
A small research satellite designed to study the violent processes behind the creation and destruction of chemical elements will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2027, NASA announced Tuesday. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission features a gamma-ray telescope that will scan the sky to study gamma-rays emitted by the explosions of…
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NASA’s Artemis 3 Lunar Landing Faces Potential Delay, GAO Report Indicates
NASA’s ambitious Artemis 3 mission, aimed at achieving a crewed lunar landing in September 2026, faces a substantial risk of delay, according to an analysis from the agency’s own assessment reviewed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The assessment, conducted during a Key Decision Point C confirmation review for the Human Landing System (HLS) Initial…
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NASA Selects SpaceX for 2027 Launch of Gamma-Ray Astronomy Mission
NASA has chosen SpaceX to launch the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) spacecraft, a small gamma-ray astronomy mission, in August 2027, the agency announced on July 2. The contract, valued at approximately $69 million, includes launch services and related activities. “The agency could not release details on the number of companies that bid on the…
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SpaceX launches 100th Direct to Cell Starlink satellite on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
The plume from the second stage lights up the pre-dawn sky over the Kennedy Space Center about seven and a half minutes after launch. Image: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now. Update 5:24 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 8-9 mission and landed the booster, B1073, on the droneship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ SpaceX launched a batch of…
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Yahsat Chooses SpaceX for $1.1 Billion Satellite Launch Program
Yahsat, the Emirati satellite operator, announced on Friday that it has selected SpaceX to launch its Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 geostationary communications satellites as part of a $1.1 billion program. The Al Yah 4 satellite is scheduled for launch in 2027, followed by Al Yah 5 in 2028, both aboard SpaceX’s Falcon…
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Chinese space firm unintentionally launches its new rocket
One of the most promising Chinese space startups, Space Pioneer, experienced a serious anomaly this weekend while testing the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket near the city of Gongyi. The rocket was undergoing a static fire test of the stage, in which a vehicle is clamped to a test stand while its engines are…
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NASA and SpaceX Address Debris Concerns from Dragon Spacecraft
NASA and SpaceX are evaluating modifications to the reentry process of the Dragon spacecraft to mitigate debris from its trunk section reaching the ground, Reuters reported. Recent incidents involving debris from several missions have prompted a reevaluation of existing procedures. Previously, debris from Dragon spacecraft trunks has been found on land, including fragments from missions…
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NASA and Boeing Navigate Extended CST-100 Starliner Mission Amid Technical Hurdles
NASA and Boeing Co said on Tuesday they were delaying the return of a planned two-member crew from the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct additional tests on their CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, aiming to resolve thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, emphasized that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams…