News: SpaceX
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
- Cosmonaut shares new perspective of International Space Station Spaceflight Now · 1 Oct 2021 Photos taken by a Russian cosmonaut Tuesday from a Soyuz spacecraft show new exterior views of the International Space Station, with two SpaceX Dragon spaceships, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply craft, and the lab’s new...
- CRS-23 Dragon returns home following ISS supply run NASASpaceflight · 30 Sep 2021 Following a launch in late August and a month-long stay in orbit, SpaceX and NASA welcomed the return of the CRS-23 (Commercial Resupply Services 23) mission from the International Space Station (ISS). Cargo Dragon undoc...
- NASA to Host Briefings, Interviews for Next Crew Mission with SpaceX NASA · 30 Sep 2021 NASA will highlight the next crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station with a pair of virtual media briefings Wednesday, Oct. 6, and Thursday. Oct. 7.
- SpaceX spacecraft undocks from space station for Dragon’s fifth orbital reentry this year Teslarati · 30 Sep 2021 An upgraded SpaceX Cargo Dragon has successfully undocked from the Internation Space Station after delivering tons of cargo, setting the spacecraft family...
- SpaceX’s orbital Starship prototype gets frosty during first successful ‘cryoproof’ Teslarati · 30 Sep 2021 For the first time, SpaceX has put the first orbital-class Starship – a prototype known as Ship 20 (S20) – through a...
- SpaceX almost ready to launch NASA asteroid impact spacecraft Teslarati · 29 Sep 2021 Revealed as a side note during live coverage of the space agency’s successful Landsat-9 launch, NASA says that the Double Asteroid Redirect...
- Ship 20 begins path to Static Fire test milestone NASASpaceflight · 28 Sep 2021 Despite the lack of hops over recent months, SpaceX Starbase continues to be a hive of activity with preparations ongoing for both the upcoming orbital test flight of Booster 4 and Ship 20 and the future acceleration of...
- SpaceX’s orbital Starship prototype sheds tiles, comes to life during first tests Teslarati · 28 Sep 2021 After weeks of mostly invisible – albeit slow and steady – work at Starbase’s suborbital launch and test facilities, SpaceX has finally...
- SpaceX to launch world’s first geostationary propellant depot around the Moon Teslarati · 28 Sep 2021 As part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch that will send a commercial Moon lander on its way to Earth’s nearest neighbor,...
- SpaceX moves Super Heavy booster to make room for Mechazilla arm installation Teslarati · 27 Sep 2021 For the second time, SpaceX has removed the first potentially flightworthy Super Heavy from Starbase’s orbital launch mount – this time to...
- SpaceX Crew Dragon to perform first space station “flyaround” in November Teslarati · 27 Sep 2021 A member of a NASA safety advisory panel says that SpaceX’s second operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will perform the first International Space...
- Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, ULA win Space Force contracts for rocket technology projects SpaceNews · 25 Sep 2021 Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance were selected to participate in Space Force development projects to advance rocket engine testing and launch vehicle upper stages.
- Orbit Fab to launch propellant tanker to fuel satellites in geostationary orbit SpaceNews · 24 Sep 2021 Orbit Fab, a startup offering a refueling service in space, will launch a propellant tanker to geostationary orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 lunar lander mission projected for late 2022 or early 2023.
- SpaceX’s next commercial Falcon Heavy launch to carry Astranis rideshare satellite Teslarati · 24 Sep 2021 Geostationary satellite communications startup Astranis has decided to move its first operational satellite launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9 to a Falcon...
- SpaceX installs Mechazilla ‘claw’ on Starship launch tower Teslarati · 23 Sep 2021 In the latest chapter of SpaceX’s Starship launch tower chronicle, the company has rolled a claw-like component to the pad and attached...
- Video: Inspiration4 booster returns to SpaceX hangar for refurbishment Spaceflight Now · 23 Sep 2021 The Falcon 9 rocket used last week to launch the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew into space has returned to a SpaceX hangar at Kennedy Space Center for refurbishment ahead of a future mission.
- IXPE nearing shipment to Florida for December 2021 launch NASASpaceflight · 23 Sep 2021 The launch of the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observatory is now targeting December 13, 2021, onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The IXPE X-Ray observatory is the lat...
- Next commercial Falcon Heavy mission to launch debut Astranis satellite SpaceNews · 23 Sep 2021 Astranis said Sept. 23 that SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket will launch its first commercial satellite in a direct-inject mission to geostationary orbit in spring 2022.
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explains why Blue Origin’s Starship lawsuit makes no sense Teslarati · 23 Sep 2021 For the first time since SpaceX competitor Blue Origin took NASA to federal court after losing a Moon lander contract to Starship...
- SpaceX sees growing demand for private Crew Dragon missions Spaceflight Now · 23 Sep 2021 With the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew mission back on Earth, SpaceX’s director of human spaceflight programs says the company is seeing increased interest in more private astronauts flights to orbit, and may expand its...
