Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Roundup: Virgin Galactic performs crewed suborbital mission; SpaceX launches Euclid
Four launches are planned for the week of June 24 to July 1. The Russians opened the launches, with a Meteor weather satellite riding a Soyuz rocket on Tuesday, June 27, while Virgin Galactic flew its Galactic 01 crewed suborbital mission Thursday, June 29. Firefly’s Alpha rocket was thought to be making its first operational…
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SpaceX record-breaking first half of 2023 following Starlink launch
SpaceX’s last launch of the first half of 2023 occurred Friday, June 23, carrying 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites. Liftoff was in the second launch window of the day at 11:35 AM EDT (15:35 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission, Starlink Group 5-12, marked the…
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Weirdly, a NASA official says fixed-price contracts do the agency “no good”
Last week NASA official Jim Free appeared before the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board and Space Studies Board in Washington, DC. There are many of these review boards that act as outside observers for NASA’s space policy plans and offer advice from seasoned hands. Free spoke about the agency’s Artemis Program to return humans to…
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SpaceX, Blue Origin, others highlighted in new NASA low-Earth orbit partnerships
On June 15, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced its intention to partner with seven U.S. aerospace companies in order to advance human spaceflight and the commercial low-Earth orbit economy. The agency stated in a press release that these partnerships — done through the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 initiative (CCSC-2) along…
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Blue Origin will work with NASA on orbital transportation system for astronauts
Coby Cotton and Steve Young gaze at Earth during a Blue Origin suborbital spaceflight in August 2022. (Blue Origin Photo) NASA says it will collaborate with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture on the development of new space transportation capabilities that will provide high-frequency access to low Earth orbit for astronauts and cargo. The project…
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SpaceX launch gives a big sendoff to Starfish Space’s satellite docking craft
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from California, sending 72 payloads into space. (SpaceX via YouTube) A well-traveled SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket today launched dozens of satellites, including an experimental docking craft created by a Seattle-area startup called Starfish Space. Starfish Space’s Otter Pup spacecraft was one of 72 payloads that were deployed into…
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SpaceX launches another 52 Starlink internet satellites
Watch a replay of our live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 5-11 mission at 3:10 a.m. EDT (0710 UTC) on June 12 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”SFN Live”] [tabby title=”Launch Pad Live”] [tabbyending]…
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Starlink 5-11 launches from Florida as astronomy impacts in focus
SpaceX conducted its third orbital launch this month, as well as the 37th Falcon 9 and the company’s 39th overall orbital launch for 2023, with Falcon 9 B1073-9 launching on Monday, June 12 at 3:10 AM EDT (07:10 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The flight took a…
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Testing antibacterial surfaces on the International Space Station
On June 5, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off to the International Space Station with new supplies, including equipment for scientific research. Among the new scientific gear that has arrived at the ISS are four tablets covered with extremely thin films that could play a crucial role in the development of materials for future…
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OLM mods as vehicles shuffle in preparation for upcoming test flights
Starbase continues to find itself in the midst of preparing for the next test flight of Starship, following the events of Booster 7 and Ship 24’s rise into the South Texas sky. Modifications to the launch site are the main watch item, as it readies for the installation of steel plates and a water deluge…