Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX debuts new Bandwagon rideshare service
On Sunday, April 7 SpaceX launched the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 7:16 PM EDT (23:16 UTC). This flight carried 11 spacecraft for six customers, including a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite for South Korea. The payloads are heading for a 45.4 degree inclination, with at…
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SpaceX begins commercial Direct to Cell Starlink constellation with Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at sunset from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 8-1 mission on April 6, 2024. Image: SpaceX For a second time this year, SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites that support its Direct to Cell capability. The six spacecraft are among the 21 total…
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Rocket Report: Blue Origin to resume human flights; progress for Polaris Dawn
Welcome to Edition 6.38 of the Rocket Report! Ed Dwight was close to joining NASA’s astronaut corps more than 60 years ago. With an aeronautical engineering degree and experience as an Air Force test pilot, Dwight met the qualifications to become an astronaut. He was one of 26 test pilots the Air Force recommended to…
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SpaceX begins 2024 with several record-breaking feats
SpaceX has kicked off 2024 breaking records and setting new standards for its operations. The Falcon family of rockets achieved 31 launches in the first quarter of the year putting the company on track to complete 125 launches by the end of 2024. SpaceX also debuted a new crew access tower for Dragon and launched…
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Booster 11 Conducts Engine Testing as Starbase Continues to Change
Peparations for the fourth flight of Starship are in full swing, with Ship 29 having completed its engine testing campaign, while Booster 11 rolled to the Orbital Launch Pad (OLP) to complete its own engine test campaign. Elon Musk noted the fourth flight of Starship is set for May. Ship 29 and Booster 11 After…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX continues high cadence
After SpaceX achieved a record-breaking 12 Falcon 9 launches in March, the company continued this cadence during the first week of April. Missions this week included a Starlink flight, a mystery-shrouded launch from China, then another three Falcon 9’s toward the end of the week — two more Starlinks and the first of a series…
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Eutelsat mission marks first of double Falcon 9 launch day for SpaceX
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Eutelsat 36D satellite lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on March 30, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now SpaceX was aiming for an ambitious launch cadence on Saturday evening with potentially three launches on tap in fewer than five hours. The first two Falcon 9…
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SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites onboard Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
A Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the night sky above Florida on the Starlink 6-45 mission on March 30, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update: Falcon 9 launched at 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 UTC). SpaceX followed the successful launch of a European television satellite with the first of a planned pair of its own Starlink…
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SpaceX pulls off Starlink 7-18 mission on fourth day of launch attempts
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at sunset from Vandenberg Space Force Base on April 1, 2024. Image: SpaceX Following three unsuccessful launch attempts at the end of March, SpaceX was able to pull off an April Fool’s Day Starlink launch. The Starlink 7-18 mission launched at 7:30 p.m. PDT (10:30 EDT, 0230 UTC)…
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SpaceX reaches its 175th Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral with Monday evening Starlink mission
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on the Starlink 6-46 mission on Monday, March 25. This marked the 175th launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday evening with 23 Starlink satellites on board. This mission…