Tag: Starbase
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Starship program at critical moment as Flight 9 and infrastructure work in focus
The Starship program is entering a critical period as Flight 9 preparations continue for a launch now likely toward the end of May after the Memorial Day holiday in the United States. After two consecutive setbacks with the early terminations of Flight 7 and 8 over the Caribbean, a great deal is riding on how…
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After back-to-back failures, SpaceX tests its fixes on the next Starship
SpaceX fired six Raptor engines on the company’s next Starship rocket Monday, clearing a major hurdle on the path to launch later this month on a high-stakes test flight to get the private rocket program back on track. Starship ignited its Raptor engines Monday morning on a test stand near SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in…
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Starship program laying groundwork for huge facilities in Texas and Florida
SpaceX is busy creating launch and production capacity for the future of its Starship program, focusing on huge Gigabays at both Starbase in Texas and Roberts Road in Florida. To cater for this future production cadence, SpaceX’s launch sites for Starship are also a focus of its attention, with the second pad at Starbase making…
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SpaceX starts 2025 with Falcon records and Starship problems
SpaceX kicked off 2025 by continuing its record-breaking pace of Falcon 9 launches while also setting new firsts with its Dragon program. The company continued the deployment of its Starlink satellite internet constellation, growing in number of users and availability of its direct-to-cell services. SpaceX’s Starship rocket also suffered two back-to-back failures of a new…
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SpaceX just took a big step toward reusing Starship’s Super Heavy booster
SpaceX is having trouble with Starship’s upper stage after back-to-back failures, but engineers are making remarkable progress with the rocket’s enormous booster. The most visible sign of SpaceX making headway with Starship’s first stage—called Super Heavy—came at 9:40 am local time (10:40 am EDT; 14:40 UTC) Thursday at the company’s Starbase launch site in South…
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SpaceX just took a big step toward reusing Starship’s Super Heavy booster
SpaceX is having trouble with Starship’s upper stage after back-to-back failures, but engineers are making remarkable progress with the rocket’s enormous booster. The most visible sign of SpaceX making headway with Starship’s first stage—called Super Heavy—came at 9:40 am local time (10:40 am EDT; 14:40 UTC) Thursday at the company’s Starbase launch site in South…
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Booster 14 Completes Milestone Static Fire Ahead of Flight 9
SpaceX has now completed the first-ever static fire of a flown Super Heavy Booster, Booster 14, which is set to fly on Flight 9. Ship 35, which is also set to fly on Flight 9, is expected to be the next milestone ahead of flight, as it waits to complete engine testing at Masseys potentially…
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SpaceX Continues Progress on Next Generation Facilities
With the downtime between Flight 8 and Flight 9, SpaceX is continuing to build Orbital Launch Pad B and has started the demolition of High Bay. Pad B is SpaceX’s next-generation Orbital Launch Pad, while the demolition of High Bay will make way for Gigabay, the next-generation construction and servicing facility. Orbital Pad B SpaceX…
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SpaceX press on with pre-launch testing while working Ship issue mitigation
SpaceX continues to press on with pre-flight testing for Flight 9, while internally looking to resolve issues with the Ship that has resulted in the loss of the first two Block 2 vehicles. Ship 35 and Booster 16 – the potential pairing for Flight 9 – have been cryotested at the Masseys test site. Booster…
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Launch Roundup: Starship and Ariane 6 launch after scrubs
SpaceX launches Starship’s eighth flight test, Arianespace’s Ariane 6 launches from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, and China sends another Chang Zheng 3B/E to space. Ariane 6 kicks off the week by launching high-resolution reconnaissance satellites for the French Space Agency, followed by Starship’s eighth flight test. Then, Chang Zheng 3B/E takes another…