Tag: SpaceX
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New spacecraft, new firsts, new hardware – International Space Station wraps up a busy and historic 2022
2022 has marked another busy chapter for the International Space Station (ISS). Along with its constant plethora of scientific and engineering experiments, the Station saw the first docking of Starliner, the all-private Axiom-1 mission, and new hardware installed to increase the lifespan of humanity’s collaborative space laboratory. The year onboard the Station began during Expedition…
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SpaceX launches second mission from Florida within two days
SpaceX has launched the a pair of Falcon 9 missions approximately 23 hours apart from the company’s two Florida launch pads. The first mission carried the first two satellites for a new constellation known as O3b mPOWER to orbit on Friday, Dec. 16, with liftoff coming at the very end of an 87-minute launch window…
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SpaceX launches SWOT ocean research mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched the joint NASA/CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:46 AM PST (11:46 UTC) on Friday, Dec. 16, after a 24-hour delay to allow teams to complete further data review and analysis after moisture was identified in two of…
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SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying private Japanese moon lander
SpaceX has used its Falcon 9 rocket to send a privately funded mission toward the surface of the moon. After a series of delays, HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) at 2:38 AM EST (07:38 UTC) on Dec. 11. An initial launch…
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SpaceX launches first of three missions for OneWeb
SpaceX conducted its 55th flight of the year to take the OneWeb Flight #15 mission using a flight-proven Falcon 9 to a polar low Earth orbit (LEO) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Liftoff occurred on Dec. 8 at 5:27:48 PM EST (22:27:48 UTC). Space Launch Delta 45…
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Boosters 7 and 9 in dual flow toward Starbase test milestones
With Booster 7 returned to the Mega Bay (High Bay 2) at Starbase, all eyes are on its stablemate, Booster 9, as both vehicles prepare for a roll down Highway 4. Booster 7 recently completed another important test as SpaceX continues to inch closer to an orbital test flight of Starship with another Static Fire…
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NASA, SpaceX launch and dock CRS-26 mission to ISS
SpaceX’s newest Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft, C211, has launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 2:20:43 PM EST (19:20:43 UTC) on Saturday, Nov. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Following an on-time liftoff, Cargo Dragon rendezvoused and docked with the forward port on the Harmony module of the International Space…
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SpaceX dodges weather to launch Eutelsat-10B
SpaceX has launched the Eutelsat-10B communication satellite into a supersynchronous geostationary transfer orbit. A Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 9:57 PM EST (02:57 UTC on Nov. 23). For an initial attempt…
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Booster 7 resumes static fire testing as SpaceX ramps up Starship production
Booster 7 resumed its static fire test campaign Monday with a full-duration firing of 14 Raptor engines in a significant event before the long-awaited 33-engine static fire test. This milestone puts the Super Heavy booster one step closer to being ready for Starship’s first orbital flight. While this flight is currently targeting no earlier than…
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Falcon 9 B1051 makes final flight on Galaxy-31 & 32 mission
After a delay caused by Hurricane Nicole, SpaceX launched its 52nd mission of 2022 with the Intelsat Galaxy-31 & 32 satellites using a flight-proven Falcon 9 to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1051-14 made its final flight on this mission. Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the…