After a four-day delay, SpaceX has successfully installed the first high-altitude Starship at its Boca Chica launch pad not long after the rocket was outfitted with large flaps. Technically the second time a Starship was outfitted with flaps, Starship serial number 8 had the bottom half of its aerodynamic control surfaces installed on September 23rd […]
The post SpaceX’s first high-altitude Starship fitted with flaps and rolled to the launch pad appeared first on TESLARATI.
SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets continue to dominate the US launch market, most recently securing their third consecutive NASA launch contract this year. On September 25th, NASA announced that it had awarded SpaceX a contract to launch its Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission and several rideshare payloads. For $109.4 million, a SpaceX Falcon […]
The post SpaceX Falcon rockets win third consecutive NASA launch contract appeared first on TESLARATI.
SpaceX FCC paperwork has revealed the addition of an unidentified Falcon 9 launch to the company’s packed October manifest, ranging from several Starlink missions to Crew Dragon’s first operational astronaut launch. Under the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), companies must submit an application for permission to communicate with their rocket for every single launch. While […]
The post SpaceX adds mystery Falcon 9 launch to packed October manifest appeared first on TESLARATI.
SpaceX has provided Washington’s Emergency Management department access to Starlink satellite internet service in a bid to support the state’s emergency response to dangerous wildfires. Though the customer is technically a military department, this is the first public announcement of the internet constellation’s use in a civil service-oriented role. In the case of Malden, WA, […]
The post SpaceX lends Starlink to Washington emergency services as Elon Musk talks IPO appeared first on TESLARATI.
SpaceX’s eleventh Starlink launch of the year was scrubbed ~30 seconds before liftoff by bad weather, likely delaying the mission a few days and leaving ULA’s latest Delta IV Heavy launch attempt next in line. Scheduled to lift off at 10:22 am EDT on Monday, September 28th, SpaceX’s 12th operational Starlink launch (V1 L12) nearly […]
The post SpaceX Starlink launch suffers last-second scrub, ULA up next appeared first on TESLARATI.
SpaceX is on track for Falcon 9’s latest Starlink launch and landing later today as delays continue to hamper a United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket meant to lift off more than a month ago. In fact, an almost identical scenario played out a month ago as SpaceX and ULA coincidentally aligned to attempt two launches […]
The post SpaceX go for Starlink launch, landing as ULA rocket delays persist appeared first on TESLARATI.
A United States military contract with SpaceX has been modified to allow future launches aboard reused Falcon 9 boosters, saving the US tens of millions of dollars. The series of Lockheed Martin built GPS III satellites operated by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has been traditionally launched on new expendable boosters. The […]
The post SpaceX wins US military approval to launch on reused Falcon boosters appeared first on TESLARATI.
A variant of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft optimized to land NASA astronauts on the Moon has passed the space agency’s first review alongside competing teams lead by Blue Origin and Dynetics. Aside from reiterating the fact that NASA is drawing heavily from its experience with the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), the completion of “certification baseline reviews” […]
The post SpaceX’s Starship Moon lander passes NASA review alongside Blue Origin, Dynetics appeared first on TESLARATI.
Less than three weeks after shipping to Texas, SpaceX says that Starship’s first Raptor Vacuum engine has completed a “full duration test fire” on the march towards orbital test flights. Known as Raptor Vacuum or RVac, the engine is almost entirely based off of its sea level-optimized cousin, taking all of the complex turbomachinery and […]
The post SpaceX’s first orbital Starship engine just breathed fire appeared first on TESLARATI.
NASASpaceflight.com reports that the first new booster for SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch has arrived at the company’s McGregor, Texas test facilities. The canonical sign that SpaceX is rapidly progressing towards its next Falcon Heavy launch, the mission – set to carry the US military’s US Space Force 44 (USSF-44) satellite(s) directly to geostationary orbit […]
The post SpaceX Falcon Heavy side booster arrives at Texas test facilities appeared first on TESLARATI.
