Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission launches from Vandenberg
Fresh off a record-shattering launch cadence in 2025, SpaceX successfully launched its first rideshare mission of 2026 from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central California coast. This rideshare was the first of its kind for SpaceX, and not part of the Transporter or Bandwagon series. The Twilight rideshare mission, including…
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SpaceX deploys NASA’s Pandora, other smallsats amid 1st ‘Twilight’ rideshare mission
NASA’s Pandora spacecraft deploys from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket roughly 2.5 hours after the liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update Jan. 11, 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 UTC): SpaceX completed the deployment of all payloads. SpaceX debuted a new class of rideshare…
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The future of Starship’s Pad 1 tower and launch mount
With the last Block 2 flight lifting off on Oct. 14th, 2025, SpaceX has no more need for Pad 1’s current infrastructure. However, Pad 1 still has a significant future ahead; it is undergoing major rework and redesign that will enable it to accommodate Block 3 launches, resembling Pad 2, but without starting entirely from…
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FCC gives SpaceX “green light” to expand Starlink constellation to 15,000 satellites
SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 9, 2025, on the Starlink 6-96 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update Jan. 9, 6:14 p.m. EST (2214 UTC): SpaceX confirms satellite deployment. Adding FCC announcement details. The Federal Communications Commission granted SpaceX the ability to…
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TPS evaluations taking place at Starbase on next two Ships to fly
SpaceX continues to accelerate production of its next-generation Starship vehicles at the Starfactory facility in Starbase, Texas. With vehicles up to Ship 48 in various stages of assembly and preparation, attention is now focused on the first two Block 3 vehicles slated to fly in 2026. Both are undergoing detailed inspections of their Thermal Protection…
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Here are the launches and landings we’re most excited about in 2026
Last year delivered doses of drama and excitement in the space business, with a record number of launches, breathtaking vistas of other worlds, and a multitude of breakthroughs and setbacks. 2026 is shaping up to be another thrilling year in the cosmos. For the first time in more than 54 years, astronauts are training to…
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Our annual power ranking of US rocket companies has changes near the top and bottom
Which US rocket companies achieved the most during 2025? Once again, Ars Technica is here to provide some answers in the form of our annual power ranking of US launch companies. We began doing this in 2022 and have since put out a top-10 list every year (see 2023 and 2024). Our intent, as always,…
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SpaceX launches first Starlink deployment mission since problem strikes satellite
SpaceX launches the Starlink 6-88 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 4, 2026. This was the company’s first Starlink mission of the year and the first Falcon 9 launch from the Eastern Range of 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update Jan. 4, 3:38 a.m. EST (0838 UTC):…
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SpaceX laying the Starship foundations for 2026 and beyond
The Starship program had an eventful year in 2025, with five full-stack test flights, of which only two resulted in the ship landing. SpaceX also began construction of both Giga Bays, one in Starbase and one at Roberts Road. LC-39A in Florida made significant progress in construction, and environmental approval was given for the start…
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SpaceX opens 2026 with launch of Cosmo-SkyMed Earth observation satellite for Italy
The Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 satellite deploys from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 2, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream SpaceX rang in the new year with a Falcon 9 rocket launch Friday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Aboard was a 1,700-kg (3,748 lb) Earth observation satellite with dual civilian…