News: SpaceX
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
- Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to launch NASA’s VIPER lunar rover SpaceNews · 13 Apr 2021 Astrobotic has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its Griffin lunar lander, carrying a NASA lunar rover, on a Falcon Heavy in 2023.
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets and drone ship wow with sunset, sunrise port returns Teslarati · 13 Apr 2021 With two back-to-back Starlink launches, SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) has returned to port twice in two...
- SpaceX’s upgraded Starship gets frosty during cryogenic proof test Teslarati · 12 Apr 2021 Update: SpaceX is well into Starship SN15’s first cryogenic proof test and is in the process of loading the upgraded steel rocket...
- SpaceX might stack Starship on Super Heavy with “mechanical arms” Teslarati · 12 Apr 2021 Not long after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk re-upped his plan to catch Super Heavy boosters – and possibly Starships, too – out...
- SpaceX installs Starlink dish on upgraded Starship prototype Teslarati · 11 Apr 2021 In the latest in a long line of twists, SpaceX has requested permission from the FCC to operate a Starlink internet antenna...
- Coverage Set for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Briefings, Events, Broadcasts NASA · 9 Apr 2021 NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.
- Rocket Report: SpaceX abandons catching fairings, ULA bets on upper stages Ars Technica · 9 Apr 2021 "All of the resistance, that is going to be gradually disappearing."
- SpaceX COO says Starlink is just five launches away from “full global connectivity” Teslarati · 9 Apr 2021 The day before SpaceX aced its eighth Starlink launch in three months, President and COO Gwynne Shotwell implied that the company’s constellation...
- SpaceX rolls next Starship to the launch pad nine days after midair explosion Teslarati · 8 Apr 2021 Update: Right on schedule, SpaceX has transported Starship serial number 15 (SN15) from its Boca Chica rocket factory to a launch and...
- Starship SN15 rolls to launch site as Raptor testing ups a gear NASASpaceflight · 8 Apr 2021 Just days after Starship SN11 conducted a fog-cloaked test flight that ended in an explosive finale, SN15 rolled down Highway 4 at SpaceX Starbase (Boca Chica). SN15 sports numerous modifications that SpaceX hopes will r...
- SpaceX landed a rocket on a boat five years ago—it changed everything Ars Technica · 8 Apr 2021 "We were like, well, we didn't really account for that."
- SpaceX launches another set of Starlink satellites as it nears global coverage SpaceNews · 7 Apr 2021 SpaceX continued the rollout of its Starlink broadband constellation with another launch of 60 satellites April 7, edging closer to providing continuous global service.
- SpaceX Starlink launch offers rare live view of Falcon 9 booster landing Teslarati · 7 Apr 2021 Update: SpaceX has aced the first half of its tenth launch of 2021 and 23rd operational Starlink launch while simultaneously offering an...
- SpaceX’s Starlink terminal production costs have dropped over 50%, reveals president Teslarati · 7 Apr 2021 During the recently-held Satellite 2021 “LEO Digital Forum” virtual panel, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed that the Starlink terminal’s production costs have...
- SpaceX launches its 100th mission from Florida’s Space Coast Spaceflight Now · 7 Apr 2021 A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Wednesday with another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites, achieving success on SpaceX’s 100th mission to launch from Florida’s Space Coast and clearing the way for li...
- SpaceX launches Starlink v1.0 L23 mission NASASpaceflight · 7 Apr 2021 SpaceX has launched another batch of 60 Starlink satellites on the Starlink v1.0 L23 mission. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred on time on April 7 at 12:34 P...
- SpaceX to ramp up Vandenberg launch cadence with Starlink missions Spaceflight Now · 7 Apr 2021 After a lull in launches from America’s primary West Coast rocket base, SpaceX is set to resume a regular cadence of missions from Vandenberg Air Force Base as soon as July to deploy hundreds of Starlink internet satelli...
- Satellite operators weigh strategies to compete against growing Starlink network SpaceNews · 6 Apr 2021 As SpaceX continues to expand its Starlink network, established satellite operators are figuring out strategies to remain competitive.
- New permits shed light on activity at SpaceX’s Cidco and Roberts Road facilities NASASpaceflight · 6 Apr 2021 Building and testing SpaceX’s next generation launch system, Starship, has primarily been conducted at the village of Boca Chica, Texas. But just a couple years ago, Starship hardware was also being built at a SpaceX fac...
- Engine explosion blamed for latest Starship crash SpaceNews · 6 Apr 2021 SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said an engine on the company’s latest Starship prototype suffered a “hard start” that caused the vehicle to explode when attempting to land on a test flight last week.
