ReportWire

Tag: Falcon 9

  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink mission finally launches after failed attempts

    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched on Thursday, carrying another batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

    The SpaceX Starlink 6-77 mission, which deployed 23 satellites, lifted off at 3:19 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This marked the third flight for the Falcon 9 booster, having previously supported one Starlink mission and a NASA Crew-9 launch to the International Space Station.

    The launch came after a series of delays that had pushed the mission back from its initial target of November 3. On Sunday, the launch was scrubbed just two minutes before liftoff due to a helium leak on the rocket’s first stage.

    Another attempt on Wednesday was also called off, reportedly due to unfavorable weather conditions.

    “Hold, hold, hold. Standing down for helium, stage one,” a SpaceX team member could be heard saying during the live broadcast of the planned Sunday launch on X (formerly Twitter).

    Thursday’s liftoff was pushed back by six minutes, but SpaceX did not provide an official reason for the delay. Approximately eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 booster landed safely on the “Just Read the Instructions” drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Bahamas.

    SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of the Starlink satellites in a post on X, saying: “Deployment of 23 @Starlink satellites confirmed.”

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Expedition 72 astronauts lifts off from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 28, 2024. The same booster was used on Thursday to…


    GREGG NEWTON/Getty

    What is Starlink?

    Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious project to build a global satellite internet network. The constellation currently has over 7,170 satellites in orbit, with plans to eventually launch in excess of 40,000.

    These satellites orbit much closer to Earth, at around 340 miles, compared to traditional satellite internet providers.

    Where is SpaceX Located?

    While SpaceX’s headquarters are located in California, the company has a testing facility in Texas and launch complexes in Florida, California, and Texas.

    The Starlink 6-77 mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, marking the 96th booster landing for the “Just Read the Instructions” drone ship and the 362nd booster landing to date for SpaceX.

    In addition to its launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX has several other sites around the country where it conducts its rocket launches.

    The company’s headquarters and primary manufacturing facility are located in Hawthorne, California, but it also has a testing facility in McGregor, Texas.

    SpaceX’s other active launch sites include Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and its own privately-owned Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

    The Starbase location is where SpaceX develops, manufactures, tests, and launches its Starship spacecraft, which are the next-generation launch vehicles the company is building to enable crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.

    Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about SpaceX? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

    Source link

  • SpaceX targeting Tuesday for Polaris Dawn launch

    SpaceX targeting Tuesday for Polaris Dawn launch

    SpaceX will try again to launch Polaris Dawn on Tuesday at 3:38 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center.Several previous attempts have been scrubbed over the past two weeks. The most recent opportunity was missed because of unfavorable weather conditions in the recovery area. According to SpaceX, weather is currently 40% favorable for liftoff.WESH 2 will carry the launch live on air and stream it on WESH.com.

    , Fla. —

    SpaceX will try again to launch Polaris Dawn on Tuesday at 3:38 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center.

    Several previous attempts have been scrubbed over the past two weeks. The most recent opportunity was missed because of unfavorable weather conditions in the recovery area.

    According to SpaceX, weather is currently 40% favorable for liftoff.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    WESH 2 will carry the launch live on air and stream it on WESH.com.

    Source link

  • Watch Live as SpaceX Attempts Historic Launch of First Private Spacewalk Mission

    Watch Live as SpaceX Attempts Historic Launch of First Private Spacewalk Mission

    A billionaire and his three crew members hope to make history as they prepare to get shot into space on a mission that is planned to include the first-ever civilian spacewalk.

    The Polaris Dawn team will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, with a Falcon 9 rocket performing the lifting duties. Blast off is scheduled to take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 3:38 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 27. Should SpaceX need to postpone the launch, the company said on its website there are two backup times that morning, one at 5:23 a.m. and the other at 7:09 a.m. If a launch during those times is impossible, the launch could take place during the following morning.

    The launch will be livestreamed starting 3.5 hours before liftoff on the SpaceX website, and via X.

