Thursday, March 30

SpaceX

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SpaceX launches another bundle of Starlink internet satellites – Spaceflight Now

Watch a replay of our live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 5-10 mission at 4:01 p.m. EDT (2001 GMT) on March 29 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Follow us on Twitter. SFN Live  SpaceX delivered 56 more Starlink internet satellites into the company’s global internet constellation after liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Wednesday, bringing the total number of Starlinks launched to 4,217 spacecraft. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:01 p.m. EDT (2001 UTC). The mission Wednesday, designated Starlink 5-10, continued deploying SpaceX’s older-generation Starlink V1.5 satellites after the company paused launche...
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Indian launch gives OneWeb enough satellites for global internet service – Spaceflight Now
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Indian launch gives OneWeb enough satellites for global internet service – Spaceflight Now

India’s LVM3, or GSLV Mk.3, rocket lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center with 36 OneWeb satellites. Credit: ISRO The successful launch of 36 more OneWeb satellites aboard India’s most powerful rocket Saturday brought the total number of OneWeb spacecraft in orbit to 618, enough for the London-based company to start global broadband service later this year. The mission was the penultimate launch for OneWeb’s first-generation satellite network, with another batch of spare spacecraft scheduled for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May. The launch was the 18th flight dedicated to deploying OneWeb satellites, a tally that includes 13 launches on Russian Soyuz rockets booked with the French launch service provider Arianespace, three SpaceX missions, and two Indian rocket flights arra...
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Falcon 9 deploys 56 Starlink satellites on SpaceX’s 20th launch of the year – Spaceflight Now
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Falcon 9 deploys 56 Starlink satellites on SpaceX’s 20th launch of the year – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket heads downrange after liftoff Friday morning from Cape Canaveral. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography SpaceX continued launching satellites for the Starlink internet network Friday, sending a Falcon 9 rocket aloft from Cape Canaveral with 56 more older-generation broadband spacecraft as ground teams troubleshoot problems with a batch of upgraded Starlinks launched last month. The 56 satellites were packed on top of the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff at 11:43:10 a.m. EDT (1543:10 UTC) Friday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Riding 1.7 million pounds of ground-shaking thrust from nine kerosene-fueled Merlin main engines, the Falcon 9 accelerated faster than the speed of sound in about a minute as it ra...
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Good weather expected for Relativity Space’s late-night launch attempt – Spaceflight Now
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Good weather expected for Relativity Space’s late-night launch attempt – Spaceflight Now

Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket on Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: Relativity Space Relativity Space will try a third time to launch a 3D-printed rocket from Cape Canaveral Wednesday night, and weather forecasters predict a 95% chance of favorable conditions for the late-night test flight. The three-hour launch window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station opens Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 UTC Thursday). Relativity Space will try to make history by launching the first 3D-printed, methane-fueled rocket into orbit, following two scrubbed launch attempts March 8 and March 11. Delays and aborts are not uncommon in launches of new rockets. Relativity Space shifted the timing for the Terran 1 rocket from the afternoon hours until an overnight launch window f...
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SpaceX pausing launches of new-generation Starlink satellites – Spaceflight Now
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SpaceX pausing launches of new-generation Starlink satellites – Spaceflight Now

A side-by-side comparison of the Starlink V1.5 and the Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Credit: SpaceX / Spaceflight Now SpaceX’s next two missions will revert to launching older versions of the company’s Starlink internet satellites, instead of new second-generation Starlink platforms as originally planned, while ground teams work out unspecified problems with the first batch of upgraded Starlinks launched in February. The next two SpaceX launches with Falcon 9 rockets will each carry more than 50 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, beginning with the scheduled liftoff of a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 UTC) Friday. Another Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral is tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday, March 29, at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT (...
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