Tag: SpaceX
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Iridium satellites rolling off assembly line in Arizona
The first two fully-complete Iridium Next satellites. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Construction is complete on the first batch of 81 new satellites to overhaul Iridium’s mobile communications network, and the data relay stations will soon head from their factory near Phoenix to California’s hilly Central Coast for launch in September on a SpaceX Falcon 9…
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SpaceX discusses progress toward human missions of Dragon/Falcon 9
While continuing to impress even themselves with their ability to successfully propulsively land Falcon 9 first stages on land and in the ocean, SpaceX is continuing to progress on its human spaceflight endeavors, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9, and ground operations development all keeping pace for a second quarter 2017 debut of the…
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SpaceX conducts Falcon 9 dual satellite launch
SpaceX launched its sixth mission of the year Wednesday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of communications satellites – Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A – into orbit. Liftoff from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral occurred at the start of a 44-minute window that opened at 10:29 local time (14:29 UTC). SpaceX Launch: Wednesday’s…
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SpaceX conducts Falcon 9 dual satellite launch
SpaceX launched its sixth mission of the year Wednesday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of communications satellites – Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A – into orbit. Liftoff from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral occurred at the start of a 44-minute window that opened at 10:29 local time (14:29 UTC). SpaceX Launch: Wednesday’s…
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SpaceX readies another Falcon 9, close in on reuse testing
SpaceX’s next mission is moving into the business end of its pre-launch flow with the next Falcon 9 conducting a Static Fire test at Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 on Sunday. The SpaceX workhorse is tasked with the dual launch of the Eutelsat 117W B and ABS 2A satellites “No Earlier Than (NET)” June 15. SpaceX is…
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SpaceX speaks up for its Seattle satellite operation after months of low-key work
SpaceX’s Redmond office is the center for its satellite operations. (GeekWire photo by Kevin Lisota) SpaceX has provided a rare update on its Seattle-centric plans to develop a multibillion-dollar Internet satellite network, saying that the work is now at a “critical stage.” That assessment is part of the company’s argument against giving away the bandwidth…
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Reusability success on Earth is the proving ground for Mars goals – SpaceX
SpaceX’s Lars Hoffman stated his company’s continued advancements with its reusability goals are not only focused on reducing launch costs, but are aimed at providing a technology roadmap for its Martian goals. As the latest recovered Falcon 9 first stage sailed into Port Canaveral, Mr. Hoffman stated the recovery achievements are providing the tools for…
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Elon Musk hopes SpaceX will send humans to Mars in 2024
Artist’s concept of SpaceX’s Red Dragon capsule on Mars. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s plan to send a Dragon capsule to Mars in 2018 will be the first in a sequence of unmanned commercial missions to the rust-colored world before the first voyage with humans as soon as 2024, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Wednesday. The company…
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Ride aboard the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage on descent
Take a virtual trip from space back to planet Earth with an sped up video clip showing the eye-popping on-board views from the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage booster Friday as it plummeted back to Earth, opened aerodynamic steering fins and fired its engines for a final braking maneuver just before touchdown. The 156-foot-tall booster…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 booster leans in for a landing at sea after launching satellite
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster stands on a drone ship after landing. (Credit: SpaceX) For the third time in a row, a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster sent a payload into space and then came back for a landing on an oceangoing platform. But this time, the booster was a little shaken up. Today’s launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force…