Tag: SpaceX
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With solo vehicle testing complete, Starship’s third flight is getting closer
Preparations for the third flight of Starship are making solid progress after both vehicles completed their respective solo test campaigns. Booster 10 rolled back to the Shipyard for final mods and checkouts before its flight, and Ship 28 wasn’t far behind. Both vehicles are now in their Bays for final work before rolling back to…
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With solo vehicle testing complete, Starship’s third flight is getting closer
Preparations for the third flight of Starship are making solid progress after both vehicles completed their respective solo test campaigns. Booster 10 rolled back to the Shipyard for final mods and checkouts before its flight, and Ship 28 wasn’t far behind. Both vehicles are now in their Bays for final work before rolling back to…
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Launch Roundup: Vulcan’s maiden flight, SpaceX continues launching Starlink
The week of Jan. 4 to Jan. 10 saw the long-awaited maiden flight of the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket carrying the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One Lunar Lander to the Moon. Two Chinese rockets have launched: one Kuaizhou 1A, and the Einstein Probe X-ray satellite, launched on Jan 9. from Xichang, China on board a…
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Launch Roundup: Vulcan’s maiden flight, SpaceX continues launching Starlink
The week of Jan. 4 to Jan. 10 saw the long-awaited maiden flight of the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket carrying the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One Lunar Lander to the Moon. Two Chinese rockets have launched: one Kuaizhou 1A, and the Einstein Probe X-ray satellite, launched on Jan 9. from Xichang, China on board a…
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SpaceX launches the first set of Starlink satellites for T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell plan
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sends Starlink satellites to space from a California launch pad. (SpaceX via Twitter/X) The first satellites capable of providing direct-to-cellular service via SpaceX’s Starlink network and T-Mobile’s cellular network have been sent into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Six of the cell-capable satellites were among a batch of 21…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Ovzon-3 satellite, kicking off launch year at the Cape
The first Falcon 9 rocket to launch from Florida in 2024 lifts off from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now The orbital launch year in Florida began in the same way it ended 2023: with the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9…
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A commander’s lament on the loss of a historic SpaceX rocket
The Falcon 9 rocket that launched NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on SpaceX’s first crew mission in 2020 launched and landed for the 19th and final time just before Christmas, then tipped over on its recovery ship during the trip back to Cape Canaveral, Florida. This particular booster, known by the tail number…
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SpaceX’s first Falcon 9 launch of 2024 features first 6 direct-to-cell Starlink satellites
SpaceX launches its first orbital mission of 2024. The Starlink 7-9 mission featured the first six direct-to-cell satellites. Image: SpaceX Update 9:31 p.m. EST: SpaceX adjusted the presumed liftoff time. SpaceX is wasting no time in kicking off what it plans to be a historically busy year for orbital launches. The company launched its workhorse…
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SpaceX closes out record-breaking 2023, prepares for more records in 2024
SpaceX has closed out its most successful and record-breaking year yet. Its Falcon program broke several records for booster and fairing reuse, launch cadence, and tonnage to orbit. Alongside the Falcon program, the Dragon program sent more cargo and more people to orbit and it saw capsules pushing Dragon’s reusability records. The company also debuted…
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SpaceX launches two rockets—three hours apart—to close out a record year
It seems like SpaceX did everything this year but launch 100 times. On Thursday night, the launch company sent two more rockets into orbit from Florida. One was a Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket in commercial service, carrying the US military’s X-37B spaceplane from a launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at…