SpaceX has reflown a converted Falcon Heavy side booster just 37 days after its first mission as a Falcon 9 rocket, successfully delivering a batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) in the process. Booster B1052 first flew in April 2019 as part of Falcon Heavy Block 5’s launch debut. The same side…
While a separate team closes in on the completion of a new and improved Starship nosecone, SpaceX also appears to have begun assembling upgraded ‘tank domes’ that feature a similar underlying design change. On the nose front, SpaceX has been working on a new and improved version of Starship’s nosecone for at least a year…
SpaceX’s Starbase facilities appear to have immediately begun to take advantage of a brand new “South Port Connector Road” built by the Port of Brownsville. Construction of the two-mile-long ~$26 million Connector Road began in August 2020 and has long been assumed to be directly related to – or at least catalyzed by – SpaceX’s…
NASA says that the assembly of Europa Clipper has begun at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Southern California. Europa Clipper is an interplanetary spacecraft developed by NASA to observe Europa, a large moon of Jupiter, over the course of a series of flybys while orbiting the gas giant. The Clipper’s primary goal is to…
It appears that SpaceX is only getting started with its efforts in helping keep Ukraine connected to the internet despite the ongoing Russian invasion. In a recent announcement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Elon Musk has pledged to send another batch of Starlink satellite terminals to the country, which would then be deployed in…
In what is probably a sign of things to come for SpaceX’s nascent Florida Starship factory, the company’s original Starbase facility in South Texas may be about to graduate from tents to more permanent buildings. More than two years ago, in late 2019, SpaceX followed in the footsteps of Tesla and began constructing a surprisingly advanced…
Rocket Lab has selected Virginian island to host the first launch site, factory, and landing pad for its next-generation Neutron rocket. In a move reminiscent of SpaceX’s Starbase Starship factory and launch sites, Rocket Lab plans to build and launch its Neutron rocket in more or less adjacent facilities within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and…
During a recent briefing, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby denied that the US Military had any hand in helping Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in his efforts to send Starlink satellite kits to Ukraine, which is currently fighting a war with Russia. Kirby’s comments were a response to a question about whether Musk had…
Three months after announcing its intent, NASA has procured three more Crew Dragon astronaut launches from SpaceX, raising the total number of operational missions the company is contracted to perform from six to nine. NASA announced its plans to award additional contracts in December 2021 after releasing a half-hearted Request For Information (RFI) in October. That RFI,…
The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine reports that a substantial truckload of Starlink dishes has arrived in the besieged country, fulfilling SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s promise about 48 hours after his first exchange. There are already reports from Ukrainians that the satellite internet service is up and running in the country. Packed with at least 100-200 dishes, SpaceX’s delivery…