News: SpaceX
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
- Firefly hires former SpaceX, Blue Origin engineer as COO SpaceNews · 18 Aug 2021 Firefly Aerospace has hired a former SpaceX and Blue Origin engineer as its new chief operating officer to guide the company’s shift from development to production, although exactly when the company’s first launch will t...
- SpaceX’s first orbital Starship prototype prepares for proof tests Teslarati · 17 Aug 2021 Several days after SpaceX’s first orbital-class Starship prototype took a second trip to a nearby launch site, the rocket is on its...
- SpaceX’s Starship Moon lander under fire yet again as Blue Origin sues NASA Teslarati · 16 Aug 2021 Less than three weeks after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) categorically denied protests from Blue Origin and Dynetics over NASA’s decision...
- Blue Origin sues NASA over Human Landing System contract SpaceNews · 16 Aug 2021 Blue Origin has filed suit against NASA in federal court, arguing that the agency failed to properly evaluate its proposal for the agency’s Human Landing System program, a procurement won by SpaceX.
- GAO report details rejection of HLS protests SpaceNews · 16 Aug 2021 he Government Accountability Office offered more details about its decision to reject protests filed by two companies of NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) award to SpaceX.
- SpaceX receives first major Starship Moon lander funding from NASA Teslarati · 16 Aug 2021 SpaceX has received its first major funding from NASA for the development of a crewed Starship Moon lander meant to return humans...
- Elon Musk says SpaceX’s orbital Starship debut headed for FAA faceoff in a few weeks Teslarati · 15 Aug 2021 CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX’s first completed Starship rocket could be ready for its orbital launch debut just “a few weeks”...
- Intuitive Machines adds third mission following first lunar landings in 2022 NASASpaceflight · 13 Aug 2021 Intuitive Machines (IM) has selected SpaceX to launch their third mission to the Moon. Named IM-3, the company’s Nova-C lander will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 currently targeted for the first quarter of 2024 followi...
- SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy launch in two years is finally coming together Teslarati · 13 Aug 2021 For the first time in more than two years, SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch and dual-booster landing appears to be right around...
- SpaceX’s first orbital-class Starship and Super Heavy to return to launch pad next week Teslarati · 12 Aug 2021 CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX could return the first orbital-class Starship prototype and its Super Heavy booster to the launch site...
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk details orbital refueling plans for Starship Moon lander Teslarati · 12 Aug 2021 After a much-anticipated GAO denial of Blue Origin and Dynetics protests over NASA’s decision to solely award SpaceX a contract to turn...
- SpaceX’s fleet of rocket recovery ships is about to get even bigger Teslarati · 11 Aug 2021 Four months after SpaceX gave up on catching Falcon fairings and stripped and returned a pair of leased ships it had modified...
- SpaceX Falcon rockets win yet another Moon lander launch contract Teslarati · 11 Aug 2021 In a bit of déjà vu, SpaceX’s Falcon rockets have secured yet another contract to launch a commercial Moon lander – this...
- Intuitive Machines selects SpaceX for launch of third lunar lander mission SpaceNews · 10 Aug 2021 Commercial lunar lander developer Intuitive Machines will launch its third lunar lander mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9, the same vehicle the company selected for its first two lander missions.
- Elon Musk says SpaceX could build new Moon spacesuits for NASA Teslarati · 10 Aug 2021 A new report from NASA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) strongly suggests that spacesuit availability, of all things, could prevent NASA...
- SpaceX takes simplicity to new extremes with two new Starship mechanisms Teslarati · 10 Aug 2021 In the first two parts of a three-part interview with YouTube creator Tim Dodd, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has delved into two...
- With a single photo, SpaceX sent a not-so-subtle message to FAA regulators Ars Technica · 9 Aug 2021 Holding back Starship means holding back this progress, Musk was saying.
- SpaceX to acquire Swarm Technologies SpaceNews · 9 Aug 2021 SpaceX has quietly agreed to acquire Swarm Technologies, a company that operates a smallsat constellation providing internet-of-things services.
- SpaceX Starship briefly becomes largest rocket in history – now what’s next? Teslarati · 9 Aug 2021 On August 6th, after a great deal of anticipation, SpaceX stacked a Starship on top of a Super Heavy booster for the...
- SpaceX’s first (public) acquisition is nanosat and Internet of Things startup Swarm Teslarati · 8 Aug 2021 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents suggest that SpaceX has wholly acquired a satellite communications startup – possibly the first public acquisition in...
