Author: starpathwp-production
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Stars aligning for Boeing crew launch in April
The long-awaited crewed launch of Starliner has gained increased positivity that its latest launch date will remain on target, following numerous slips since the maiden uncrewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS). While NASA postponed the NET launch date for the Starliner crew flight test (CFT) is now set for April 14, 2024 due…
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Starship brought the thunder as it climbed into space for the first time
BOCA CHICA BEACH, Texas—SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket reached space for the first time Saturday, flying straight and true for more than eight minutes before exploding nearly 100 miles over the Gulf of Mexico downrange from the company’s South Texas launch base. With this test flight, SpaceX made important steps forward with Starship, the largest rocket ever…
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Webb detects neon in young star system, provides insight into planet formation
In 2008, observations from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer infrared space telescope hinted at the presence of neon within the protoplanetary disk of Sun-like star SZ Chamaeleontis (SZ Cha). However, Spitzer’s instruments could not confirm whether this reading was correct. Over a decade after Spitzer’s results were published, the joint NASA, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space…
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Five things to watch for when Starship takes off Saturday morning
SpaceX fans turned out at Starbase, the company’s sprawling test facility in South Texas, on the eve of the second full-scale test flight of the Starship rocket. Stephen Clark/Ars Technica SpaceX fans turned out at Starbase, the company’s sprawling test facility in South Texas, on the eve of the second full-scale test flight of…
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Astra Space Secures Extension on Loan Amid Funding Negotiations
Astra Space, the launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion company, has received a four-day extension on a loan from investors as it continues negotiations for a longer-term funding arrangement. JMCM Holdings LLC and SherpaVentures Fund II, LLP provided a bridge loan worth $3.05 million earlier this month, part of a $13.4 million interim financing deal. The…
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Starship’s second launch hits all milestones on its journey to success
Here’s a breakdown of everything we think went wrong. Starship launches and makes it through staging At about 7:04 A.M. CT, Starship lifted off from its launch mount down at SpaceX’s Starbase facility. This time all 33 Raptor engines making it through the majority of flight, through max q (the maximum point of aerodynamic pressure),…
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Super Heavy-Starship climbs high but falls short on second test flight
Starship thunders away from its launch pad on its second test flight, trailing a one thousand foot exhaust plume. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. SpaceX’s gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, blasted off on its second test flight Saturday and while the initial stages of the mission went smoothly, the first stage broke…
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What NASA wants to see from SpaceX’s second Starship test flight
NASA managers are in South Texas this weekend as SpaceX prepares to launch its second full-sized Starship rocket. If the rocket flies perfectly, it will unlock additional tests beginning as soon as next year to prove that SpaceX can transfer hundreds of tons of super-chilled methane and liquid oxygen between two spaceships in orbit. This…
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Here’s why SpaceX really needed to change out that part on Starship
SpaceX’s Starship rocket did not launch on Friday morning from South Texas as intended because the company had to replace the actuator on a grid fin. The rocket is now being prepared for a launch during a tight window on Saturday morning, from 7 to 7:20 am local time. Here’s an explanation of why grid…
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Live Coverage: SpaceX to launch Starship/Super Heavy Booster on second test flight
Our live webcast from Starbase, Texas, will get underway at 5 a.m. CST / 6 a.m. EST / 1300 UTC. Our coverage of the countdown and launch is brought to you in partnership with our colleagues at LabPadre.