SpaceX

SpaceX conducted a static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket as it looks to resume launches in the near future. The launch provider was grounded following a July 11 anomaly that occurred with its upper stage during the Starlink 9-3 mission. Image: Spaceflight Now SpaceX took another important step on its road to resuming launches of its Falcon 9 rocket. At the stroke of midnight on Thursday, July 25, it conducted a static fire test of its workhorse launch vehicle. The burn of the nine Merlin engines at the base of the Falcon 9 booster lasted about 10 seconds in total. The rocket, which was tested at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, will likely be the vehicle used for the return to flight mission. That launch is expected to be the Starlink 10-4 mission,...

An artist’s impression of SpaceX’s ISS Deorbit Vehicle pushing the lab toward a controlled re-entry and breakup in the 2030 timeframe, after a formal decision to retire the lab complex after three decades of operation. Graphic: SpaceX SpaceX is building a souped-up version of its cargo Dragon spacecraft to drive the International Space Station out of orbit for a controlled re-entry and breakup over an uninhabited stretch of ocean when the lab is finally retired in the 2030 timeframe, NASA and company officials said Wednesday. The ISS Deorbit Vehicle, or DV, will be a custom-built, one-of-a-kind spacecraft needed to make sure the space station re-enters the atmosphere at the precise place and in the proper orientation to insure any wreckage that survives the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry wi...

A liquid oxygen tank shell was delivered from Scorpius Space Launch Company in California to Vaya Space in Florida on Monday, July 15, 2024. This will serve as a pathfinding test article as Vaya Space continues working on its forthcoming Dauntless rocket. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now A delivery from California to Florida on Monday marked a new milestone for aerospace company, Vaya Space. It received its first, full-sized liquid oxygen tank shell for its two-stage Dauntless rocket. The company, based in Cocoa, Florida, about 13 miles from the gates of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is working towards its first orbital launch in 2026. “We’ve been working on the design of the Dauntless vehicle for almost two years now, ever since we did our flight tests out in Mohave to pro...

An unusual build up of ice on the second stage of the Falcon 9 that launched the Starlink 9-3 mission. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX is seeking to resume launching its Falcon 9 rocket soon. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, the Federal Aviation Administration said the company was seeking a public safety determination. That request was submitted to the FAA on July 15, according to the agency. If approved, it would allow SpaceX to resume launching its Falcon 9 rocket while the mishap investigation into the Starlink 9-3 anomaly continues. “The FAA is reviewing the request and will be guided by data and safety at every step of the process,” the FAA said in a statement. Following liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11, the Falcon 9’s second stage experienced a liquid oxygen leak, which pr...

An unusual build up of ice on the second stage of the Falcon 9 that launched the Starlink 8-3 mission. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX suffered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015, leaving 20 Starlink satellites in a perilously low orbit. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said it was unclear if the spacecraft could be saved using onboard ion thrusters. SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the year, designated Starlink 9-3, initially appeared to go well after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. PDT (10:35 p.m. EDT, 0235 UTC). But during the burn of the Falcon 9’s second stage an unusual amount of ice was seen building up around the Merlin Vacuum engine in camera views from the rocket. About an hour after satellite deployment, Musk posted on his social m...