Tag: SpaceX
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As IFT-4 prepares for launch, Starship’s future is coming into focus
After the historic IFT-3 launch in March, the Starship program is proceeding with plans to fly Ship 29 and Booster 11 on IFT-4, potentially in May, while future versions of the vehicle are starting to take shape. STARSHIP FLIGHT 4 PREPARATIONS Following the successful static test firing campaigns of the ship and booster, both vehicles…
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Rocket Report: Starship could save Mars Sample Return; BE-4s for second Vulcan
Welcome to Edition 6.40 of the Rocket Report! There was a lot of exciting news this week. For the first time, SpaceX launched a reusable Falcon 9 booster for a 20th flight. A few miles away at Cape Canaveral, Boeing and United Launch Alliance completed one of the final steps before the first crew launch…
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SpaceX and Northrop are working on a constellation of spy satellites
SpaceX is reportedly working with at least one major US defense contractor, Northrop Grumman, on a constellation of spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. According to Reuters, development of the network of hundreds of spy satellites by SpaceX is being coordinated with multiple contractors to avoid putting too much control of a highly sensitive…
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SpaceX completes 40th Falcon 9 launch of the year with Starlink mission
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket supporting the Starlink 6-52 mission transits the Moon moments before Main Engine Cut-off (MECO). Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now SpaceX completed its 40 Falcon 9 mission of the year with a launch from the Cape. The Starlink 6-52 mission added 23 more satellites to the growing low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the pad at Launch Complex 39A as captured in this streak shot on April 17, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now SpaceX completed its latest Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday evening. The Starlink 6-51 mission came about a week-and-a-half after the…
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SpaceX’s most-flown reusable rocket launches for the 20th time
For the first time, SpaceX launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 boosters for a 20th time Friday night on a flight to deliver 23 more Starlink Internet satellites to orbit. This milestone mission lifted off at 9:40 pm EDT Friday (01:40 UTC Saturday) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force…
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SpaceX launches Space Force weather satellite designed to take over for a program with roots to the 1960s
The Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) space vehicle was successfully encapsulated April 8, 2024, ahead of its scheduled launch as the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-62 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., marking a major milestone on its upcoming launch into low Earth orbit. Image: SpaceX SpaceX launched a military weather satellite designed to…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral
A Falcon 9 rock climbs above Florida’s Space Coast on the Starlink 6-48 mission on April 10, 2024. Image: Spaceflight Now Update 1:58 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-48 mission. SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites during a mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 flight was the company’s…
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Launch Roundup: Delta IV swan song, Angara test flight from Russia, and three Falcon 9 flights
The second week of April not only has a long-awaited total solar eclipse but also orbital launches from Russia and the United States. Besides the long-awaited NROL-70 Delta IV Heavy finale, there was a test flight of the Russian Angara rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia and a handful of Falcon 9 launches. Delta…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on 1st ‘Bandwagon’ mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein SpaceX launched the first in a new series of rideshare missions that it dubbed “Bandwagon.” The 11 satellites rode onboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space…