Tag: SpaceX
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Booster 19 stacking begins as SpaceX pushes forward from B18 anomaly
Following the anomaly with Booster 18, SpaceX is pushing ahead with the construction of Booster 19 and the subsequent testing of the Block 3 test tanks. However, ahead of Flight 12, there are still many milestones to finish, including building a new booster and completing the new launch pad. Booster 18, Booster 19, B18.1, and…
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches 140 payloads on Transporter-15
SpaceX launched 140 commercial payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit on its sixth rideshare mission of the year, Transporter-15. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4-E (SLC-4E) on Nov. 28 at 10:44 PST (18:44 UTC). The mission’s first stage, booster B1071, flew on its 30th mission to date, making it…
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SpaceX scrubs Transporter-15 launch, targets Friday for next attempt
SpaceX scrubbed the Transporter-15 mission on Wednesday, Nov. 26, prior to loading liquid oxygen on the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update 1:15 p.m. EST (1815 UTC): SpaceX scrubbed the launch attempt and is now targeting launch on Friday, Nov. 28. SpaceX is preparing to fly dozens of spacecraft into a…
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Launch Roundup: Soyuz launches ISS crew; Vega C and Falcon 9 launch customer missions
This week has seen seven launches from five different rockets from across the world. SpaceX launched two missions on its workhorse Falcon 9, while a Russian Soyuz launched three new crew members towards the International Space Station from Kazakhstan. A Russian military payload launched atop an Angara 1.2 from northern Russia, and South Korea launched…
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NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Crew Missions, Converts Next Flight to Cargo
NASA said on Monday it has reduced the number of Starliner missions Boeing is required to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) and has redesignated the spacecraft’s next flight as a cargo-only mission, marking the latest shift in the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Under the original contracts awarded to Boeing and SpaceX, each company…
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SpaceX’s Newest Starship Booster Suffers Major Damage During Early Test in South Texas
SpaceX’s latest Starship first-stage booster sustained significant damage during pre-launch testing early Friday in South Texas, marking a setback for the company’s next-generation rocket program. The vehicle, known as Booster 18 and representing the first “Version 3” Starship design, was rolled out only a day earlier as SpaceX announced the start of its test campaign.…
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Booster 18 suffers anomaly during proof testing
SpaceX rolled out the next generation of Starship to Masseys for testing, but during a routine gas system pressure test as SpaceX calls it, the Liquid Oxygen Tank ruptured. This leaves SpaceX with no Block 3 Boosters to test with after just finishing stacking Booster 18, 16 days ago. Booster 18 See Also SpaceX Starship…
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U.S. FAA Lifts Temporary Restrictions on Commercial Rocket Launches After Government Reopens
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted temporary restrictions that had limited commercial rocket launches to nighttime hours, easing constraints on companies such as SpaceX following the end of the federal government shutdown. The order, issued on Nov. 10, was designed to reduce workload for air traffic controllers during the shutdown by avoiding daytime…
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Preparing pads for SpaceX’s future Starship cadence
As SpaceX ramps up production and testing of its Starship vehicles and engines, significant advancements are unfolding across key launch infrastructure, ranging from the readiness of Pad 2 at Starbase and 39A at KSC to the demolition of parts of Pad 1 ahead of its alignment with SpaceX’s standardized launch site for the future. From…
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SpaceX Marks 500th Reused-Rocket Orbital Mission With Launch of EU Ocean-Mapping Satellite
SpaceX launched a European ocean-monitoring satellite from California early Monday, completing the company’s 500th orbital mission using a flight-proven rocket booster. The Sentinel-6B spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:21 a.m. EST (0521 GMT). “Sentinel-6B rising, extending nearly four decades of the precise sea-level record from space,” NASA…