Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX launches first of planned back-to-back Falcon 9 Starlink missions
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center carrying 23 Starlink satellites into space. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. Update 8:40 p.m.: The first Falcon 9 of the night lifted off at 8:10 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX is preparing for a busy week to close out the month of January. Two…
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Wet dress rehearsal on the horizon for Starship’s third flight
SpaceX is deep into preparations for the next Starship flight, focusing on the Orbital Launch Pad (OLP). Booster 10 and Ship 28 are set to return to the launch site in the coming week or two, ahead of a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) that will set the stage for the third launch of the world’s…
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Launch Roundup: Northrop Grumman prepare the first Cygnus to fly on Falcon 9
Recent challenges with weather concerns and the movement of key flights such as USSF-52 and Axiom-3 have impacted Falcon 9 launch dates, not least Starlink Group 7-11 which scrubbed three times and finally launched on Tuesday, albeit with problems on the launch livestream. SpaceX had two drone ships and the two fairing recovery ships in…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 flies from California on 5th try with Starlink satellites
A Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2024. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink internet satellites from California on Tuesday after four earlier tries were scrubbed. Liftoff of the Starlink 7-11 mission occurred at 4:35 p.m. PST (7:35 p.m. EST, 0035 UTC). SpaceX’s…
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Rocket Report: A new estimate of Starship costs; Japan launches spy satellite
Welcome to Edition 6.27 of the Rocket Report! This week, we discuss an intriguing new report looking at Starship. Most fascinating, the report covers SpaceX’s costs to build a Starship and how these costs will come down as the company ramps up its build and launch cadence. At the other end of the spectrum, former…
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Axiom, SpaceX launch third all-private crew mission to space station
For the third time, an all-private crew is heading for the International Space Station. The four-man team lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday, kicking off a 36-hour pursuit of the orbiting research laboratory. Docking is scheduled for Saturday morning. This two-week mission is managed by…
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Axiom-3 launches multinational crew to orbit on way to ISS
The private Axiom-3 mission to the International Space Station is now in orbit after a successful launch from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission features a crew representing five different countries, four of them wholly or partly in Europe. Falcon 9 B1080-5 and Crew Dragon C212 Freedom were scheduled to launch from Pad…
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Axiom-3 launches multinational crew to orbit on way to ISS
The private Axiom-3 mission to the International Space Station is now in orbit after a successful launch from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission features a crew representing five different countries, four of them wholly or partly in Europe. Falcon 9 B1080-5 and Crew Dragon C212 Freedom were scheduled to launch from Pad…
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Elon Musk’s recent all-hands meeting at SpaceX was full of interesting news
Last year was unquestionably the best year in SpaceX’s history, CEO Elon Musk told his employees during an all-hands meeting in South Texas last week. There were 96 flights of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, plus the first two test flights of the enormous new Starship rocket. In 2024, SpaceX said it aims…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket following Saturday night scrub
SpaceX launches its 5th Falcon 9 rocket of the year on the Starlink 6-37 mission on Jan. 14, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 9:00 p.m. EST: SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket for the Starlink 6-37 mission. The second time will be the charm for SpaceX as it was able to launch its…