Tag: Starship
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Rocket Report: Tough times for Astra and Virgin; SpaceX upgrading launch pad
Welcome to Edition 6.19 of the Rocket Report! While we wait for SpaceX to launch the second full-scale test flight of Starship, a lot of the news this week involved companies with much smaller rockets. Astra is struggling to find enough funding to remain in business, and Virgin Galactic says it will fly its suborbital…
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If the next Starship makes it through staging, you can call that a win
SpaceX will have answers to some burning questions in the first three minutes of the next Starship test flight. Did the upgrades to the Starship launch pad in Texas hold up to the rocket’s powerful thrust? Are the rocket’s Raptor engines more reliable than they were on the first Starship test flight in April? And…
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SpaceX poised for ‘mid-November’ launch of second Starship test flight
Aerial view of the fully stacked Starship vehicle at Starbase, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2023. Image: SpaceX. More than half a year after its first flight, SpaceX believes it’s on the cusp of getting to launch its Starship rocket for a second time. On Friday afternoon, the company updated its website to announce that the…
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Second flight of Starship closing in on potential November launch
The flight of Booster 9 and Ship 25 is now in the final stage of preparations, focused on regulatory approval that will allow SpaceX to set a launch date. That target is currently tracking mid-November as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) works on the final element of the FAA’s launch license via an updated…
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FAA concludes SpaceX Starship safety review, continues environmental review
SpaceX’s Starship rocket stands fully stacked near the shoreline of Texas at its Starbase facility on Oct. 20, 2023. On Oct. 31, the FAA said it concluded its safety review ahead of its second test flight. Image: SpaceX SpaceX’s highly anticipated second test flight of its Starship super heavy lift rocket is one step closer…
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On-time Artemis landings by SpaceX, Blue Origin possible, but face “great challenges”
Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System program, moderates a fireside chat with Benji Reed, Sr. Director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX (left) and John Couluris, Sr. VP of Lunar Transportation at Blue Origin. Image: Will Robinson-Smith After a successful mission with Artemis 1 in November, 2022, and with the pieces of…
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On-time Artemis landings by SpaceX, Blue Origin possible, but face “great challenges”
Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System program, moderates a fireside chat with Benji Reed, Sr. Director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX (left) and John Couluris, Sr. VP of Lunar Transportation at Blue Origin. Image: Will Robinson-Smith After a successful mission with Artemis 1 in November, 2022, and with the pieces of…
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SpaceX Completes Full Stack Testing ahead of Flight as Starbase Continues to Change
SpaceX has completed a successful Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) of Ship 25 and Booster 9 and other systems tests ahead of an upcoming test flight. Now destacked and awaiting regulatory approval for flight, SpaceX continues to expand and improve the production site for future vehicle cadence. See Also SpaceX Starship Section L2 SpaceX/Starship Section Click…
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SpaceX battles regulatory process that could hold up Starship test flight for months
SpaceX’s Starship rocket after Ship 25 was restacked on top of Booster 9 on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. The rocket was unstacked the following day. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 19: Added comment from the Federal Aviation Administration. Update Oct. 18: Added date that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received the final biological assessment from the Federal…
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SpaceX battles regulatory process that could hold up Starship test flight for months
SpaceX’s Starship rocket after Ship 25 was restacked on top of Booster 9 on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. The rocket was unstacked the following day. Image: SpaceX Update Oct. 19: Added comment from the Federal Aviation Administration. Update Oct. 18: Added date that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received the final biological assessment from the Federal…