Update: In response to this article, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the plan is to not only ‘cryoproof’ the first flightworthy Super Heavy – but to static fire the booster and shake down Starship’s brand new orbital launch complex as early as “next week.” A lot of work would need to be finished – and…
SpaceX and Middle Eastern satcom provider Yahsat have announced a contract to launch the company’s next-generation Thuraya 4-NGS satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2023. Apparently falling between the cracks, SpaceX also reportedly won a contract in July to launch a South Korean Earth observation satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket the…
For the first time in more than two years, SpaceX has a firm launch date for its next Falcon Heavy mission: October 9th, 2021. Revealed on September 7th as part of a US Space Systems Command presentation at the 2021 Small Payload Ride Share Symposium, October 9th now appears to be the military’s official target…
A SpaceX executive has revealed the first concrete Starlink user terminal (dish) production figures and plans for imminent upgrades. Speaking at 2021’s annual SATELLITE conference on September 7th, SpaceX chief financial officer Bret Johnson says that the company is currently producing around 5000 Starlink dishes every week, equating to an annual capacity of a quarter…
For the second time in five weeks, SpaceX has rolled Starship’s first orbital-class Super Heavy booster from its Starbase factory to the launch pad ahead of a challenging and multifaceted test campaign. Deemed Super Heavy Booster 4 or B4, the 69m (~225 ft) tall rocket first rolled to the launch pad around August 3rd after…
SpaceX has rolled the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the historic Inspiration4 private astronaut mission to its NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch facilities. Part of a vistor’s center bus tour of the NASA center, Reddit and YouTube user whiterice98 caught the SpaceX rocket in motion as it was transported from a brand new…
SpaceX has begun reinstalling three of the six Raptor engines that will power the first orbital-class Starship and repairing the heat shield that will hopefully protect it on its first trip to space. Known as Starship 20 or S20, the 50m (~165 ft) tall steel rocket prototype has been stationed at one of SpaceX’s two…
Upgraded SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) returned to Port Canaveral on Tuesday, August 31st after a flawless inaugural Falcon 9 booster landing. In a pleasant coincidence, the brand new drone ship was greeted by an even newer member of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet, which had arrived just hours before after bidding farewell to…
SpaceX’s first fully private astronaut crew have revealed the first real look at a unique part of the Crew Dragon spacecraft that will carry them to orbit just two weeks from now. Known as Inspiration4, the mission is the brainchild of Shift4 CEO, founder, and billionaire Jared Isaacman and will be the first orbital astronaut…
In the latest instance of an Amazon-related venture attempting to use regulations and legal routes to suppress competition, Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite internet venture wants the FCC to dismiss SpaceX’s application for the next generation of Starlink satellites. In a document filed with the FCC in late August, Project Kuiper took the significant step of asking…