Tag: SpaceX
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Falcon 9 booster fires up as astronauts visit SpaceX Fleet
SpaceX has successfully static fired its latest Falcon 9 booster ahead of what was to be a weekend launch – prior to a 24 hour slip to allow for additional checkouts – from Cape Canaveral. The test was conducted as SpaceX’s astronaut corp was visiting the company’s fleet of ships at Port Canaveral. SpaceX is…
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Iridium NEXT-8 launch date dependent on satellite manufacturing, availability
Iridium Communications is nearing the end of its two-year campaign with SpaceX to place 75 Iridium NEXT communication satellites into orbit. The company has launched 65 of those satellites to date, with the final 10 scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, before the end of the year. The…
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SpaceX readies for installation of LC-39A Crew Access Arm, previews Crew Dragon
Just two weeks after the announcement of the NASA astronauts who will fly the company’s DM-2 and Crew-1 flights, SpaceX has provided more information and access to the Crew Dragon and now stands ready to install the Crew Access Arm – through which astronauts will board Dragon – at LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.…
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NASA signs off on SpaceX’s “load-and-go” procedure for crew launches
A prototype of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule completed a pad abort test at Cape Canaveral in May 2015. Credit: SpaceX The NASA manager overseeing development of Boeing and SpaceX’s commercial crew ferry ships says the space agency has approved SpaceX’s proposal to strap in astronauts atop Falcon 9 rockets, then fuel the launchers in the…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Merah Putih for first Block 5 reflight
SpaceX kept up its impressive launch pace as the company reused its first Block 5 Falcon 9 booster in Tuesday’s launch of Merah Putih. Liftoff, from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, occurred at the opening of a two-hour window at 01:18 Eastern Time (05:18 UTC). This was the first…
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Spaceflight’s SmallSat Express rounds up more than 70 satellites for SpaceX launch
An artist’s conception shows Spaceflight’s satellite deployers emerging from their SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. (Spaceflight Illustration) LOGAN, Utah — Seattle-based Spaceflight is confirming that it has more than 70 satellites from 18 countries signed up for launch on a first-of-its-kind dedicated rideshare mission, due to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by the end…
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SpaceX launches Indonesian satellite and kicks off new round for rocket reusability
The glare of a Falcon 9 rocket launch lights up the night at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX sent Indonesia’s Merah Putih telecommunications satellite into orbit tonight, marking the first reuse of its new-generation Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket booster. Liftoff came on time at 1:19 a.m. ET Tuesday…
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Return of the Dragon – CRS-15 ends mission with Pacific splashdown
SpaceX’s CRS-15 Dragon spacecraft has completed the EOM (End Of Mission) phase with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. As per usual – though still unusual for International Space Station (ISS) vehicles – Dragon and her important downmass will be recovered. Release from the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) occurred at 12:38…
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SpaceX Dragon cargo craft splashes down, delivering space algae and cell samples
News Brief: The International Space Station’s crew sent a Dragon back to Earth today, filled with more than 3,800 pounds of scientific samples and equipment. SpaceX’s robotic Dragon cargo capsule had been hooked up to the station for just over a month, providing plenty of time for the crew to unload shipments from Earth and…
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NASA names nine astronauts for SpaceX and Boeing flights to space station
The crews for the first four flights on SpaceX and Boeing space taxis wave to the cameras after their introduction at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. (NASA via YouTube) NASA unveiled the first nine astronauts for its commercial crew missions to the International Space Station today, including rookies as well as seasoned veterans. The…