SpaceX has revealed a new and mysterious reason to delay its own rocket launch: something called “constellation optimization.” Known as Starlink 2-4, the mission is now scheduled to launch a batch of 51 Starlink V1.5 satellites to a semi-polar Earth orbit no earlier than (NET) 8:15 am PST (16:15 UTC) on Sunday, January 15th. That…
A SpaceX Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft has safely returned to Earth after delivering several tons of NASA supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). A little over six weeks after Falcon 9 launched SpaceX’s 26th Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) mission for NASA, Dragon departed the ISS on January 9th. Efficiently lowering its orbit with several small…
SpaceX’s Starlink internet is revolutionizing in-flight connectivity, and the movement seems to be starting with JSX, a public charter operator. As per recent updates from the company, half of JSX’s fleet of Embraer regional jets have already been equipped with Starlink in-flight internet. By the end of the second quarter, JSX expects to have the…
On January 9th, SpaceX demonstrated the breadth of its capabilities by simultaneously operating two orbital Dragons, four rockets, and four launch pads. In the afternoon, SpaceX stacked Ship 24 and Super Heavy B7 at Starship’s lone South Texas orbital launch pad. In California, a Falcon 9 rocket was vertical at Vandenberg Space Force Base for SpaceX’s upcoming Starlink 2-4…
For the third time in three months, SpaceX has fully assembled Starship 24 and Super Heavy Booster 7 after another period of separate tests, repairs, and modifications. Measuring around 120 meters (~390 ft) tall from ship tip to booster tail, the fully-stacked rocket is again the largest ever assembled. Compared to the Falcon 9 and…
Latvian airline, airBaltic, announced plans to equip its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet with Starlink internet and give passengers complimentary access to the in-flight, high-speed, low-latency broadband internet. Connectivity will be available to passengers who won’t have to visit a login page. Instead, they’ll connect directly to the network and use the service. The company noted that it…
SpaceX has assembled Falcon Heavy and rolled the rocket out to the launch pad for its first mission of 2023. This particular Falcon Heavy – the fifth overall – is reusing both of the side boosters recovered from the rocket’s fourth launch. Originally scheduled to launch in late 2020, Falcon Heavy Flight 4 finally lifted…
SpaceX’s first Starship orbital launch mount (OLM) appears to have passed a busy week of stress-testing, clearing the way for the company to transport a finished Super Heavy booster to the pad. Using the same launch mount, that Starship booster is expected to attempt to complete some of the riskiest and most challenging tests SpaceX…
SpaceX is targeting no earlier than January 12th for the fifth launch of Falcon Heavy, the largest and most powerful commercial rocket in the world. As was the case for the rocket’s third and fourth launches, the main customer behind its fifth launch is the US military. Deemed USSF-67, the mission is also expected to…
SpaceX is reportedly planning to launch its first Starlink mission of 2023 from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. Next Spaceflight reports that SpaceX is preparing to launch Starlink 2-4 no earlier than (NET) 6:54 pm PST on January 8th, almost eight weeks after unspecified issues with a Falcon 9 rocket indefinitely delayed the mission. While it’s impossible…