Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX Pushes Ahead to Flight 3 with the Rollout of Ship 28
After an exciting and milestone-achieving Flight Test Two, SpaceX is ready to move into Flight Three, with the opening of preflight testing via the rollout of Ship 28 to Suborbital Pad B. This will be the start of what is hoped to be a condensed testing campaign for Ship 28 and Booster 10 ahead of…
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Effects of Falcon Heavy launch delay could ripple to downstream missions
SpaceX and the US Space Force thought they were ready to launch the military’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane this week, but ground teams in Florida need to roll the Falcon Heavy rocket back into its hangar for servicing. This is expected to push back the launch until at least late December, perhaps longer. SpaceX and Space…
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Launch Roundup: Rocket Lab returns to flight; SpaceX launches more Starlink
SpaceX had a lighter week of launches, with Rocket Lab, Russia, and China also launching rockets. Following several delays, SpaceX launched the Starlink Group 6-34 mission. Rocket Lab returned to flight on Friday with “The Moon God Awakens” mission. This comes after a previous mission, dubbed “We Will Never Desert You,” failed to reach orbit…
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The US military’s spaceplane is about to fly again—it needs a bigger rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida—A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is poised for launch as soon as Wednesday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the US military’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane is fastened atop the heavy-lifter for a ride into orbit. Although the Space Force is keeping details about the military spaceplane’s flight under wraps, we…
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Falcon Heavy launch of secretive X-37B military spaceplane on hold
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket stands ready to launch the USSF-52 mission. The two side boosters are making their fifth flight while the center booster is launching on its first and only flight. Image: Michael Cain Update Dec. 13: Falcon Heavy is returning to the hangar and launch of USSF-52 mission is on hold. Update…
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SpaceX standing down from Starlink 6-34 mission Wednesday due to poor Atlantic weather
A Falcon 9 stands ready for launch with 23 Starlink satellites on pad 40. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. Update 4:00 p.m. EST: SpaceX is standing down from a launch attempt Wednesday night due to “unfavorable weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean.” SpaceX is standing down from a launch attempt of the Starlink 6-34 mission onboard…
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Hubble back in service after gyro scare—NASA still studying reboost options
The Hubble Space Telescope resumed science observations on Friday after ground teams spent most of the last three weeks assessing the performance of a finicky gyroscope, NASA said. The troublesome gyroscope is a critical part of the observatory’s pointing system. Hubble’s gyros measure how fast the spacecraft is turning, helping the telescope aim its aperture…
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NASA says SpaceX’s next Starship flight could test refueling tech
SpaceX and NASA could take a tentative step toward orbital refueling on the next test flight of Starship, but the US space agency says officials haven’t made a final decision on when to begin demonstrating cryogenic propellant transfer capabilities that are necessary to return astronauts to the Moon. NASA is keen on demonstrating orbital refueling…
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SpaceX conducts static fire test ahead of fifth Falcon Heavy launch of 2023
The Falcon Heavy for the USSF 52 mission to launch the U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane inside the hangar at launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Image: SpaceX. Following two Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida, SpaceX closed out the first weekend of December with a Falcon Heavy static fire test. The…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Starlink mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the sky above Florida’s Space Coast amid the Starlink 6-31 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein SpaceX continued a busy weekend with the launch of another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late Saturday night. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred…