Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Roundup: ZhuQue-2E and Chang Zheng 12 take first flights; SpaceX launches classified mission
This week Landspace debuted the enhanced version of its ZhuQue-2 rocket and the Chang Zheng 12 rocket has also taken its maiden flight. Roscosmos has launched one of two planned Soyuz missions – the highly classified mission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome has now been delayed until next week. In contrast, four Falcon 9 missions are…
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SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
A streak shot of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it cruised across the night sky on the Starlink 6-76 mission on Nov. 26, 2024. Image: SpaceX Update 12:10 a.m. (0510 UTC): SpaceX landed the first stage booster on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, SpaceX launched its lates batch of…
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SpaceX breaks turnaround record, launching Falcon 9 booster, B1080, twice in less than 2 weeks
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars past the crescent Moon during the Starlink 12-1 mission on Nov. 25, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 6:09 a.m. EST (1109 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 23 Starlink satellites into their intended orbit. Under the glow waning crescent moon, SpaceX launched its latest Falcon 9 rocket, carrying…
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SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites on the 400th Falcon 9 rocket
The 400th Falcon 9 rocket soars to space on November 23, 2024, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Image: SpaceX Update 12:56 a.m. EST (0556 UTC): SpaceX landed its Falcon 9 first stage booster following liftoff. Against the backdrop of a characteristically foggy night at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, SpaceX launched its 400th Falcon…
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SpaceX just got exactly what it wanted from the FAA for Texas Starship launches
A day after SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the sixth time, the company received good news from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding future launch operations from its Starbase facility in South Texas. In a draft version of what is known as an “Environmental Assessment,” the FAA indicated that it will grant SpaceX permission to…
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As NASA increasingly relies on commercial space, there are some troubling signs
When it comes to space policy, a hallmark of the first Trump administration was its embrace of private companies. NASA sought to build fewer expensive things and buy more lower-cost services. In doing so, it aimed to foster a healthy ecosystem of private space companies. Under the leadership of Jim Bridenstine, NASA, during these years,…
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The key moment came 38 minutes after Starship roared off the launch pad
SpaceX launched its sixth Starship rocket Tuesday, proving for the first time that the stainless steel ship can maneuver in space and paving the way for an even larger, upgraded vehicle slated to debut on the next test flight. The only hiccup was an abortive attempt to catch the rocket’s Super Heavy booster back at…
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Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launches continue, Rocket Lab to launch two Electrons, Russia to fly to ISS
Following the sixth flight of SpaceX’s Starship on Tuesday, eight additional orbital launches were planned worldwide. Rocket Lab launched an experimental hypersonic testbed payload using a modified Electron from Wallops. What’s more, a second Electron launched a batch of nanosatellites into low-Earth orbit from New Zealand less than 24 hours later. Meanwhile, SpaceX continued to…
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Launch preview: SpaceX to launch Starship Flight 6 test mission from Starbase in southern Texas
SpaceX fueled its fully integrated Starship rocket at its Starbase facilities on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in preparation for the Flight 6 suborbital test mission. Image: SpaceX After launching three Falcon 9 rockets in less than 20 hours, SpaceX is preparing to use its fourth and final active launchpad in the United States to launch…
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SpaceX will try some new tricks on Starship’s sixth test flight
The sixth flight of SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket, set for takeoff on Tuesday from South Texas, will test the vehicle’s limits in new ways. Most importantly, SpaceX will attempt to briefly reignite one of Starship’s six Raptor engines in space. SpaceX tried this on Starship’s third launch in March but aborted the engine restart after…