- SpaceX Inspiration4 astronaut shares behind-the-scenes look at largest space window’s ‘first light’ Teslarati · 22 Sep 2021 SpaceX Inspiration4 astronaut Sian Proctor has shared the first behind-the-scenes look at what it was like for the world’s first all-private astronaut...
- Court filing outlines Blue Origin’s case against NASA SpaceX lunar lander award SpaceNews · 22 Sep 2021 Blue Origin is seeking to overturn NASA’s award of a lunar lander contract to SpaceX by arguing that SpaceX’s proposal failed to meet requirements for reviews that made it “unawardable.”
- SpaceX’s orbital Starship launch debut may be pushed to 2022 by slow FAA reviews Teslarati · 21 Sep 2021 In a rare sign of material progress, SpaceX and the FAA have finally released what is known as a draft environmental assessment...
- NASA VIPER rover and Astrobotic Griffin lander select moon landing site for 2023 NASASpaceflight · 21 Sep 2021 The NASA VIPER rover – a precursor mission to human landings in the south polar region of the Moon, and a mission started in 2019 under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program – has had its landing site selected fo...
- Elon Musk’s Starlink is coming out of its “Beta” phase next month Teslarati · 21 Sep 2021 Starlink is coming out of its beta phase next month, as confirmed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Twitter. With this milestone...
- Photos: Inspiration4 launches from Kennedy Space Center Spaceflight Now · 20 Sep 2021 The first all-private crew to fly into Earth orbit launched Sept. 15 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, streaking into space on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket powered by nine Merlin main engines.
- After Inspiration4, SpaceX sees high demand for free-flyer missions Ars Technica · 20 Sep 2021 "We have interest for both Dragons and Starships, which is pretty exciting."
- SpaceX Inspiration4 Dragon, Falcon 9 booster return to port after flawless mission Teslarati · 20 Sep 2021 After acing a flawless commercial astronaut launch debut, SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Crew Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 booster, and the four private astronauts they...
- FAA releases draft environmental report on SpaceX Starship orbital launches SpaceNews · 20 Sep 2021 A draft environmental assessment released by the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that SpaceX will be able to proceed with orbital Starship launches from Texas, but with a number of mitigations required.
- SpaceX’s orbital Starship launch pad tank farm comes to life for the first time Teslarati · 19 Sep 2021 Update: Two days after a bevy of tanker trucks began to arrive at SpaceX’s orbital Starship launch site with load upon load...
- SpaceX prepares Starship, Super Heavy for milestone Raptor static fire tests Teslarati · 19 Sep 2021 SpaceX has scheduled a full week with as many as 30 hours of road and beach closures for Starship and Super Heavy...
- Crew Dragon splashes down to conclude Inspiration4 mission SpaceNews · 18 Sep 2021 SpaceX’s first private crewed mission ended with the splashdown of the Crew Dragon spacecraft off the Florida coast Sept. 18.
- SpaceX to launch Turksat 6A SpaceNews · 18 Sep 2021 Turksat will launch its first domestically built communications satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9, the Turkish government announced Sept. 17.
- Four civilian space travelers back on Earth after landmark flight Spaceflight Now · 18 Sep 2021 Four civilian space travelers rode a SpaceX capsule through a blazing re-entry back into Earth’s atmosphere Saturday evening and safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral, completing a histor...
- Inspiration4 crew describes “incredible perspective” from space Spaceflight Now · 17 Sep 2021 On their final full day in space Friday, the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew circling Earth inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule chatted with Tom Cruise, rang the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, and downlinked a li...
- Inspiration4 mission to conclude with Sept. 18 splashdown SpaceNews · 17 Sep 2021 SpaceX’s first private Crew Dragon mission is set to end with a splashdown off the Florida coast Sept. 18, three days after liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center.
- New Raptor Factory under construction at SpaceX McGregor amid continued engine testing NASASpaceflight · 16 Sep 2021 SpaceX’s engine testing facility on 4,300 acres of land in McGregor, Texas, just south of the city of Waco, is undergoing new development and testing related to the Raptor engine for Starship and Super Heavy.
- SpaceX shows off largest window in space after spectacular Inspiration4 launch Teslarati · 16 Sep 2021 SpaceX has revealed the first on-orbit view of the largest window every launched on a rocket – and provided an update on...
- NASA awards five contracts for lunar landers to follow SpaceX demonstration Ars Technica · 16 Sep 2021 The announcement comes as one of the winners, Blue Origin, is suing NASA.
- Four private citizens ride SpaceX rocket into orbit on historic mission Spaceflight Now · 16 Sep 2021 With the backing of a billionaire businessman, four private citizens blasted off Wednesday night from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a first-of-its-kind fully commercial three-day spaceflight aboard a SpaceX crew cap...