Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese missions fill busy launch manifest
The week of May 11 brings nine launches across the United States and China, spanning government and commercial operators on both sides of the Pacific. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 accounts for four missions: a Cargo Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station, a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload from Vandenberg, a Starlink mission, and a…
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Full Stack Flight 12 completes WDR
Following Booster 19’s successful full-duration, full-thrust 33-engine static fire on May 7, 2026, its partner Ship 39 rolled out to join the booster and form the Flight 12 stack ahead of a Wet Dress Rehearsal. While Saturday’s attempt was scrubbed ahead of prop loading, a new attempt on Monday appeared to go as planned. Since…
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SpaceX is starting to move on from the world’s most successful rocket
It is far too soon to mention retirement, but astute observers of the space industry have noticed SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket is not launching as often as it used to. The decline is modest so far, and it does not signal any problem at SpaceX or with the Falcon 9. Rather, it is a…
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Edge Aerospace Wins ESA Contract to Study Orbital Data Centers
Luxembourg-based startup Edge Aerospace has secured a contract under the European Space Agency’s Space Cloud program to examine the feasibility of orbital data centers, as Europe explores new approaches to in-space computing. Under the agreement, Edge Aerospace will develop an architectural framework and use-case roadmap for orbital computing platforms. The study will evaluate the commercial…
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Starlink Video Shows Rare Satellite Deployment Footage
What Does SpaceX’s Latest Starlink Deployment Video Show? SpaceX has released unprecedented footage showing Starlink satellites deploying from a Falcon 9 upper stage in orbit, providing rare visual documentation of the mechanical separation process that typically occurs beyond ground-based observation capabilities. The video captures the precise moment when individual satellites disengage from the payload dispenser…
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Pad 1 conversion ongoing, with Flight 12 nearing
Over six months after the end of Flight 11, the old design, Pad 1, was demolished, and conversion to the newer pad design, like Pad 2, is underway. In that time, crews have made impressive progress, with excavation of the trench about to start. Pad 1 Conversion Since the end of Flight 11, SpaceX…
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STMicroelectronics Targets $3 Billion in Space Revenue on Growing LEO Demand
STMicroelectronics expects to generate more than $3 billion in revenue from its space-related business over the next three years, driven by growing demand in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite programs and continued collaboration with SpaceX. Speaking during a virtual presentation, Remi El-Ouazzane, president of Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF Products at STMicroelectronics, said the company’s LEO-related…
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Launch Preview: three launches — a calm before the storm?
Two Falcon 9 launches and a Chang Zheng 7 make up the launch roster for the week commencing Monday, May 4, 2026. SpaceX will use its launches to place a further 48 Starlink satellites into Group 17 of the huge constellation of over 7,000 satellites. China’s single flight is a cargo supply mission to the…
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Three Launches This Week Signal Quieter Period Before Major Missions
What’s driving this week’s lighter launch schedule? This week’s global launch manifest features just three missions—two SpaceX Falcon 9 flights and one Chinese Chang Zheng 7 mission—marking a notable deceleration from April’s 28 launches across all providers. The reduced cadence reflects seasonal planning patterns and payload delivery schedules rather than any operational constraints, with multiple…
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SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit
SpaceX successfully launched its third rideshare mission of 2026 aboard Falcon 9. The mission carried the Compact Advanced Satellite 500-2 (CAS500-2) and 45 other payloads as part of SpaceX’s rideshare program. Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and recovered the veteran first-stage booster, B1071,…