Tag: SpaceX
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FAA Warns Airlines to Plan for Rising Risks From Space Launch Debris
Commercial airlines should plan for an increased risk from space launch and reentry activity, including rare but potentially serious debris events, the Federal Aviation Administration said in guidance issued earlier this month, as the pace of spaceflight accelerates. In a Safety Alert for Operators, SAFO 26001, the FAA advised carriers and flight crews to prepare…
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Cold weather delays earliest Artemis 2 launch opportunity
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft sit atop the Mobile Launch at Launch Complex 39B the morning of Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Abnormally cold weather forecast over the weekend for Florida delayed both the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis 2 mission and a crucial fueling test for…
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Former SpaceX astronaut discusses training as a NASA astronaut candidate
Training is underway for NASA’s newest class of astronaut candidates at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. The nearly two-year long process began this past September for the four men and six women of Astronaut Group 24. One of those ‘ASCAN’s, as they’re known, is Anna Menon, who previously flew on the SpaceX Polaris Dawn…
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SpaceX Weighs Mid-2026 IPO at Valuation of About $1.5 Trillion, FT Reports
SpaceX, the rocket and satellite company founded by Elon Musk, is weighing a possible initial public offering as early as mid-June 2026 that could raise up to $50 billion and value the company at around $1.5 trillion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. If completed at that scale, the…
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SpaceX launches 11,000th Starlink satellite to date on Thursday
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink 17-19 mission launches from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Jan. 29, 2026. This mission marked the sixth launch of 2026 from the Vandenberg spaceport and test range. Image: U.S Space Force photo by 2nd Lt. Andrew Taller Update Jan. 29, 2:10…
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SpaceX Targets Mid-March for Next Starship Test Flight, Musk Says
SpaceX is aiming to conduct its next Starship test flight in mid-March, Chief Executive Elon Musk said, as the company continues development of its heavy-lift launch system. Musk said in a post on social media platform X that a “Starship launch [is] in 6 weeks,” indicating a tentative timeline for the next test. The flight…
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Startup Space Beyond Plans CubeSat Mission to Carry Cremated Remains Into Orbit
Space Beyond, a startup founded by former aerospace engineer Ryan Mitchell, plans to launch a CubeSat mission that will carry small portions of cremated remains into low-Earth orbit, leveraging lower launch costs and rideshare services to offer what it says is a lower-priced alternative in a niche space memorial market. Mitchell, who previously worked on…
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Launch Roundup: GPS, Starlink, Electron launches scheduled for last week of January
The last week of January has a busy slate of orbital launches, with flights from Florida, California, New Zealand, and possibly China on the schedule. SpaceX plans to close out the month with the GPS III SV09 mission, along with up to three Starlink launches, while Rocket Lab’s “Bridging the Swarm” mission is being prepared…
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SpaceX launches GPS 3 satellite following switch from ULA Vulcan rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the GPS 3-9 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Jan. 27, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update Jan. 28, 1:40 a.m. EST (0640 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the GPS satellite. Update Jan.…
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SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites to polar, low Earth orbit
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2026, to begin the Starlink 17-20 mission. Image: SpaceX SpaceX launched 25 of its Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites from California on Sunday morning. The Starlink 17-20 mission sent the broadband satellites into…