SpaceX | Common News Update

Dec182022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches NASA’s water topography satellite into orbit

Science

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite launched Friday morning from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SpaceX 9 rocket lifted off at 6:47 a.m., launching the mission that will provide NASA's first global survey of water on Earth's surface, measuring the elevation of water in major lakes, rivers and wetlands while observing ocean features in higher definition than ever before. The data will help researchers better understand the availability of Earth's freshwater resources, track regional sea level changes and monitor coastal processes. "Once in orbit, SWOT will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth's surface," NASA officials said in a statement. "This information will provide insights into how th...

Dec182022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches two broadband satellites for Luxembourg firm

Science

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX launched two high-power broadband satellites for a Luxembourg firm's new communications system toward orbit Friday evening from Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket's second stage was to place the first two O3b mPOWER satellites into orbit to join Luxembourg-based SES's 20 first-generation O3b Internet satellites. SES is a satellite telecommunications network with 67 currently operational satellites under its control in both geostationary orbit and medium Earth orbit. Five of those are part of a group called O3b, also referred to as O3b MEO. O3b stands for "Other 3 Billion" in recognition of the billions of people without access to reliable Internet service. According to Boeing and SES, the new satellites use a "software-defined payload," which will allow them...

Nov42022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches broadcast satellite to serve Europe, Africa, Middle East

Science

Nov. 3 (UPI) -- SpaceX Thursday put the Hotbird 13G satellite into orbit for Eutelsat to bolster broadcast systems across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In a statement Eutelsat said, "Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite Eutelsat Hotbird 13G will, with its twin Eutelsat Hotbird 13F launched on Oct. 15, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a thousand television channels into homes across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, the two satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience." The Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched at 1:22 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to Eutelsat. Eutelsat's statement said that the satellite "was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit." It was...

Jan72022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX successfully completes first launch of 2022 from Florida

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- SpaceX kicked off a surge in launch activity Thursday with the successful launch of 49 of the company's Starlink communications satellites from Florida, heading south along the state's coastline. Five SpaceX missions may launch in the next month on the southern polar trajectory, flying closer to the Florida coast toward Miami than most launches, according to the U.S. Space Force. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off as planned at 4:49 p.m. EST from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Nine minutes after launch, the first-stage booster landed successfully on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. "Starlink is now live in 25 countries and regions currently servicing over 145,000 users worldwide," SpaceX engineer Jessie Anderson said during a live broadcast of the launch. "...

Oct312021 by adminNo Comments

NASA, SpaceX reschedule Crew-3 launch for Wednesday

Science

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- NASA and SpaceX on Saturday scrapped plans to send astronauts to the International Space Station after a large mid-Atlantic storm caused weather issues along the flight path. The Crew-3 launch, which was set to launch Sunday, is now scheduled to take place 1:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday, when weather conditions were expected to be 80% favorable. The NASA astronauts will launch on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew, which includes pilot Tom Marshburn, commander Raja Chari, and mission specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer, is expected to spend six months carrying out research to help the United States prepare for longer space missions. Dxperiments include multiple studies of astronaut health during long period...