    If Polaris Dawn proceeds as planned, the Crew Dragon capsule is expected to reach a maximum orbit of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth. This would not only mark the highest altitude a Dragon capsule has reached but also set a new record for the highest Earth orbit apogee. The current record, held by the 1966 Gemini XI mission, is 853 miles (1,373 kilometers). While the Apollo missions traveled much farther to reach the Moon, they did not achieve such high altitudes while orbiting Earth.

    The crew plans to stay in orbit for up to five days, during which they will conduct over 30 research studies and experiments. These include gathering data on radiation conditions in space and conducting several experiments related to human survival in space. For the centerpiece of the mission, the capsule will lower its orbit to 435 miles (700 km) above Earth, where two of the four crew members will participate in the first-ever spacewalk conducted by private citizens. Previously, all spacewalks had been carried out by astronauts from government space agencies.

    If all goes well, the spacewalk will be just one of several firsts. Polaris Dawn will include the inaugural deployment of SpaceX’s extravehicular activity (EVA) space suit. And as the Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, all four crew members will be exposed to the vacuum of space, meaning the EVA’s success during the spacewalk is critical not only as a test of its viability, but to the survival of the entire crew.

    SpaceX unveiled the EVA suit in May after years of delays, and is a modification of the space company’s intravehicular activity suit. It was designed with enhanced mobility for astronauts in mind and includes 3D-printed helmets to reduce glare from the Sun while the wearer is outside their vehicle, as well as a state-of-the-art heads-up display and camera. The suit was also designed to be scaled up for different body types, allowing for mass production.

    The crew will also be the first to test out Starlink’s laser-based communications in space. According to SpaceX, the goal is to develop the system for use in missions to the Moon and Mars “and beyond.”

    Among Polaris Dawn’s crew members is the person funding the mission. Jared Isaacman is serving as mission commander, but is best known as the billionaire CEO of payment processing firm Shift4. Isaacman previously went to space aboard Inspiration4, the first all-civilian trip to orbit. Along with the rest of the Polaris Dawn crew, he has spent the past two years training for the mission. Alongside Polaris Dawn, Isaacson is paying SpaceX an undisclosed amount for two more Polaris missions, the final of which is hoped to be the first crewed mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship reusable transport system. No launch dates have been announced for the follow-up missions.

    Adam Kovac

    Source link

  • WATCH LIVE at 1:01 a.m.: SpaceX rocket launch from Florida’s coast

    WATCH LIVE at 1:01 a.m.: SpaceX rocket launch from Florida’s coast

    BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – SpaceX is planning yet another launch of its Falcon 9 rocket this week from Florida’s Space Coast, according to the company.

    SpaceX posted online that the launch is scheduled for early Friday from Kennedy Space Center. The rocket will carry another batch of the company’s Starlink communications satellites into orbit.

    The window for Friday’s launch now opens at 1:01 a.m., pushed back from 12:19 a.m., although backup opportunities will run through 4:19 a.m.

    [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

    More launch opportunities will be available starting at 12:19 a.m. Saturday if needed.

    The 45th Weather Squadron’s forecast shows only a 5% chance of weather getting in the way of Friday morning’s launch attempt. But that chance grows to 20% if pushed to Saturday.

    Regardless, News 6 will stream the launch live at the top of this story when it happens.

    Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

    Anthony Talcott

    Source link

  • SpaceX launches Turkey’s first domestically-built communications satellite

    SpaceX launches Turkey’s first domestically-built communications satellite

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Monday launched Turkey’s first domestically-built communications satellite, a powerful relay station designed to carry secure military traffic within Turkish borders while providing expanded commercial services across India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

    “We have just launched our domestic communication satellite Türksat 6A into space,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa said on social media. “We have witnessed another source of pride for our country and our nation. More than 81 percent of the subsystems, satellite ground stations and software in the 6A project, which is of great importance for the future of our country in space, have been produced by Turkey with national resources.”  

    Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Turkish minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, said Turkey joins an exclusive club of only 11 nations capable of building high-tech communications satellites. In a pre-launch post on social media, he wrote in Turkish, “Türksat 6A will be the symbol of our independence in space and our unity on Earth and in the sky.”

