SpaceX
SpaceX to test Crew Dragon launch abort system
NASA and SpaceX are ready to perform a test of the launch abort system of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft that will also serve as a dress rehearsal of sorts for upcoming crewed flights of the vehicle.
SpaceX ready for Crew Dragon in-flight abort test
SpaceX performed a successful static-fire test Jan. 11 of the Falcon 9 booster that will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a test of its abort system.
SpaceX, astronomers working to address brightness of Starlink satellites
SpaceX says it’s committed to working with the astronomy community to address the brightness of its Starlink satellites, but some astronomers remain concerned about the deleterious effect that system and other megaconstellations will have on their field.
Starlink’s busy launch schedule is workable, says 45th Space Wing
The rapid growth in Starlink missions means the 48 launch target could be attained in 2020.
SpaceX becomes operator of world’s largest commercial satellite constellation with Starlink launch
SpaceX launched 60 of its own Starlink broadband satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket Jan. 6, becoming the operator of the world’s largest commercial satellite constellation.
SpaceX’s 2020 ambitions tempered by 2019 outcomes
SpaceX enters 2020 with ambitious launch, spacecraft and other plans, but those expectations are modulated by what that company achieved, and didn’t achieve, in 2019.
SpaceX reaches parachute testing milestone
SpaceX said Dec. 23 that it completed the tenth successful consecutive test of the new parachute design for its Crew Dragon spacecraft, a milestone that NASA previously said was critical before the agency would allow astronauts to fly on the vehicle.
Op-Ed | No, Houston, we do not have a problem
As NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine aptly said: “this is, in fact, why we test.”
SpaceX gets OK to re-space Starlink orbits
The FCC said SpaceX can field satellites in 72 rings around the Earth at 550 kilometers — three times as many as the commission approved in April.
Falcon 9 launches condosat mission for Kacific and Sky Perfect JSAT
SpaceX launched a communications satellite shared by two companies Dec. 16 using a Falcon 9 rocket.
Kepler books SpaceX rideshare for LEO satellites
Kepler Communications on Dec. 11 said it booked 400 kilograms of rideshare capacity with SpaceX in order to launch an unspecified number of its Internet of Things cubesat next year.
Falcon 9 cargo mission for NASA demonstrated long-duration coast required by U.S. Air Force
The Falcon 9 upper stage engine performed a 20.1 second burn after the six-hour coast
New dates set for commercial crew test flights
SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft in early January as the launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on an uncrewed test flight slips another day, NASA announced Dec. 6.
SpaceX working on fix for Starlink satellites so they don’t disrupt astronomy
President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said the problem caught the company by surprise
Kacific, with SpaceX launch imminent, borrows $160 million for satellite refinancing
Kacific said it recently secured $160 million from the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank and GuarantCo, a European- and Australian-government backed infrastructure investment organization, along with other financiers.
Falcon 9 launches Dragon cargo spacecraft to ISS
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station Dec. 5 on a mission that will also perform a test of the rocket’s upper stage.
