SpaceX will continue the deployment of its Starlink constellation with the launch of another sixty satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday. Liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre is expected at 08:27 Eastern Time (12:27 UTC). Sunday’s launch is the thirteenth Falcon 9 mission to deploy operational Starlink satellites, designated Starlink v1.0 L13. This continues the first phase of Starlink deployment, which is aimed at setting up an initial operating capability and allowing SpaceX to begin rolling out its service. To do this, SpaceX expects to require at least 1,440 satellites in the first tranche alone. Since beginning operational launches, […]
SpaceX
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https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107416/85/1074168598_0:386:5457:3455_1200x675_80_0_0_a5731ea593b4112bf35df141418eddec.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Morgan Artyukhina . Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/military/202010091080725534-pentagon-taps-spacex-to-build-cargo-transport-able-to-ship-weapons-anywhere-in-one-hour/ On Wednesday, the head of US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) announced a new partnership with private space firms SpaceX and XArc to develop space-based cargo transport, something the Pentagon says has “the potential to be one of the greatest revolutions in transportation since the airplane.” “Think about moving the equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hour,” TRANSCOM chief US Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons said at a virtual Wednesday meeting at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. “Think about that speed associated with the movement […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0a/04/1080658595_0:47:3106:1795_1200x675_80_0_0_eca76e73f8f60bd0e4287a75074276a4.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/science/202010041080658569-elon-musk-to-visit-two-spacex-launch-sites-in-florida-following-tech-scrubs/ After the second recent cancellation of a Falcon 9 rocket launch, Musk apparently wants to see for himself what is going wrong, as his goal is to increase the total number of launch missions to 48 in 2021. Elon Musk will visit two SpaceX launch sites soon – one at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the other at Kennedy Space Center – according to tweets he posted recently. Replying to a user who asked what the stumbling block was for SpaceX and enumerated a number of possible issues, Musk said that all of the […]
Amid a salvo of orbital missions preparing to launch from the American east coast, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to launch the fourth GPS III satellite for the United States Space Force. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:43 PM EDT on Friday, October 2 (01:43 UTC on October 3), the opening of a 15 minute window. (Lead photo via Stephen Marr for NSF) The 45th Weather Squadron of the United States Air Force’s 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida predicts a 70% chance of acceptable weather for launch. The forecast deteriorates to a 20% chance of favorable […]
The Starlink v1.0 Launch 12 mission is preparing to take off at 9:17am EDT (13:17 UTC) on Thursday morning from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. This will be the third attempt to get the mission off the ground. The weather forecast shows a 70% chance of favorable weather at T-0 with the primary concern being the Thick Cloud Rule. If a delay is needed, there is another opportunity the next day. During the previous launch attempt on September 28th, the Falcon 9 was fueled and the countdown proceeded to T- 31 seconds, when a scrub was called due to weather. The […]
A new Falcon booster has been installed on the test stand at SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas. Based on the logos and hardware on the exterior of the booster, the stage has been identified as a Falcon Heavy side booster, slated to support the next flight of SpaceX’s heavy lift rocket early next year. (Lead Photo via Gary Blair for NSF/L2, from his plane at 4,000 feet AGL) Normally, the type of Falcon core is obvious based on either a nosecone for a Falcon Heavy side booster, a white interstage for a Falcon Heavy center core, or […]
The next launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to take place Thursday September 17 at 2:19pm EDT (18:19 UTC) from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The weather forecast shows a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions with the primary concerns being the Cumulus Cloud Rule and Anvil Cloud Rule, with moderate risk conditions in the recovery zone. If the mission cannot launch on Thursday, the backup launch window on Friday only shows a 30% chance of acceptable weather. The payload for this flight will be another batch of 60 satellites for the constellation of SpaceX Starlink satellites to […]
As SpaceX continued to roll through its 2020 launch campaign, the company was slated to launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites to help complement the current constellation in low Earth orbit. The mission was set to launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from historic LC-39A on Thursday morning. Starlink V1.0 L11 was also set to be the 100th mission launched by SpaceX, thereby marking a major milestone in the company’s history since its conception in May 2002 and the debut flight of the Falcon 1 – the first rocket to be built by SpaceX – in March 2006. That […]
SpaceX is targeting Sunday evening for the first polar launch from Florida since 1969. On board the Falcon 9 rocket is the Argentinean SAOCOM-1B satellite and two American secondary payloads. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) is targeted for 7:18 PM EDT (23:18 UTC) on Sunday, August 30, during a launch window that lasts ten minutes. The 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 40% chance of acceptable weather for Sunday’s launch window. Should weather, a technical issue, or anything else prevent a liftoff on Sunday, a backup launch opportunity exists on Monday, also with a 40% chance of acceptable weather for […]