    070824-launch-cain.jpg
    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thunders away from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, boosting Turkey’s first domestically produced communications satellite into orbit.

    Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now


    Liftoff from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station came at 7:30 p.m. EDT, a little more than two hours late because of threatening weather. The first stage, making its 15th flight, propelled the rocket out of the lower atmosphere, then flew itself to a successful landing on a SpaceX barge stationed several hundred miles to the east in the Atlantic Ocean.

    The second stage completed two firings of its single engine, releasing the Türksat 6A satellite into a highly elliptical “transfer” orbit 35 minutes after liftoff.

    The satellite’s onboard thrusters will be used in the coming days to circularize the orbit 22,300 miles above the equator at 42 degrees east longitude. At that altitude, satellites take 24 hours to complete one orbit and appear stationary in the sky, allowing the use of fixed ground antennas on the ground.

    070824-deploy.jpg
    In orbital darkness over Africa, the Turksat 6A satellite drifts away from the Falcon 9’s second stage after a problem-free climb to orbit.

    SpaceX webcast


    Türksat 6A, operated by Türksat A.Ș., is equipped with 16 Ku-band transponders, along with four held in reserve. It also is equipped with two active X-band transponders and one spare. Those three are reserved for domestic Turkish military use while the Ku-band transponders will support commercial services.

    Using earlier satellites purchased abroad, “we cover Europe, the Middle East, the Turkic nations, parts of East Asia and a significant portion of Africa, mostly North Africa,” Uraloglu said in a news release.

    “Turksat 6A will increase satellite coverage, as it will cover India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, increasing our coverage of approximately 3.5 billion people to around five billion.”

    The satellite has a design life of 15 years.

    As for SpaceX, the launching marked the company’s 68th Falcon 9 launch so far this year and its 353rd overall. The California rocket builder expects to launch more than 140 Falcon-family rockets this year, a pace unrivaled in the commercial launch industry.

    William Harwood

    Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News.

    Source link

  • Watch Live as SpaceX Launches Starship on Its Fourth Test Flight

    Watch Live as SpaceX Launches Starship on Its Fourth Test Flight

    It’s time for Starship to take flight once again, aiming to splashdown in the Indian Ocean on its way back from its fourth launch to demonstrate the rocket’s reusability.

    Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their View

    SpaceX is targeting Thursday, June 6 for the fourth test flight of a new Starship prototype. The megarocket is scheduled to liftoff during a 120-minute launch window that starts at 8 a.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, according to SpaceX.

    The launch will be live streamed on the SpaceX website, as well as through the company’s account on X. The livestream is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. A number of third party providers have livestreams available, which you can find below.

    SpaceX Launches Fourth Starship Flight Test

    [4K] Watch SpaceX Starship FLIGHT 4 launch and reenter LIVE!

    LIVE! SpaceX Starship Flight Test 4 Countdown

    WATCH STARSHIP IFT-4 – LIVE Commentary With Spaceflight Now

    The company received the launch license from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday, allowing it to launch the 400-foot-tall (122-meter) megarocket for the fourth time.

    Starship’s first two flights, performed on April 20 and November 18 of last year, didn’t go exactly as planned, with the rocket exploding each time above the Gulf of Mexico.

    The last time the rocket took to the skies was on March 14, and Starship achieved some major milestones for its third flight. The rocket performed a successful stage separation, a full-duration burn of the second-stage engines, an internal propellant-transfer demonstration for NASA, and a test of the Starlink dispenser door. The mission lasted for an hour and 49 minutes before the upper stage disintegrated to pieces during reentry.

    For Starship’s fourth fully integrated test flight, SpaceX is shifting the focus from launching the rocket to orbit to being able to return both of its stages to Earth. The main objectives of the test flight include executing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico with the Super Heavy booster, as well as achieving a controlled re-entry of Starship.

    “The main goal of this mission is to get much deeper into the atmosphere during reentry, ideally through max heating,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X.

