Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX finally launches Starlink v1.0 Launch 12
After inclement weather led SpaceX to call off a launch attempt on Monday morning, the company finally launched the Starlink v1.0 Launch 12 mission from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday at 7:29am EDT (11:29 UTC). This was the fifth attempt to get the mission off the ground. Another SpaceX rocket is also waiting…
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SpaceX finally launches Starlink v1.0 Launch 12
After inclement weather led SpaceX to call off a launch attempt on Monday morning, the company finally launched the Starlink v1.0 Launch 12 mission from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday at 7:29am EDT (11:29 UTC). This was the fifth attempt to get the mission off the ground. Another SpaceX rocket is also waiting…
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Super Heavy waiting in the wings amid Starship testing
All eyes remain on Starship SN8’s next-level test campaign, advancing the test program from 150-meter hops to high-altitude flights. Amid SN8’s preparations at the launch site – and numerous Starships, at various points of construction, at the Production Site – several Super Heavy sections were observed during the week in advance of stacking operations for…
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Starship SN8 prepares for test series – First sighting of Super Heavy
Starship SN8 has arrived at the launch site for a test campaign full of firsts for SpaceX’s prototype vehicle. Complete with aero surfaces, SN8 will be tested and launched with three Raptor engines on a refined test flight to 50,000 feet (15 km). This vehicle is the first in a family of Starships that will…
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SpaceX Manifest Takes Shape as Falcon Heavy Hardware Arrives at McGregor
A new Falcon booster has been installed on the test stand at SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas. Based on the logos and hardware on the exterior of the booster, the stage has been identified as a Falcon Heavy side booster, slated to support the next flight of SpaceX’s heavy lift rocket…
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ESA’s Hera planetary defense mission signs prime contractor, on course for launch in 2024
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a design, manufacturing, and testing contract with OHB of Germany for their Hera planetary defense mission, marking a major advancement toward the agency’s commitment to NASA for their joint Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment project. NASA’s portion is scheduled to launch in July 2021 and slam into the…
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Starship test program advances towards ambitious SN8 test flight
Starship SN8 is to become the next prototype vehicle to undergo a test flight. CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk confirmed a readiness schedule for the vehicle that will fly with three Raptors, a nose cone, and aero surfaces. The update is an advance on SpaceX’s previous test schedule that was set to conduct multiple…
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OmegA Launch Tower to be demolished as KSC 39B fails to become a multi-user pad
Following the cancellation of Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket, work to demolish the vehicle’s launch tower on a repurposed former Shuttle program Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) will mark the erasure of the program from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). It was hoped OmegA would allow the “clean pad” at 39B to fall under the assigned mandate…
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After second hop, SpaceX preps for next phase of Starship testing
After another Starship hop test last week, SpaceX is set to build the first prototype for the next-gen rocket’s huge first stage booster. Meanwhile, testing will commence soon on the Raptor engine model needed for orbital Starship missions. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, said Aug. 31 the first test vehicle for the Starship’s “Super…
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Following Starship SN6’s hop, SN7.1 prepares to pop
With two successful 150-meter hops in the bag for SpaceX, Starship testing is preparing to enter the next phase. Starship SN6’s successful 150-meter hop followed just weeks after SN5’s achievement. While SN5 is preparing to conduct another leap, Starship SN8 is closing in on its maiden flight, this time sporting three Raptor engines, a nosecone,…