As SpaceX continues to roll through its 2020 launch campaign, the company is slated to launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites to help complement the current constellation in low Earth orbit. The mission is currently set to launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday morning at 10:12 am Eastern time (14:12 UTC), pending acceptable weather conditions at the launch site. Sunday’s mission, also known as Starlink V1.0 L11, will be the fourteenth orbital launch for SpaceX in 2020, and the 94th flight of the company’s workhorse […]
One year after Starhopper’s final flight, SpaceX’s Starship launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, continues to evolve in order to facilitate prototype development and testing. Starhopper was the first SpaceX vehicle to use its new launch facility in Boca Chica — located east of Boca Chica Village and near the beach on the Gulf of Mexico — and served as the first in-flight test article for SpaceX’s next-generation Raptor engine, a full-flow, staged combustion cycle engine that runs on liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (CH4). SpaceX currently tests Raptor engines at their test facility in McGregor, Texas, where the company […]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off on 30 May 2020, marking the first US space launch in a decade since the suspension of the Space Shuttle Program. The mission ferried NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX’s Crew Dragon space suits are impressively designed, but their safety level remains an open question, said Vladimir Pirozhkov, CEO of the KINETICA High Complexity Prototyping Centre at the National University of Science and Technology MISiS. According to the renowned industrial designer, the sleek space garb developed by the celebrated Hollywood […]
SpaceX is set to break another reuse record on the Starlink v1.0 L10 mission. For the first time, a Falcon 9 first stage will launch a sixth mission, this one carrying three rideshare payloads along with a batch of Starlink satellites. Liftoff of the eleventh overall Starlink mission, and the tenth launch of the Version 1.0 satellites, is scheduled for 10:31 AM EDT (14:31 UTC) on Tuesday, August 18. The 45th Space Wing has predicted an 80% chance of favorable weather for the launch. Should the launch be delayed due to weather, a technical issue, or anything else, there is a […]
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) Delta IV Heavy rocket has received its clandestine payload for the upcoming NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office as teams continue launch preparations on SLC-37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. The mission is set to launch at the end of August and comes as ULA wins 60% of the National Security Space Launch award from the U.S. Space Force with SpaceX winning the remaining 40% of the missions. NROL-44 progress: The first Delta IV Heavy mission from Florida since August 2018 is in the final stages of preparation for launch, with ULA and […]
Two NASA astronauts have landed safely back on Earth after a blistering descent through our planet’s atmosphere in a SpaceX capsule. The historic feat is a milestone for Elon Musk’s spaceflight company. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon, after a 63-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Launching in May, the mission was the first manned spaceflight from American soil in nearly a decade, and the first launch of NASA astronauts by a private company. Behnken and Hurley undocked from the ISS earlier on Saturday and set a course for […]
The SpaceX capsule sits aboard a recovery ship in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA/Screenshot by NPR hide caption toggle caption NASA/Screenshot by NPR The SpaceX capsule sits aboard a recovery ship in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA/Screenshot by NPR Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET Two NASA astronauts are back on Earth after their space capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Fla. The last time any NASA astronauts came home by splashing down was in 1975 — and back then, they were in an Apollo space vehicle. This time, the astronauts were in a white, […]
The Crew Dragon SpaceX capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida on Sunday. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley returned to earth on Sunday after launching from the Kennedy Space Center at the end of May. A boat with a Trump flag floated by the Crew Dragon and was told to leave the area. “As SpaceX is working to recover Bob and Doug from the capsule, a private boat drives by waving a Trump flag. One of the NASA TV announcers suggests that maybe in the future they shouldn’t publicize their landing zones.” a reporter tweeted. TRENDING: Federal Government and […]
NASA and SpaceX are ready for a Sunday, 2 August 2020 deorbit and splashdown of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour. The return to Earth will bring an end to the historic first private-company spaceflight of humans to Earth orbit and the commencement of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico is expected at 2:48 pm EDT (18:48 UTC) off the southern coast of Alabama and southwest of Pensacola, Florida. Weather at the recovery area is — as of publication — showing 1 mph winds and calm seas, perfect weather for Dragon. […]
SpaceX is targeting Monday, July 20 for the launch of a South Korean military communications satellite, ANASIS-II. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket is scheduled within a window from 5:00 PM to 8:55 PM EDT (21:00 to 00:55 UTC). The launch will take place from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (Lead image via Mike Deep for NSF) The United States Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 70% chance of acceptable weather for launch on Monday. If weather or a technical issue should cause a scrub, a backup opportunity exists on Tuesday, with a […]