- SpaceX is building launch pad tanks out of Starship parts and that’s a big deal Teslarati · 6 Apr 2021 SpaceX has begun installing the first of numerous propellant storage tanks at its first orbital South Texas launch facilities – a mostly...
- SpaceX going for its 10th satellite launch of the year Wednesday Spaceflight Now · 6 Apr 2021 SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are readying for the company’s 10th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year Wednesday, another flight devoted to delivering satellites to orbit for the Starlink internet network.
- Musk blames SpaceX’s latest Starship explosion on Raptor engine leak Teslarati · 5 Apr 2021 CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended with a midair explosion because a “small” leak started on one...
- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station Spaceflight Now · 5 Apr 2021 In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research l...
- Crew Dragon moves to new docking port at ISS SpaceNews · 5 Apr 2021 A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft moved from one docking port to another on the International Space Station April 5, marking the start of a busy month spacecraft arrivals and departures on the station.
- Musk says methane leak doomed latest Starship test flight Spaceflight Now · 5 Apr 2021 SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that a “relatively small” methane leak caused the explosion of the company’s latest Starship test rocket last week on an experimental flight over South Texas.
- Dragon Resilience performs port relocation to clear way for future vehicles NASASpaceflight · 5 Apr 2021 The SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon Resilience performed a relocation to a new docking port aboard the International Space Station on Monday in order to make way for future crew and cargo vehicles on the U.S. side (which includes C...
- SpaceX Crew Dragon, four astronauts set for brief flight around the space station Teslarati · 4 Apr 2021 To set the stage for another Dragon launch just a few weeks from now, NASA astronauts are preparing to board a SpaceX...
- Station astronauts prep for relocation of SpaceX crew capsule Spaceflight Now · 4 Apr 2021 Commander Mike Hopkins and his three crewmates will board their Crew Dragon “Resilience” capsule Monday for a first-time maneuver to relocate the SpaceX-owned spaceship to a new docking port outside the International Spa...
- [Update: fully stacked] SpaceX speeds up work on Starship with “hundreds” of upgrades Teslarati · 2 Apr 2021 Update: Less than 24 hours after publishing, SpaceX began installing Starship SN15’s nose section, stacking the significantly upgraded rocket to its full...
- Rocket Report: SpaceX readies Super Heavy, Russia tests new engine Ars Technica · 2 Apr 2021 "We chose the name Dauntless because we believe it embodies the spirit of the company."
- SpaceX and NASA entering final preparations for Crew-2 launch NASASpaceflight · 1 Apr 2021 With launch now just a few weeks away, SpaceX and NASA have entered final preparations for the second operational Crew Dragon mission. This will be SpaceX’s second long-duration crew rotation for NASA as a part of the Co...
- SpaceX’s Starship booster-catching ‘launch tower’ begins to take shape in Texas Teslarati · 1 Apr 2021 Aerial photos show that SpaceX has rapidly begun building the first of two planned skyscraper-sized Starship ‘launch towers’ in South Texas –...
- SpaceX to upgrade Dragon with the most immersive window ever launched into space Teslarati · 31 Mar 2021 SpaceX and Inspiration4 customer Jared Isaacman have revealed a substantial and unexpected design change made to the Crew Dragon spacecraft that will...
- Final two passengers named for first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth Spaceflight Now · 30 Mar 2021 The billionaire financing the SpaceX flight that will carry the first non-professional “everyday people” into orbit in September, announced the final two members of his four-person crew Tuesday, adding an artist-educator...
- SpaceX’s latest high-altitude Starship test flight ends in another explosion Spaceflight Now · 30 Mar 2021 SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended with an apparent explosion Tuesday in South Texas, but dense fog obstructed clear views of the launch and failed landing.
- Elon Musk announces $30M donation to Cameron County, TX schools, City of Brownsville Teslarati · 30 Mar 2021 Elon Musk has announced he will donate $30 million to Cameron County Schools and the City of Brownsville, Texas. The SpaceX and...
- Elon Musk talks upgrades after SpaceX Starship launches, explodes in midair Teslarati · 30 Mar 2021 SpaceX has completed its fourth Starship test flight in as many months, offering the latest glimpse into the often frustrating reality of...
- SpaceX loses another Starship prototype as landing sequence fails Ars Technica · 30 Mar 2021 This was the company's fourth attempt to land a full-size Starship.
- SpaceX crashes another Starship prototype SpaceNews · 30 Mar 2021 SpaceX launched its fourth Starship prototype in less than four months March 30, only to have the vehicle apparently crash once again.