Tag: SpaceX
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Falcon 9 rocket arrives on pad 39A for sunrise Starlink launch this weekend
A Falcon 9 rocket rolls out to pad 39A Thursday for the next launch of SpaceX Starlink satellites. Credit: Spaceflight Now SpaceX plans to deploy the next group of Starlink internet relay spacecraft Sunday with a liftoff on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the company’s fourth satellite launch of…
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Starship SN9 fails to gain FAA green light for Friday attempt
Starship SN9 will have to wait until at least Monday to conduct a 10 kilometer flight, following a continued denial from the FAA approval. The launch attempt comes after a series of Static Fire tests and preparations for its flight from Boca Chica – with the FAA the cause of the latest delay. SN9 “Final”…
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SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Project Kuiper stir up a war of words over satellites
The rivalry between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is back in the news. (Musk Photo: TED via YouTube; Bezos Photo: GeekWire / Kevin Lisota) SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon’s Project Kuiper escalated a different kind of Star Wars today, over the orbital parameters for their rival satellite constellations. Musk complained…
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SpaceX puts record 143 satellites in orbit, with Spaceflight playing a supporting role
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its launch pad with 143 satellites on board. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX set a record for the number of satellites sent into orbit by a single rocket, and that’s not the only milestone reached during today’s Transporter-1 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket launch also marked the orbital debut of…
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Transporter-1 debuts new SpaceX rideshare program, world record
SpaceX launched their third mission of 2021 and the first of many planned Smallsat Rideshare Program missions, which are designed by the company to give small satellite operators the chance to launch together as a way to reduce cost on regularly scheduled flights to frequently used orbits. The flight, called Transporter-1, lifted off with a…
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SpaceX launches first Starlink mission of 2021
As the second SpaceX launch of the year, and the first of many Starlink missions scheduled to launch in 2021, the company launched the Starlink v1.0 L16 mission — the 16th launch of operational satellites and 17th Starlink flight overall. Liftoff occurred January 20th at 8:02 EST (13:02 UTC) from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space…
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SpaceX acquires former oil rigs to serve as floating Starship spaceports
SpaceX has acquired two former oil drilling rigs to serve as these floating spaceports. Named Phobos and Deimos, after the two moons of Mars, they are currently undergoing modifications to support Starship launch operations. SpaceX has long been hinting at future floating launch and landing sites for their Starship launch system. The super heavy lift launch vehicle…
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CRS-21 Dragon completes mission with splashdown off Tampa
The CRS-21 automated cargo Dragon v2, the first-of-its-kind for the v2 class designed and developed by SpaceX, has completed its mission after undocked from the International Space Station and conducting a 35 hour homecoming that culminated with a splashdown off the coast of Tampa, Florida on Wednesday, 13 January at 20:27 EST (14 January at…
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SpaceX lofts Turkish satellite to orbit in first global launch of the year
SpaceX began the global launch year with the flight of Türksat 5A, a Turkish communications satellite. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket occurred from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida during a 4-hour launch window on Thursday evening, with liftoff at 21:25 EST (8 January at 02:15 UTC). The payload: Türksat…
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Starship SN9 speeds toward Static Fire and test flight
With Starship SN8’s test flight still fresh in the memory, SN9 is set to complete an accelerated pad flow with a Static Fire test and launch this coming week. A triple Raptor Static Fire test occurred Wednesday, although it appeared to be a shorter firing than required, thus a second Static Fire test is expected…