Tag: SpaceX
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NASA set to purchase more Soyuz seats to ensure uninterrupted access to the ISS
Despite the scheduled return of US domestic crew launch capability this year, NASA is set to purchase more rides on the Russian Soyuz through 2020. The agency is adhering to a recommendation from its Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) after concerns were raised about the lack of a back-up option covering the potential delays that…
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NASA lays out its commercial roadmap for putting astronauts on the moon in 2028
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine discusses the space agency’s plan to support the development of commercial hardware capable of landing astronauts on the moon. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) WASHINGTON, D.C. — NASA’s leaders put out their pitch today for commercial ventures to build the hardware needed to put American astronauts back on the moon by 2028.…
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Spaceflight notes expanding and evolving offerings as it prepares for first GTO rideshare mission
Hot on the heels of its first dedicated mission via the Falcon 9 launch of the SSO-A mission late last year, Spaceflight is preparing for its first rideshare mission to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). The Falcon 9 launch of primary payload Nusantara Satu (PSN VI) – now set to launch from SLC-40 No Earlier Than…
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SpaceX seeks FCC approval for up to 1M Starlink satellite earth stations
A simulation shows how a 4,425-satellite constellation could be deployed for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. (Mark Handley / University College London) SpaceX has opened a new window into its ambitious plans for a global satellite broadband data network, thanks to an earth-station license application filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The application, filed on behalf of…
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First flights for SpaceX and Boeing space taxis face further delays, NASA says
An artist’s conception shows Boeing’s Starliner capsule and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon craft. (NASA Graphic) NASA says the flight test schedule for space taxis designed by SpaceX and Boeing to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station has been stretched out further, as expected. And it wouldn’t be surprising if additional postponements occur in…
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SpaceX’s Elon Musk shows off test firing of Starship’s methane-fueled Raptor engine
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk checks out the nozzle of a full-scale Raptor rocket engine in advance of its first test firing. (Elon Musk via Twitter) SpaceX CEO celebrated the first test firing of a full-scale, built-for-flight Raptor engine for his Starship super-rocket in the usual way tonight: by tweeting about it. “So proud of great…
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As new lunar race heats up, the Moon answers a centuries old question of craters on Earth
For the second time in as many months, a new mission to the moon is nearly ready to launch. As the new Moon race heats up, lunar science continues to expand our understanding of our constant gray companion and has revealed an answer to a centuries old question of asteroid bombardment in Earth’s past. Lunar…
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Telesat makes deals with Blue Origin and Loon for its internet satellite network
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith flank Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg, who’s holding a model of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. (Blue Origin via Twitter) Canada’s biggest satellite operator, Telesat, has signed agreements with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Alphabet’s Loon aerial telecommunications venture to support its…
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Israeli lunar lander passes tests in preparation for SpaceX launch to the moon
SpaceIL’s Beresheet lunar lander is suspended at a payload processing facility in Florida. (SpaceIL Photo via Twitter) The managers of Israel’s first mission to the moon say their lunar lander has passed a crucial set of tests in preparation for February’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with an assist from a Seattle space…
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Exploring what’s next for Iridium after final NEXT constellation launch
A 12 year campaign – including a two year, eight launch process – came to a successful conclusion for Iridium Communications on Friday, 11 January when the final batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites were successfully deployed into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Rounding out the launch campaign might have seemed like the…