Tag: Falcon launch
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Rivals team up: SpaceX sends 24 satellites into orbit for Amazon’s Project Kuiper
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites into space. (SpaceX / Amazon via LinkedIn) In a case of strange space bedfellows, SpaceX launched 24 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation — which is competing with SpaceX’s Starlink network to provide internet access from low Earth orbit. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent…
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SpaceX launches Starfish Space’s second spacecraft for orbital satellite docking test
An artist’s conception shows Otter Pup 2 (at left) approaching its target satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Starfish Space’s second Otter Pup spacecraft went into Earth orbit today, marking the first step in what the Seattle-area startup hopes will be a successful demonstration of the vehicle’s ability to dock with other satellites. Otter Pup, which is…
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SpaceX launch gives a big sendoff to Starfish Space’s satellite docking craft
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from California, sending 72 payloads into space. (SpaceX via YouTube) A well-traveled SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today launched dozens of satellites, including an experimental docking craft created by a Seattle-area startup called Starfish Space. Starfish Space’s Otter Pup spacecraft was one of 72 payloads that were deployed into…
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SpaceX sends Axiom’s crew, including two Saudis, to do research on space station
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its pad, sending four astronauts into space. (Axiom Space via YouTube) SpaceX and Axiom Space teamed up today to send four spacefliers — including the first Saudi woman in orbit — to the International Space Station for a 10-day trip focusing on zero-gravity research. SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket…
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Liftoff! Pacific Northwest National Lab’s microbe study could blaze a trail for future farmers on Mars
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its Florida launch pad. (SpaceX via YouTube) An experiment that’s on its way to the International Space Station focuses on a subject that’s as common as dirt, but could be the key to growing crops in space. The NASA-funded experiment — known as Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space, or…
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SpaceX launches 59 payloads, including Spaceflight’s latest breed of orbital tug
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its Florida launch pad. (SpaceX via YouTube) A new type of controllable orbital transfer vehicle built by Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. made its debut today when SpaceX sent dozens of satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX’s Transporter-5 mission, which is part of the company’s rideshare program, lifted…
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SpaceX launches 88 spacecraft into orbit — including two of Spaceflight’s orbital tugs
A SpaceX Falcon 9 booster makes its landing after the Transporter-2 launch. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sent dozens of satellites into orbit today with a launch that featured an unusual on-the-ground touchdown for its first-stage booster. Eighty-eight spacecraft were packed aboard the two-stage rocket, which took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force…
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SpaceX puts record 143 satellites in orbit, with Spaceflight playing a supporting role
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its launch pad with 143 satellites on board. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX set a record for the number of satellites sent into orbit by a single rocket, and that’s not the only milestone reached during today’s Transporter-1 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket launch also marked the orbital debut of…
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SpaceX launches 57 stealth satellites for Starlink network, plus a pair for BlackSky
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad. (SpaceX via YouTube) After weeks of delay, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent up 57 more satellites for its Starlink broadband internet constellation, with two BlackSky planet-watching satellites hitching a ride. The launch was originally scheduled for June, but had to be put off…
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SpaceX sends third next-gen GPS III satellite into orbit for Space Force
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the third in a series of next-generation GPS III satellites into orbit today, marking another step forward for America’s satellite-based navigation system and the Space Force that manages it. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida came at 4:10 p.m. ET (1:10 p.m. PT), at the end…