Tag: Starship
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Rocket Report: A new estimate of Starship costs; Japan launches spy satellite
Welcome to Edition 6.27 of the Rocket Report! This week, we discuss an intriguing new report looking at Starship. Most fascinating, the report covers SpaceX’s costs to build a Starship and how these costs will come down as the company ramps up its build and launch cadence. At the other end of the spectrum, former…
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Elon Musk’s recent all-hands meeting at SpaceX was full of interesting news
Last year was unquestionably the best year in SpaceX’s history, CEO Elon Musk told his employees during an all-hands meeting in South Texas last week. There were 96 flights of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, plus the first two test flights of the enormous new Starship rocket. In 2024, SpaceX said it aims…
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First astronaut missions to the Moon since 1972 delayed due to heat shield questions, hardware readiness
The Artemis 2 crew, standing in from of their Artemis spacecraft, discusses their planned around-the-moon flight with reporters at the Kennedy Space Center. Left to right: commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. A quartet of astronauts will have to wait until next year before their…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with 23 Starlink satellites
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites lifts off from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 7, 2024. Photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. The next batch of 23 Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s space-based internet service roard into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket launched Sunday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:35 p.m.…
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Elon Musk: SpaceX needs to build Starships as often as Boeing builds 737s
It’s no secret that Elon Musk has big ambitions for SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket. This is the vehicle that, with plenty of permutations and upgrades, Musk says will ferry cargo and people across the Solar System to build a settlement on Mars, making humanity a multi-planetary species and achieving the billionaire’s long-standing dream. Of course, that…
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With solo vehicle testing complete, Starship’s third flight is getting closer
Preparations for the third flight of Starship are making solid progress after both vehicles completed their respective solo test campaigns. Booster 10 rolled back to the Shipyard for final mods and checkouts before its flight, and Ship 28 wasn’t far behind. Both vehicles are now in their Bays for final work before rolling back to…
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With solo vehicle testing complete, Starship’s third flight is getting closer
Preparations for the third flight of Starship are making solid progress after both vehicles completed their respective solo test campaigns. Booster 10 rolled back to the Shipyard for final mods and checkouts before its flight, and Ship 28 wasn’t far behind. Both vehicles are now in their Bays for final work before rolling back to…
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SpaceX closes out record-breaking 2023, prepares for more records in 2024
SpaceX has closed out its most successful and record-breaking year yet. Its Falcon program broke several records for booster and fairing reuse, launch cadence, and tonnage to orbit. Alongside the Falcon program, the Dragon program sent more cargo and more people to orbit and it saw capsules pushing Dragon’s reusability records. The company also debuted…
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Starship’s 2023: after a year filled with milestones, Starship looks ahead to an exciting future
The Starship Program had its biggest year to date in 2023, with two full stack flights, massive changes to the launch pad and surrounding systems, extending testing at Masseys, and massive changes to the production site. Shipyard At the start of 2023, the Production Site still included the Windbreak, Midbay, and Tent 1 and 2.…
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SpaceX completes static fire test in push toward third Starship launch
Just one month after the second flight of its massive Starship rocket, SpaceX is making progress toward a third attempt. On Wednesday, at 1:37 pm local time in South Texas, the company performed a static fire test of the next Starship—which bears the serial number Ship 28. The test of the rocket’s six engines appeared…