Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX Commits $100 Billion to Build Starbase Louisiana, Expanding Starship Launch Capacity
SpaceX has announced plans to invest approximately $100 billion in the construction of Starbase Louisiana, a massive new Starship launch complex on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast that would become the company’s largest spaceflight operations center and one of the most ambitious commercial space infrastructure projects ever proposed. The development is intended to support thousands of Starship…
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Starlink Ephemeris Data Enable First Real-World Tomographic Map of Thermospheric Density
Researchers at Kyoto University have demonstrated a new way to observe Earth’s upper atmosphere by transforming publicly available Starlink orbital data into the first tomographic map of thermospheric density derived from real satellite measurements rather than simulations. The study, published in *Earth, Planets and Space*, used orbital ephemeris data from approximately 1,200 Starlink satellites operating…
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China’s Race for Orbit and Spectrum: Hainan’s New Factory Targets 1,000 Satellites a Year
The successful recovery of Zhuque-3 was celebrated across China. From state-owned aerospace organizations to private companies, China’s commercial space sector has achieved a historic breakthrough in rocket recovery technology. Yet while everyone was looking up at the sky, another, less visible part of China’s space strategy was quietly taking shape. June 2026, Wenchang, Hainan Province.…
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SpaceXAI Selects Nvidia Vera CPUs to Power Agentic AI on Earth and Future Orbital Computing Systems
SpaceXAI has selected Nvidia’s Vera CPU architecture and the broader Vera Rubin platform to support its next-generation agentic artificial intelligence infrastructure, marking a significant expansion of the partnership between Elon Musk’s AI ambitions and Nvidia’s rapidly growing AI computing ecosystem. The announcement positions Nvidia’s first CPU specifically designed for AI agents at the center of…
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Falcon 9’s Final Chapter? SpaceX Plans to Retire Its Workhorse Rocket Once Starship Reaches Full Operational Service
SpaceX is preparing for one of the most consequential transitions in launch industry history: the eventual retirement of the Falcon 9 rocket, the vehicle that transformed commercial spaceflight and established reusable launch systems as an industry standard. According to comments highlighted by SpaceX leadership and reported by Space.com, the company intends to phase out Falcon…
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Beyond Reach Unveils FlareWing Deployable Structures to Bring High-Power Capability to Small Satellites
A new generation of space infrastructure—from commercial space stations to orbital data centers and lunar systems—is driving demand for spacecraft capable of generating far more electrical power than traditional small satellites can provide. Seeking to address that challenge, Beyond Reach Technologies has introduced FlareWing, a family of deployable structural systems designed to dramatically increase the…
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How Brutal Is a Satellite Launch? G-Loads, Vibration, Shock, Noise and Vacuum Explained
A satellite is often treated as an exceptionally delicate object on the ground: temperature and humidity are tightly controlled in cleanrooms, lifting speeds are limited, connectors are fitted with protective caps, and optical surfaces cannot be exposed casually. But once sealed inside a payload fairing, it must endure engine ignition, liftoff, transonic flight, maximum dynamic…
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After Long March 10B and Zhuque-3 Recoveries, What Comes Next for China’s Commercial Rockets?
On August 19, 2026, the second Zhuque-3 rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone. Its first stage subsequently returned to a landing pad in Minqin, Gansu Province, marking China’s first land recovery of the first stage of an orbital-class launch vehicle. Just 40 days earlier, on July 10, the Long March…
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Successful Rocket Recovery Is Only the Beginning. Three Priorities Come Next
China has successfully recovered two orbital-class rocket boosters—one at sea and one on land—but recovery itself is only the starting point. Turning reusable rockets into a commercially viable capability will depend on three priorities: Rapidly returning recovered boosters to flight and developing a first stage optimized for frequent reuse; Continuously increasing the payload fraction to…
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NASA’s Astronaut Training Hub Prepares for the Post-ISS Era as Commercial Space Stations Near Reality
NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston has long served as the nerve center of American human spaceflight, training astronauts for programs ranging from Gemini and Apollo to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). Now, as NASA and its industry partners prepare for the eventual retirement of the ISS around 2030, the…