SpaceX’s next Crew Dragon launch is delayed but that’s actually good news

NASA says that SpaceX’s next big Crew Dragon flight test has slipped a bit further into 2020, a counterintuitively positive sign that the human-rated spacecraft’s next launch is firmly scheduled for the first month of the next decade. Known as Crew Dragon’s In-Flight Abort (IFA) test, SpaceX opted to include the mission in its Commercial […]

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SpaceX closes in on Falcon 9 reliability milestone after flawless Monday launch [photos]

SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket has completed its thirteenth launch of 2019, leaving the vehicle just one mission away from a major reliability milestone. At 7:10 pm ET, December 16th (00:10 UTC, Dec 17), Falcon 9 booster B1056, a new upper stage, and the nearly 7-metric ton (15,500 lb) Kacific-1/JCSAT-18 communications satellite lifted off from […]

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SpaceX updates status of record-breaking Falcon 9 fairing recovery attempt

SpaceX has posted an update on its most ambitious Falcon fairing recovery attempt yet, confirming that the company’s twin recovery ships – both outfitted with giant arms and nets – still have some work to do before they will be able to simultaneously catch both halves of a Falcon 9 fairing. Used to protect satellites […]

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SpaceX nails Falcon 9 landing as fairing halves begin journey back to Earth

SpaceX has successfully launched and landed Falcon 9 once again, sending a massive communications satellite on its way to an operational orbit and recovering booster B1056 aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY). As we speak, Falcon 9’s two payload fairing halves are – if everything went as planned – slowly coasting […]

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SpaceX recovery ships head to sea for first ‘whole-fairing’ catch attempt

After a brisk day-long cruise into the Atlantic Ocean, SpaceX’s twin Falcon fairing recovery ships have reached the general landing area to prepare for their first true ‘whole-fairing’ catch attempt. Formerly known as Mr. Steven, GO Ms. Tree and new sister ship GO Ms. Chief departed Port Canaveral on December 14th and arrived at their […]

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SpaceX Falcon 9 fires up ahead of second to last 2019 launch and landing

SpaceX has successfully static fired a Falcon 9’s booster engines ahead of its second to last launch and landing of 2019, on track to make December the company’s busiest month of the year. About a month after successfully lofting 60 Starlink satellites and 11 days after sending Cargo Dragon on its way to the ISS […]

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SpaceX adds a second drone ship to its East Coast rocket recovery fleet

On December 10th, SpaceX’s East Coast rocket recovery fleet added a second drone ship to its ranks in a bid to expand its capabilities to support dozens of annual Falcon 9 and Heavy launches, as well as experimental Starship and Super Heavy booster recoveries. Formerly stationed out of Port of Los Angeles to support SpaceX’s […]

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SpaceX’s latest reusable rocket booster returns to port to prepare for next launch

The first new Falcon 9 booster SpaceX has debuted in almost half a year safely returned to port after a successful first launch and landing, setting the reusable rocket up to fly again in the near future. On December 5th, after a brief 24-hour weather-related delay, new Falcon 9 booster B1059 lifted off on its […]

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SpaceX announces second Starlink satellite launch in two weeks

SpaceX has announced its second planned Starlink satellite in two weeks, sticking to a trend that could see the company launch more than a thousand communications satellites over the next 12 months. Barely two weeks after SpaceX opened media accreditation for Starlink-2, the second launch of finalized ‘v1.0’ satellites and third dedicated launch overall, the […]

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SpaceX nails first Falcon 9 booster launch debut in months [photos]

On December 5th, SpaceX pulled off a flawless Falcon 9 booster debut in support of the Cargo Dragon spacecraft’s CRS-19 space station resupply mission, marking the first launch of a new booster in months. More specifically, the last time SpaceX launched a new Falcon 9 booster was on June 25th, 2019 during STP-2, Falcon Heavy […]

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