SpaceX

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, wearing the spacesuit with red stripes, holds the ISS Roll-Out Solar Array while riding the space station’s robotic arm Saturday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio headed outside the International Space Station Saturday for a seven-hour spacewalk to install and unfurl…

by Jason Rainbow — December 2, 2022 Rendering of a OneWeb low Earth orbit communications satellites. Credit: OneWeb Update: OneWeb said Dec. 6 it is now targeting a launch date no earlier than Dec. 8 at 5:27 p.m. Eastern to “allow for additional pre-launch checks.” TAMPA, Fla. — OneWeb said…

by Jeff Foust — December 2, 2022 The FCC said its decision allows SpaceX to begin deployment of the Gen2 Starlink system to "close the digital divide on a global scale" while it reviews issues associated with the full 30,000-satellite constellation. Credit: SpaceX WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission has…

Home News Human Spaceflights A twice-flown SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule arrives at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois for its permanent display on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (Image credit: MSI) A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that twice splashed down has now landed for its last time — in…

Home News Spaceflight A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the private Japanese Hakuto-R moon lander stands on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The rocket was supposed to launch on Dec. 1, 2022, but SpaceX is standing down to perform more checks on the…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 11:15 p.m. EST on Nov. 29 (0415 GMT on Nov. 30) with SpaceX’s announcement of launch delay. The Hakuto-R lander developed by the Japanese company ispace is enclosed inside the nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher at Cape Canaveral. Credit: SpaceX A commercial moon craft…

SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission for NASA is on its way to the International Space Station...Read More

It’s official. France, Germany and Italy, the three biggest contributors to the European Space Agency, have joined forces to compete with SpaceX. At a meeting this week, the ESA agreed to guarantee the future of the next-generation Ariane 6 and Vega-C rocket launcher systems.  According to Stars and Stripes, the deal…

by Jason Rainbow — November 23, 2022 SpaceX launched Eutelsat 10B on an expendable Falcon 9. Credit: SpaceX / Eutelsat TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX overcame a bleak weather forecast to launch a satellite Nov. 22 that expands Eutelsat further into fast-growing markets for providing broadband to planes and ships. A…

Private rocket companies like SpaceX have driven launch costs so far down that they have increased demand for services in space.  The secret to their success is that they treat rocket systems as platforms rather than as bespoke, one-off projects.  Having standard and reusable components makes it easier to extend…