Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX launches Maxar’s first WorldView Legion satellites on Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying the first pair of WorldView Legion satellites for Maxar Space Systems. Image: SpaceX SpaceX completed the first of a planned pair of Falcon 9 launches on Thursday, hours after it worked with NASA to relocate its Crew Dragon spacecraft on the…
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SpaceX launches 30th Starlink mission of 2024 on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-55 mission on May 2, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 10:58 p.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-55 mission. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on its 30th Starlink flight of the year. The mission…
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Two giants in the satellite telecom industry join forces to counter Starlink
Facing competition from Starlink and other emerging satellite broadband networks, the two companies that own most of the traditional commercial communications spacecraft in geostationary orbit announced plans to join forces Tuesday. SES, based in Luxembourg, will buy Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The acquisition will create a combined company boasting a fleet of some 100 multi-ton satellites…
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NASA lays out how SpaceX will refuel Starships in low-Earth orbit
Some time next year, NASA believes SpaceX will be ready to link two Starships in orbit for an ambitious refueling demonstration, a technical feat that will put the Moon within reach. SpaceX is under contract with NASA to supply two human-rated Starships for the first two astronaut landings on the Moon through the agency’s Artemis…
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Launch Roundup: China returns to the moon, SpaceX keeps up high launch cadence
This week, China returns to the Moon with the Chang’e-6 mission, making the first-ever attempt to collect samples from a site on the far side, near the lunar South Pole. SpaceX keeps up its high cadence with the launch of the long-delayed WorldView Legion satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space…
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SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 23 Starlink satellites up to low Earth orbit on April 28, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Following the historic launch of a pair of the European Commission’s Galileo satellites, SpaceX launched another batch of its own Starlink…
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NASA Updates on Starship Refueling, as SpaceX Prepares Flight 4 of Starship
In a recent update to the NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations Committee, the agency provided updates on several key aspects of the Artemis I through IV missions. This included updates on Starship timelines and efforts as SpaceX readies to conduct the final tests of the fourth Starship Flight Test. NASA Advisory Briefing Amit…
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SpaceX launches European Commission’s Galileo satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Commission’s constellation lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on April 27, 2024. The last time SpaceX launched an expandable Falcon 9 rocket was back in November 2022, 146 missions ago. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch…
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News from the Press Site: Boeing Starliner gets go ahead for Crew Flight Test
In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Tariq Malik, editor-in-chief of Space.com, and Passant Rabie, space reporter for Gizmodo. The panel discusses the arrival of the NASA astronauts who will be the first to fly onboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, the reestablishment of contact with the…
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SpaceX completes 300th Falcon booster landing during Starlink mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on the Starlink 6-53 mission on April 23, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 7:32 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 23 Starlink satellites. SpaceX completed a Falcon 9 launch, highlighted by the company’s 300th booster landing to date. The Starlink 6-53…