Tag: SpaceX

Mar42021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX successfully launches 20th Starlink mission

March 4 (UPI) -- SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with dozens of additional Starlink communications satellites into space early Thursday after previous launch attempts were delayed. The rocket lifted off at 3:24 EST from the historic pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the mission to put 60 more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of the plan to offer low-latency Internet worldwide. Advertisement Falcon 9's first-stage booster also successfully landed on the drone ship Of Course I still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean on its return to Earth while stage two continued on its mission before deploying its batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. The satellites will deploy solar rays and move into their operational positions over the next days ...

Feb142021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX plans to boost Starlink network with launch

Business

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- SpaceX plans to launch 60 more of its Starlink communications satellites from Florida on Sunday night as the company expands sales of the broadband internet service those satellites provide. Liftoff on a Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 11:20 p.m. EST, but the U.S. Space Force forecasts a 60% chance that storm clouds or a threat of lightning that could cause a postponement. Advertisement Elon Musk's Starlink operation has about 1,000 active satellites in orbit, and has implemented part of its planned network on Earth, while competitors for broadband service dependent on satellites in low-Earth orbit have yet to start sales. That includes London-based OneWeb, which has launched 110 satellites with a goal for 648 during its first phase. Also, Amazon founder ...

Feb112021 by adminNo Comments

NASA chooses SpaceX to launch lunar gateway

Business

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- NASA's Lunar Gateway, a space station that will serve future lunar missions, is on schedule for launch by SpaceX in May 2024. Gateway is part of NASA's plan for ongoing moon missions and a lunar base. It will be about one-sixth the size of the International Space Station, in orbit around the moon, thousands of miles from the lunar surface. Advertisement NASA hasn't committed to using Gateway for the planned Artemis III crewed mission planned for 2024. That schedule is in doubt, however, because of a lack of funding from Congress. NASA awarded Elon Musk's company a $ 331.8 million contract Tuesday to launch the first two pieces of the outpost aboard the company's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. Those components are the human habitat or HALO, and the Power and...

Feb32021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX plans two Starlink satellite launches on consecutive days

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A plan by Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch two Starlink satellite missions from Florida on Thursday fell through, and the company now plans to send two Falcon 9 rockets aloft on consecutive days. The first launch is planned for 1:19 a.m. EST Thursday from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, followed by another Friday at 5:14 a.m. EST from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Advertisement SpaceX said on Twitter it had moved one of the launches to Friday to allow additional time for "pre-launch checks." To allow additional time for pre-launch checks, now targeting Friday, February 5 at 5:14 a.m. EST for launch of Starlink from LC-39A— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 3, 2021 The U.S. Space Force approved launching twice in one day, according to a post o

Feb32021 by adminNo Comments

Watch: SpaceX flies, crashes Starship moon rocket again

Science

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- SpaceX's test flight of the company's deep-space Starship rocket ended for a second time in a fiery explosion on the landing pad Tuesday in Boca Chica, Texas, after the Federal Aviation Administration modified the company's license to allow the launch. The rocket, named SN9, ascended to a height of more than 6 miles and performed a flip manuever. But after it descended, its engines appeared to ignite improperly, according to live video SpaceX provided. Advertisement The explosion is not necessarily a setback because the company is gathering data about the craft as it tests, said John Insprucker, the principal engineer at SpaceX, during the broadcast. SpaceX is known for losing rockets during early testing as it explores new designs. "We've done a lot of good things. We jus...