SpaceX
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.
SpaceX Starship suffers testing setback
The first prototype of SpaceX’s next-generation launch system was damaged Nov. 20 during a tanking test, a setback the company claimed would not serious affect their development plans.
SpaceX cheap rideshare flights change propulsion equation
SpaceX’s plan to slash the cost of space transportation is shaking up the small satellite propulsion market.
NASA adds five companies to commercial lunar lander program
NASA announced Nov. 18 that it was adding five companies to a contract to perform commercial deliveries of payloads to the surface of the moon, a group that ranges from small ventures to Blue Origin and SpaceX.
Inspector general report says NASA risks losing access to the ISS in 2020
NASA’s inspector general warned in a new report that, because of commercial crew delays, utilization of the International Space Station will drop sharply in 2020 and that NASA runs the risk of losing access entirely by next fall.
SpaceX tests Crew Dragon abort thrusters
SpaceX successfully tested Nov. 13 the thrusters used as part of the abort system for its Crew Dragon spacecraft, nearly seven months after a similar test resulted in the loss of another spacecraft.
SpaceX launches second batch of Starlink broadband satellites
SpaceX completed its second launch of 60 Starlink satellites Nov. 11, making its own system the largest commercial telecommunications satellite constellation in orbit.
Elon Musk discusses Starship at Air Force Space Pitch Day
The space industry’s primary hardware problem is its need for a “fully rapidly reusable orbital rocket,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Nov. 5 at U.S. Air Force Space Pitch Day where he was a surprise guest. “This is the holy grail.”
SpaceX trumpets progress on commercial crew parachute testing
SpaceX said Nov. 3 that it has now carried out 13 consecutive successful tests of a new parachute design for its Crew Dragon spacecraft after overcoming initial problems with it.
Boeing and SpaceX preparing for commercial crew abort tests
Boeing and SpaceX are on schedule to perform two critical tests of their commercial crew vehicles in the next week with hopes that both vehicles will be ready to carry astronauts by early next year.
Foust Forward | Curb your enthusiasm: Star-struck SpaceX fans are in a league of their own
The company and its founder have attracted people, many of whom are outside the space industry, who are zealous supporters and staunch defenders of whatever SpaceX does, a following unlike that of any other company or organization in the industry.