    There’s a lot riding on SpaceX’s ongoing development of Starship so that it is capable of landing humans on the Moon as part of NASA’s planned Artemis 3 mission, which is currently scheduled for September 2026. The company pushes its megarocket to the limit each time it takes flight, and we expect Starship to put on another show during its fourth mission.

    Want to know more about Elon Musk’s space venture? Check out our full coverage of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket and the SpaceX Starlink internet satellite megaconstellation. And for more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated Spaceflight page.

    Passant Rabie

    Source link

  • SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites Sunday

    SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites Sunday

    SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying nearly two dozen Starlink satellites to orbit from the Space Coast Sunday night.According to the commercial spaceflight company, the mission lifted off at its scheduled time at 8:53 p.m. Sunday night from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.This Starlink mission sent 23 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will join a growing constellation of small satellites that provide high-speed internet across the globe.The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting the mission has previously flown 14 times. Other missions the rocket booster supported include CRS-27, Bandwagon-1 and ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1.SpaceX landed the Falcon 9 first stage booster on a ship in the Atlantic several minutes after launch.

    CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. —

    SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying nearly two dozen Starlink satellites to orbit from the Space Coast Sunday night.

    According to the commercial spaceflight company, the mission lifted off at its scheduled time at 8:53 p.m. Sunday night from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    This Starlink mission sent 23 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will join a growing constellation of small satellites that provide high-speed internet across the globe.

    The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting the mission has previously flown 14 times. Other missions the rocket booster supported include CRS-27, Bandwagon-1 and ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1.

    SpaceX landed the Falcon 9 first stage booster on a ship in the Atlantic several minutes after launch.

    Source link

  • WATCH LIVE: SpaceX readies Falcon 9 rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center

    WATCH LIVE: SpaceX readies Falcon 9 rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX put its Falcon 9 launch from Florida’s Space Coast on hold Wednesday night, but it’s not known why.

    The launch was expected to send another batch of 23 Starlink satellites into orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The launch was moved to Thursday starting at 7:04 p.m., which was the backup opportunity.

    Shortly before Thursday’s scheduled launch time, the company placed the launch on another hold. No information has yet been provided about why that is.

    SpaceX was counting down to launch at 9:39 p.m. on Wednesday when it suddenly went into a countdown hold. Then the live feed went to a SpaceX screen. No word on why the countdown hold happened then, either.

    [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

    The weather is actually better for a launch on Thursday, according to the forecast for the 45th Space Wing. The forecast is 95% go for launch.

    This is set to be the 19th flight for the first-stage booster used in this mission. It has previously been used to launch GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and 11 other Starlink missions.

    When the rocket launches, the first stage is expected to separate and return to Earth, landing on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

    It’s not the only launch attempt happening for SpaceX Thursday. The company will also attempt a test launch of its Starship super-heavy rocket in Texas.

    News 6 will stream the launch live at the top of this story when it happens.

    Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily:

    Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

    Anthony Talcott

    Source link

  • SpaceX planning Starlink satellite launch for Sunday evening

    SpaceX planning Starlink satellite launch for Sunday evening

    SpaceX is planning a Sunday evening launch for a number of Starlink satellites from its Florida launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:05 p.m. Sunday with backup opportunities until 11:03 p.m., if needed. In the event of a scrubbed launch, the company has a backup launch window opening at 6:40 p.m. Monday, March 11.The Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will join a growing constellation of internet satellites providing to more parts of the globe including to areas without terrestrial internet infrastructure.The Falcon 9 first-stage booster supporting this launch has flown 10 other times, including Crew-5 and Inmarsat I6-F2 among others.SpaceX is expecting to land the first stage booster on a ship stationed offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

    SpaceX is planning a Sunday evening launch for a number of Starlink satellites from its Florida launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:05 p.m. Sunday with backup opportunities until 11:03 p.m., if needed. In the event of a scrubbed launch, the company has a backup launch window opening at 6:40 p.m. Monday, March 11.

    The Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will join a growing constellation of internet satellites providing to more parts of the globe including to areas without terrestrial internet infrastructure.

    The Falcon 9 first-stage booster supporting this launch has flown 10 other times, including Crew-5 and Inmarsat I6-F2 among others.

