Tag: Falcon 9
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SpaceX and Cape Canaveral Return to Action with First Operational Starlink Mission
After a little under three months without a mission from Florida’s launch pads, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Monday morning. Liftoff from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station occurred at 09:56 AM EST (14:56 UTC). The mission carried the first group of operational Starlink satellites to orbit. The launch was the first…
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SpaceX readies upgraded Starlink satellites for launch
Artist’s illustration of a Starlink satellite. Credit: SpaceX New satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network set for launch Monday from Cape Canaveral will debut several performance and safety upgrades, but they do not include changes to reduce the brightness of the satellites, a modification SpaceX says it will introduce on future Starlink craft to mitigate their…
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Watch the static fire of the Falcon 9 being readied for Starlink mission
A Falcon 9 rocket fires its nine Merlin first stage engines at Cape Canaveral’s launch pad 40 Nov. 5, 2019, as part of a routine pre-launch test. The successful static fire clears the way for the launch of 60 Starlink satellites, currently scheduled for Nov. 11. Live coverage like this is made possible by the…
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SpaceX to reuse payload fairing for first time on Nov. 11 launch
SpaceX retrieved two halves of the payload fairing from a Falcon Heavy launch April 11 . Credit: Elon Musk/SpaceX A SpaceX launch set for Nov. 11 will mark the first Falcon 9 mission to use a payload fairing from a previous flight, the company announced Tuesday, shortly after SpaceX engineers at Cape Canaveral test-fired the…
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SpaceX finally fires up Falcon 9 ahead of Starlink mission
After a three-month halt in orbital launches for SpaceX, the company has begun making a return to launch action, this time for a second dedicated Starlink Internet satellite mission. The Falcon 9 booster that will be used for this mission – estimated to be flight-proven core B1048.4 – was quickly static fired on the launch…
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Live coverage: SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket for Starlink launch
Live coverage of SpaceX’s preparations for the next Falcon 9 rocket launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will launch SpaceX’s second batch of Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Credit: Spaceflight Now Check here for live updates on SpaceX launch preparations.
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SpaceX renovating former Falcon 9 test stand at McGregor
SpaceX is renovating the former Falcon 9 first stage test stand at their McGregor, Texas test site. Recent aerial photos show that workers have installed scaffolding near the stand, and have removed the large tower formerly used to access stages on the stand. Elon Musk confirmed the work is related to converting the stand to…
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SpaceX’s next launch to mark another incremental step in rocket reusability
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster returning to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX next mission, slated to carry the company’s second set of Starlink broadband satellites into orbit, will be the first to fly with a reused Falcon 9 booster making its fourth launch when…
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NASA chief says SpaceX properly focused on Crew Dragon
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, center, speaks to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, right, while viewing an “OctaWeb” for one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited SpaceX’s California rocket factory Thursday, toured the sprawling facility with founder Elon Musk and told reporters he is optimistic the company will be ready…
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Boeing reveals target dates for initial Starliner test flights
Boeing officials said Wednesday that the company is targeting Dec. 17 for the launch of the first unpiloted orbital test flight of the new Starliner crew capsule from Cape Canaveral on a week-long demonstration mission to the International Space Station, a precursor to a mission with astronauts next year. Meanwhile, engineers in the New Mexico…