Tag: SpaceX
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Launch Roundup: Starlink constellation continues to expand while China begins building G60 constellation
Following a busy last two weeks, the pace of the worldwide launch schedule slowed down this week. The first launch of the week saw China launch the initial batch of its G60 internet satellite constellation. If the plans for this expansive constellation are fulfilled, we can expect to see many more of these launches shortly.…
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Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut crew named, begins training in Houston
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft is pictured docked to the space-facing port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Dragon Freedom carried four Axiom Mission-2 astronauts to the orbital lab on May 22, 2023, including Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. Image: NASA The full crew of…
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Science and supplies fly on Falcon 9, Cygnus NG-21
For the second time in 2024, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft delivered a bounty of science experiments and cargo to the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The CRS NG-21 mission dodged the weather that scrubbed it on Saturday, with a Sunday lift off on a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at…
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SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base
File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a Starlink mission. Image: SpaceX SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Sunday morning. The launch came after it stood down from launching a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft from Florida due to poor weather. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-1 mission happened at…
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NASA and SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station
A shock collar forms around SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it ascended from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday, August 4, 2024. The NG-21 mission launched a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to begin a roughly 40-hour journey to the ISS. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update 9:02 p.m. EDT: The Cygnus spacecraft…
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Rocket Report: Falcon 9 is back; Starship could be recovered off Australia
Welcome to Edition 7.05 of the Rocket Report! The Federal Aviation Administration grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for 15 days after a rare failure of its upper stage earlier this month. The FAA gave the green light for Falcon 9 to return to flight July 25, and within a couple of days, SpaceX successfully launched…
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SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-29A) on Aug. 2, 2024, in support of the Starlink 10-6 mission. It added 23 Starlink Version 2 Mini satellites to a growing satellite internet constellation of more than 6,200 in low Earth orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 1:20 a.m. EDT: SpaceX successfully landed…
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Although it’s not final, SpaceX just got good news from the FAA on Starbase
After SpaceX decided to launch orbital missions of its Starship rocket from Texas about five years ago, the company had to undergo a federal environmental review of the site to ensure it was safe to do so. As a part of this multi-year process, the Federal Aviation Administration completed a Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment in…
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Although it’s not final, SpaceX just got good news from the FAA on Starbase
After SpaceX decided to launch orbital missions of its Starship rocket from Texas about five years ago, the company had to undergo a federal environmental review of the site to ensure it was safe to do so. As a part of this multi-year process, the Federal Aviation Administration completed a Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment in…
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SpaceX moving Dragon splashdowns to Pacific to solve falling debris problem
Sometime next year, SpaceX will begin returning its Dragon crew and cargo capsules to splashdowns in the Pacific Ocean and end recoveries of the spacecraft off the coast of Florida. This will allow SpaceX to make changes to the way it brings Dragons back to Earth and eliminate the risk, however tiny, that a piece…