Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX prevails over ULA, wins military launch contracts worth $733 million
The US Space Force’s Space Systems Command announced Friday it has ordered nine launches from SpaceX in the first batch of dozens of missions the military will buy in a new phase of competition for lucrative national security launch contracts. The nine launches are divided into two fixed-price “task orders” that Space Systems Command opened…
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SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches across the sky on the Starlink 8-19 mission, as seen in this streak shot from across the Indian River Lagoon. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update Oct. 17, 4:38 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is moving to their 24-hour backup date for the launch and is targeting liftoff no earlier the Friday, Oct.…
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SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
A stack of SpaceX Starlink satellites, which included the first six featuring Direct to Cell capabilities. The batch launched on the Starlink 7-9 mission, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 2, 2024. Image: SpaceX SpaceX completed a double launch day on Tuesday with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.…
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NASA launches mission to explore the frozen frontier of Jupiter’s moon Europa
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifted off Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, kicking off a $5.2 billion robotic mission to explore one of the most promising locations in the Solar System for finding extraterrestrial life. The Falcon Heavy rocket fired its 27 kerosene-fueled engines and vaulted away from…
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SpaceX notches 100th launch of 2024 with Starlink mission on Falcon 9 rocket
File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a Starlink mission. Image: SpaceX Update 2:31 a.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the Starlink 10-10 mission at 2:10 a.m. EDT (0610 UTC). SpaceX broke its own record for number of orbital launches performed by one company, which it set at 96 in 2023. The Starlink 10-10 mission…
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SpaceX launches $5.2 billion NASA mission to Jupiter’s ocean moon, Europa
Dozens gather on the lawn of the Kennedy Space Center press site to watch as a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off with NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Hot on the heels of its successful mid-air booster catch during its Sunday Starship Flight 5 mission, SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket from…
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SpaceX catches returning rocket in mid-air, turning a fanciful idea into reality
BOCA CHICA BEACH, Texas—SpaceX accomplished a groundbreaking engineering feat Sunday when it launched the fifth test flight of its gigantic Starship rocket and then caught the booster back at the launch pad in Texas with mechanical arms seven minutes later. This achievement is the first of its kind, and it’s crucial for SpaceX’s vision of…
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NASA, SpaceX launch historic Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter
NASA and SpaceX have launched NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Falcon Heavy launched during an instantaneous launch window on Monday, Oct. 14, at 12:05 PM EDT (16:05 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. If Monday’s attempt…
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Launch Roundup: Europa Clipper launches, Starlink launches return
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent decision to clear SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for a return to all flights paved the way for a busy week of launches. Before Falcon 9 returned to flying regular Starlink missions, though, a Falcon Heavy launch with NASA’s Europa Clipper mission started the week off. Following Europa Clipper’s launch, SpaceX…
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Live coverage: SpaceX to attempt first booster catch during the Starship Flight 5 mission
SpaceX’s fully stacked Starship rocket stands atop the Orbital Launch Mount at Starbase in southern Texas. The Starship Flight 5 mission is poised to feature the first booster catch using the arms of the launch tower. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now Update 4:00 a.m. EDT: Because of poor weather off the coast of Florida, Crew Dragon…