    SpaceX is expecting to land the first stage booster on a ship stationed offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Source link

  • Peggy Whitson, NASA’s most experienced astronaut, set to return to International Space Station

    Peggy Whitson, NASA’s most experienced astronaut, set to return to International Space Station

    Peggy Whitson, NASA’s most experienced astronaut, set to return to International Space Station – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    Peggy Whitson, the most experienced astronaut in U.S. history, is set to launch to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Sunday, leading a crew that includes a retired businessman and two Saudi Arabian astronauts.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    Source link

  • 5/20: CBS Weekend News

    5/20: CBS Weekend News

    5/20: CBS Weekend News – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives in Japan for G7 summit; Peggy Whitson, NASA’s most experienced astronaut, set to return to International Space Station

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    Source link

  • SpaceX rocket launches 50 Starlink satellites into orbit

    SpaceX rocket launches 50 Starlink satellites into orbit

    SpaceX rocket launches 50 Starlink satellites into orbit – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 50 Starlink satellites into orbit from California on Wednesday.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


    Source link

  • SpaceX launches latest GPS 3 navigation satellite in ongoing Space Force upgrade

    SpaceX launches latest GPS 3 navigation satellite in ongoing Space Force upgrade

    011823-launch1.jpg
    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS 3 navigation satellite climbs away from a low fog bank at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station minutes after sunrise.

    William Harwood/CBS News


    Cape Canaveral, Florida — SpaceX launched the latest in a series of more powerful Global Positioning System navigation satellites Wednesday, continuing a U.S. Space Force fleet-wide upgrade to provide improved accuracy and anti-jamming capability. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the 9,595-pound satellite blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:24 a.m. EST and arced away to the northeast over the Atlantic Ocean.

    After dropping off its previously-flown first stage, which flew itself back for a landing on an offshore droneship, the rocket’s upper stage engine fired twice to reach the planned deploy orbit before releasing the satellite to fly on its own.

    Lockheed Martin has built 10 GPS 3 satellites for the Space Force — the satellite launched Wednesday was No. 6 — and is under contract to build 22 advanced GPS 3 Follow-On navigation beacons to modernize the entire constellation with state-of-the-art components.

    “We currently have four more GPS satellites in our Colorado facility that are available for launch,” said Andre Trotter, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of navigation systems.

    011823-deploy.jpg
    A camera on the Falcon 9’s second stage captured a view of the GPS 3 satellite being released to fly on its own about 90 minutes after launch.

    SpaceX


    GPS satellites constantly broadcast ultra-precise timing signals from on-board atomic clocks. Military and civilian receivers, in devices ranging from car navigation systems to smart weapons, can calculate their position, velocity and altitude by analyzing slight differences in the signals from multiple satellites.

    The GPS 3 satellites are “the most powerful, resilient GPS satellite ever built,” Tonya Ladwig, a Lockheed Martin vice president, said before an earlier launch. “We provide three times greater accuracy over existing satellites in the constellation and have eight times increased anti-jamming capabilities.”

    The GPS 3 satellites also feature enhanced civilian signals, compatibility with other navigation systems and improved search-and-rescue capabilities along with a military channel that’s more accurate and jam-proof.

    An artist’s impression of a GPS 3 navigation satellite in orbit with its solar arrays and antennas deployed.

    Lockheed Martin


    The new satellites are “a key contribution to Space Systems Command’s ongoing GPS modernization effort, bringing about new capabilities to both civilian and military users around the globe,” said Cordell DeLaPena Jr., the program executive officer.

    “GPS 3 satellites increase our ability to provide military and civilian users with more robust and accurate signals that enable everyday operations such as navigation and search and rescue operations.”

    The launch was SpaceX’s fourth so far this year. The fifth of some 100 planned launches is on tap Thursday, at 10:23 a.m. EST, when another Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch 51 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

    William Harwood


    headshots_William_Harwood.jpg

    Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2’s flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood is a devoted amateur astronomer and co-author of “Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia.”

    Source link