Tag: B1059
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Component fatigue caused early shutdown of Merlin engine on last SpaceX launch
File photo of nine Merlin 1D engines firing on a Falcon 9 launch in 2018. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX has concluded fatigue on an engine cover caused one of the nine Merlin 1D first stage engines on the company’s most recent launch to shut down early during ascent, leading to the loss of the booster during…
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SpaceX says “heat damage” caused landing failure on recent Falcon 9 mission
A senior SpaceX official said this week that “heat damage” led to the failure of a Falcon 9 booster during a landing attempt Feb. 15, but the company will press on with more launches and will likely surpass the 10-flight threshold on one of its reusable rockets soon. The next Falcon 9 launch, using a…
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SpaceX successfully deploys 60 Starlink satellites, but loses booster on descent
A Falcon 9 rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:59 p.m. EST Monday (0359 GMT Tuesday) with 60 more Starlink internet satellites. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now SpaceX successfully launched 60 more Starlink internet satellites Monday night from Cape Canaveral, but lost the Falcon 9 rocket’s reusable first stage booster…
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Photos: Falcon 9 test-fired before Starlink launch
SpaceX test-fired nine Merlin engines Saturday before the company’s next launch from Cape Canaveral, clearing a key readiness test before liftoff as soon as Sunday night with 60 more Starlink internet satellites. The nine Merlin engines fired at 12:50 p.m. EST (1750 GMT) Saturday on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ramping up…
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Two payloads orbited by SpaceX’s launch of NRO mission
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the NROL-108 mission Dec. 19 from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX Tracking information released by the U.S. military indicates two government payloads rode a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit Dec. 19 on the NROL-108 mission, a dedicated launch for the National…
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SpaceX closes out record-setting year of launches from Florida’s Space Coast
A Falcon 9 rocket takes off from pad 39A with the NROL-108 mission. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX hurled a secret cargo into space for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency Saturday, the 30th rocket launch to fly into Earth orbit from pads on Florida’s Space Coast in 2020. The Falcon 9 flight broke an annual record…
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Live coverage: SpaceX launches NRO payload, lands booster at Cape Canaveral
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will launch the NROL-108 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”SpaceX webcast”] [tabby title=”SpaceX mission audio”] [tabbyending] SpaceX’s live video webcast begins…
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SpaceX scrubs Falcon 9 launch to assess second stage issue
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 2 a.m. EST (0700 GMT) with delay to Saturday. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday after an aborted countdown. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 launch attempt Thursday to evaluate a “slightly high” pressure reading in the rocket’s upper stage liquid oxygen…
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NRO using SpaceX’s commercial launch service for spy satellite payload
SpaceX raised a Falcon 9 rocket vertical on pad 39A Wednesday for the company’s final mission of the year. Credit: Spaceflight Now A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to take off Thursday from Florida’s Space Coast with a secret cargo for the National Reconnaissance Office, which broke with standard practice to procure the launch…