Tag: SpaceX
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The US space enterprise is desperately waiting for Starship—will it finally deliver?
These days, one would be forgiven for forgetting that SpaceX is, at its core, a rocket company. Consider the company’s mega deals over the last year. SpaceX paid $17 billion—more than it has spent developing every one of its rockets—to EchoStar for wireless spectrum to boost its Starlink network. It revealed plans to launch 1…
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SpaceX’s new Starship pad readies for first launch
Over the last two years, SpaceX has been constructing a completely redesigned launch pad for Starship, drawing on lessons learned from the first 11 flights. The new pad alongside Block 3 of Starship is a clean-sheet design that should help SpaceX move toward a much more reusable launch pad. Flame Trench Pad 2 is a…
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SpaceX targets May 19 for debut of Starship Version 3, Launch Pad 2
SpaceX’s first Starship V3 rocket stands at Launch Pad 2 prior to a fueling demonstration on Monday, May 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19, for the long awaited debut of the third major iteration of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket. The announcement came the day after it completed…
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SpaceX CRS-34 launches to ISS on third attempt
Just over two weeks after Progress MS-34 docked to the Station, the ISS is set to receive a new visiting vehicle loaded with cargo. A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched the CRS-34 cargo mission to ISS on Friday, May 15 at 6:05 PM EDT (22:05 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape…
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For a second time, poor weather scrubs Cargo Dragon mission launch to the space station
NASA, SpaceX scrubbed the launch of the CRS-34 mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, due to poor weather. Image: SpaceX Update May 13, 7:18 p.m. EDT (2318 UTC): NASA, SpaceX scrub launch on Wednesday, target NET Friday. In a bit of deja vu, SpaceX and NASA were once again getting…
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Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese missions fill busy launch manifest
The week of May 11 brings nine launches across the United States and China, spanning government and commercial operators on both sides of the Pacific. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 accounts for four missions: a Cargo Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station, a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload from Vandenberg, a Starlink mission, and a…
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Full Stack Flight 12 completes WDR
Following Booster 19’s successful full-duration, full-thrust 33-engine static fire on May 7, 2026, its partner Ship 39 rolled out to join the booster and form the Flight 12 stack ahead of a Wet Dress Rehearsal. While Saturday’s attempt was scrubbed ahead of prop loading, a new attempt on Monday appeared to go as planned. Since…
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SpaceX is starting to move on from the world’s most successful rocket
It is far too soon to mention retirement, but astute observers of the space industry have noticed SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket is not launching as often as it used to. The decline is modest so far, and it does not signal any problem at SpaceX or with the Falcon 9. Rather, it is a…
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Edge Aerospace Wins ESA Contract to Study Orbital Data Centers
Luxembourg-based startup Edge Aerospace has secured a contract under the European Space Agency’s Space Cloud program to examine the feasibility of orbital data centers, as Europe explores new approaches to in-space computing. Under the agreement, Edge Aerospace will develop an architectural framework and use-case roadmap for orbital computing platforms. The study will evaluate the commercial…
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Starlink Video Shows Rare Satellite Deployment Footage
What Does SpaceX’s Latest Starlink Deployment Video Show? SpaceX has released unprecedented footage showing Starlink satellites deploying from a Falcon 9 upper stage in orbit, providing rare visual documentation of the mechanical separation process that typically occurs beyond ground-based observation capabilities. The video captures the precise moment when individual satellites disengage from the payload dispenser…