SpaceX is set for their ninth launch of operational Starlink satellites, along with two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation, on Wednesday, July 8 (11:59am EDT / 15:59 UTC). The weather forecast issued by the 45th Space Wing the day before launch shows a 60% chance of acceptable weather, increasing to 70% for the backup launch window on Friday if needed. This mission was previously scheduled for Friday, June 26, but the flight was scrubbed around three hours ahead of liftoff when SpaceX tweeted that they needed more time for pre-launch checkouts. In the meantime, SpaceX successfully launched a GPS satellite […]
SpaceX is readying their Falcon 9 rocket to launch the third Block III Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, named SV03. Block III is the next generation of GPS satellites, replacing the aging Block II series. This will be SpaceX’s second GPS launch, out of the five they have been awarded so far. SV03 is scheduled to launch from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:55 PM ET on June 30. SV03 Launch SpaceX previously launched the maiden GPS Block III satellite, SV01, on a Falcon 9 in December 2018. SV01 was the first launch contract that SpaceX won in […]
SpaceX is set for another launch of Starlink satellites on Friday (16:18 EDT/20:18 UTC) after performing a successful static fire test of the launch vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center’s 39A. Riding along with the SpaceX payload will be two satellites for the BlackSky Earth observation constellation. (Lead photo via Julia Bergeron for NSF) The weather forecast issued Friday morning by the 45th Space Wing shows an 80% chance of acceptable weather during the launch window. This will be the fourth launch in four weeks for SpaceX, with another mission soon to follow on June 30 launching a GPS satellite for the […]
Elon Musk announced that June 19 – also known as ‘Juneteenth’ – will be treated as a holiday for Tesla and SpaceX workers, quickly earning an outpouring of praise… until people found out the vacation wouldn’t be paid. “Juneteenth is henceforth considered a US holiday at Tesla & SpaceX,” Musk tweeted on Friday, quickly racking up 225,000 likes and 22,000-plus retweets. Juneteenth is henceforth considered a US holiday at Tesla & SpaceX — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2020 June 19 has long been celebrated by the African-American community, marking the date in 1865 when Union troops in Galveston, Texas announced […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107711/78/1077117893_0:0:1200:675_1200x675_80_0_0_ffc615cc2917ebe0ec2d40892a4c0086.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/science/202006131079601578-spacex-successfully-deploys-61-satellites-into-low-earth-orbit/ WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – SpaceX has successfully deployed 58 additional Starlink satellites and three SkySats into low-earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 booster which safely touched down after launch, the company said on Twitter. Saturday’s launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Center was the first mission that included rideshare customers, delivering payloads for two different customers. Starlink is the next-generation satellite network capable of providing Earth’s inhabitants with broadband Internet access. The project began in February 2018. In total, it plans to launch about 12,000 satellites. Another 30,000 satellites – put into orbits with altitudes […]
As SpaceX continues to roll through its 2020 launch campaign, the company is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit, along with 3 small satellites provided by Planet Labs Inc. The mission is currently set to launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Saturday morning at 5:21 am Eastern time (09:21 UTC). Saturday’s mission, known as Starlink V1.0 L8, will be the ninth orbital launch of the year for SpaceX to date, and the 87th flight of the two-stage Falcon 9 […]
Following the May 29 explosive failure of the Starship SN4 prototype during a Static Fire test, SpaceX workers have been quickly making repairs to its Boca Chica, Texas launch facility. Starship SN5 is expected to roll to the launch site in the coming days in preparation for testing to begin on June 10. The anomaly totaled the existing test stand used to hold down the vehicle during the testing milestones. On June 3, a replacement launch stand was installed at the launch site. SpaceX had already been working on a new launch stand before the May 29 accident – a factor […]
Only a handful of days after successfully returning domestic crew launch capabilities to U.S. soil for the first time since July of 2011, SpaceX is continuing to steam ahead with its 2020 launch campaign as they prepare to loft another batch of satellites for the company’s Starlink internet constellation. The eighth flight of Starlink satellites is currently scheduled to launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:25 pm Eastern time on Wednesday (01:25 UTC on Thursday). (Lead Photo by Brady Kenniston for NSF) This mission, also known as Starlink v1.0 L7, will mark […]
With a flash of light, billowing smoke, and a thunderous roar, American astronauts on Saturday afternoon blasted into space aboard an American spacecraft for the first time since NASA decommissioned the aging, unsafe Space Shuttle fleet in 2011. The first manned flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft not only restores the United States’ ability to launch people into orbit, it also signals a possible new era of space exploration. Thousands of people tuned into livestreams of the historic launch from NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center near Orlando. SpaceX founder Elon Musk, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and President Donald Trump flew […]