- Fully stacked Starship caps busy week at SpaceX’s Texas rocket yard Spaceflight Now · 8 Aug 2021 Last week’s progress at SpaceX’s Starship development site culminated with the spectacular, but brief, site of a fully-stacked launcher towering nearly 400 feet above the tidal flats of South Texas.
- SpaceX ‘sleeves’ Starship-derived propellant tank for the first time – here’s why Teslarati · 6 Aug 2021 In a small but important step towards activating a pad capable of launching the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, SpaceX...
- SpaceX is about to stack Starship on a Super Heavy booster for the first time Teslarati · 5 Aug 2021 After a slight delay, CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX is now on track to stack a complete Starship prototype on top...
- Planet and SpaceX announce multiyear launch agreement SpaceNews · 5 Aug 2021 Planet announced a multiyear agreement Aug. 5 that designates SpaceX as the Earth-observation company’s “go-to-launch provider through the end of 2025.”
- SpaceX’s historic private astronaut launch debut gets its own Netflix documentary Teslarati · 5 Aug 2021 Netflix has announced plans for a documentary that will dive deep into SpaceX’s historic Inspiration4 private astronaut launch. Headed by billionaire and...
- SpaceX installs booster on launch pad, stacks orbital Starship to full height Teslarati · 4 Aug 2021 Hours after SpaceX outfitted the first orbital Starship prototype with all six of its Raptor engines, the company has installed the vehicle’s...
- SpaceX achieves Fully Stacked Starship milestone NASASpaceflight · 4 Aug 2021 Super Heavy Booster 4 and Ship 20 were mated for a short while on Friday, marking the major milestone of a fully integrated Starship stack.
- Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service now has about 90k users worldwide Teslarati · 4 Aug 2021 During a call with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials last month, SpaceX revealed that its satellite internet service, Starlink, now has about...
- SpaceX surges Starship work despite FAA environmental review uncertainty SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 The unstoppable force of SpaceX’s recent surge in development of its Starship vehicle for its first orbital flight is in danger of colliding with an immovable object: an ongoing environment review that has no clear end d...
- SpaceX’s NASA Starship contract prevails over frivolous Blue Origin, Dynetics protests Teslarati · 3 Aug 2021 The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has thrown out frivolous protests filed by Blue Origin and Dynetics after NASA awarded SpaceX a...
- SpaceX reveals first orbital Starship with six Raptor engines Teslarati · 3 Aug 2021 CEO Elon Musk has published a photo showing six Raptors – including three vacuum-optimized engines – installed on a Starship prototype for...
- SpaceX installs more than two dozen Super Heavy Raptor engines in one night Teslarati · 2 Aug 2021 In a virtually unprecedented feat of engineering and rocketry, SpaceX appears to have installed a full 29 Raptor engines on Starship’s first...
- SpaceX installed 29 Raptor engines on a Super Heavy rocket last night Ars Technica · 2 Aug 2021 Progress on the regulatory side of things remains murky, though.
- SpaceX outfits first orbital-class Starship booster with grid fins, Raptor engines Teslarati · 2 Aug 2021 In the space of two days, SpaceX has outfitted Starship’s first orbital-class Super Heavy booster with four car-sized grid fins, stacked the...
- GAO dismisses lunar lander contract protests Spaceflight Now · 2 Aug 2021 STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION The Government Accountability Office ruled Friday that NASA did not violate procurement law or regulations when it awarded a single $2.9 billion moon lander contract to S...
- GAO denies Blue Origin and Dynetics protests of NASA lunar lander contract SpaceNews · 30 Jul 2021 The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied protests July 30 that Blue Origin and Dynetics filed of NASA’s award of a single lunar lander contract to SpaceX.
- SpaceX is building Starship’s first orbital-class booster at a breakneck pace Teslarati · 30 Jul 2021 Within the last week, SpaceX’s South Texas Starship factory appears to have kicked things into high gear and are now assembling the...
- SpaceX shifts South Texas focus to Starship’s orbital launch pad Teslarati · 29 Jul 2021 Highlighted by a Wednesday jam-packed with important milestones, SpaceX appears to be shifting its focus in South Texas to the completion of...
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reveals the heart of Starship’s Super Heavy booster Teslarati · 29 Jul 2021 CEO Elon Musk has revealed the first glimpse of the most complex, important, and unproven part of Starship’s record-breaking Super Heavy booster....
- SpaceX schedules first West Coast Starlink launch after a quiet July Teslarati · 28 Jul 2021 Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX has scheduled Starlink’s West Coast launch debut no earlier than August 10th, a mission that will also...