The countdown began this morning for the launch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon Demo-2, a mission that will send NASA astronauts into space from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade. Advertisement – story continues below The backup launch was pushed to Saturday after it was scrubbed on Wednesday due to bad weather. American astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Crew Dragon capsule. The last such launch came in July 2011 and became the final mission […]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has become the first private company to launch NASA astronauts into space as a Falcon rocket with two people aboard blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3:22pm local time. At 3:35pm the Crew Dragon capsule, carrying astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, separated from its second stage booster and entered the Earth’s orbit. The journey to the International Space Station will take Hurley and Behnken 19 hours. The launch was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but was called off with less than 17 minutes remaining […]
The Dragon crew capsule sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Friday as distant storms roll by. NASA and SpaceX cannot launch unless the weather is perfect. Bill Ingalls/NASA hide caption toggle caption Bill Ingalls/NASA The Dragon crew capsule sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Friday as distant storms roll by. NASA and SpaceX cannot launch unless the weather is perfect. Bill Ingalls/NASA Updated at 2:10 p.m. ET Elon Musk cannot control the weather. Yet. After storms and a tornado warning upended a launch attempt on Wednesday, the billionaire’s commercial spaceflight company, SpaceX, is once again braving Florida’s wild weather […]
The planned NASA/SpaceX launch out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station was nixed on Wednesday due to bad weather. Thunderstorms and cloudy skies threatened the effort going into Wednesday and with conditions not clearing less than a half hour before the planned launch, the mission was axed. The attempted launch was the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles in July 2011 that NASA astronauts were meant to take a rocket from American soil with the intention of reaching the International Space Station (ISS). Despite NASA astronauts crewing the rocket, SpaceX — which built […]
US 20:21 GMT 27.05.2020(updated 20:46 GMT 27.05.2020) Get short URL https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107943/60/1079436023_0:63:3059:1784_1200x675_80_0_0_182cd2f629867a77a9c80ae212fc28a9.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/us/202005271079435936-spacex-launch-of-two-us-astronauts-postponed-due-to-bad-weather/ The NASA and SpaceX launch, which was scheduled to take place from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, has been postponed due to bad weather. The launch was scrubbed around 20 minutes before liftoff. The next launch opportunity will be Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. ET, NASA announced Wednesday afternoon. Earlier Wednesday afternoon, the US National Weather Service (NWS) announced a tornado warning in Brevard County, Florida, although conditions cleared shortly afterward. Thunderstorms can cause residual electrical charges, which can potentially interact with […]
Tech 19:19 GMT 27.05.2020Get short URL https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107943/17/1079431738_0:0:2943:1657_1200x675_80_0_0_2f659099e43442a796f95f12b797a6ec.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/science/202005271079431890-space-x-launches-first-crewed-mission-to-the-iss—video/ This is going to be the first launch of NASA astronauts from the US since the end of the space shuttle programme in 2011. Sputnik invites you to watch a live broadcast of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the Crew Dragon 2 reusable spacecraft with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley onboard to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch is taking place from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. It is scheduled to take place at 20:33 GMT and is set to dock with the […]
One small step. After nine years, the baton is finally passed. From Atlantis to Dragon, NASA and SpaceX are set to embark on a partnership that will not only return the ability to launch people into Earth orbit from the United States to access the International Space Station, but one that will also ignite the passions, imaginations, and careers of a generation. Weather and technology permitting, Falcon 9 will lift off with Crew Dragon, safely ferrying Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley inside, today at exactly 16:33:31 EDT (20:33:31 UTC). Importance: Much has been placed on the significance of the event. It […]
Planet Labs Inc. has announced they will launch six SkySat satellites, SkySat 16-21, on Falcon 9 rockets as rideshare missions on two Starlink launches. These six satellites will help provide Planet with more imaging coverage to complement the 15 other SkySat satellites, SkySat 1-15, in Sun-Synchronous Orbits (SSO). (Lead Image: Julia Bergeron, NSF) Over the spring and summer, Planet will launch SkySat 16-21 on two Falcon 9 rockets. The first three satellites, SkySat 16-18 will launch on the ninth Starlink (L8) mission which is targeted for some time in June. SkySat 19-21 will launch on another mission later in the summer. […]
NASA has inked a deal with Russia’s space agency Roscosmos to allow a US astronaut to travel into space aboard a Soyuz rocket in the fall, even as SpaceX gears up for its first manned launch later this month. “A contract was signed today on providing a seat for a US astronaut onboard a Soyuz MS manned spaceship to be launched to the ISS in the autumn of 2020,” Roscosmos told Tass on Tuesday. Though the agency refused to disclose the sum Washington paid for the seat, calling it “a commercial secret,” NASA spokespeople told reporters the deal was valued at […]
Anticipated increases in the frequency of space launches will soon require careful consideration for use of crowded airspace. Source link
“I will say with respect to OneWeb specifically…we continue to work,” the Space Force’s No. 2 officer said Tuesday. Source link