SpaceX
ULA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman submit bids for national security launch procurement contract
ULA and SpaceX currently launch the bulk of U.S. national security satellites while Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin are looking to break in.
Arianespace and SpaceX offering new dedicated rideshare services
Two of the largest commercial launch providers separately announced plans Aug. 5 to provide dedicated launches of small satellites to sun synchronous and geostationary orbits.
Op-ed | Two more rules for building a megaconstellation
While the concept of constellation is not new, the challenges connected to operating hundreds of spacecraft at the same time are yet to be fully understood.
Report outlines SpaceX’s plans for Starship launches from KSC
SpaceX plans to build facilities at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for launches and, eventually, landings of its next-generation launch vehicle, according to a newly released report.
Blue Origin and SpaceX among winners of NASA technology agreements for lunar landers and launch vehicles
Blue Origin and SpaceX have secured multiple agreements with NASA intended to support the development of technologies for launch vehicles and lunar landers.
SpaceX flies Starhopper test vehicle for first time
SpaceX performed a first, brief flight of a prototype of its next-generation launch system July 25 as the company makes plans for more ambitious tests.
SpaceX launches Dragon as it prepares for next cargo contract
SpaceX successfully launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station July 25 as the company plans a transition next year to a new contract and new cargo spacecraft.
Faulty valve blamed for Crew Dragon test accident
SpaceX said July 15 that the explosion that destroyed a Crew Dragon spacecraft during a ground test in April was likely caused by oxidizer that leaked into the spacecraft’s propulsion system and destroyed a valve, but didn’t give a firm schedule for resuming test flights.
SpaceX preparing for first Starship test flight
The initial prototype of SpaceX’s next-generation reusable launch vehicle will make its first, albeit low-altitude, test flight early next week, Elon Musk announced July 12.
Amazon lays out constellation service goals, deployment and deorbit plans to FCC
Amazon released more details on its plan to deploy 3,236 broadband satellites, telling U.S. telecom regulators the constellation can start service in limited areas with less than a fifth of the total constellation.
Three rules for building a megaconstellation
Six years ago, Planet began launching smallsats for a constellation that today numbers 140, making it the largest commercial satellite system in the world. By the end of this year, Planet may no longer hold that title.
Vandenberg wooing tenants as launch activity slows down
30th Space Wing commander: “In order to achieve polar orbit there is no better place to be than Vandenberg."
Contact lost with three Starlink satellites, other 57 healthy
Three of the 60 satellites SpaceX launched last month to begin its broadband megaconstellation have lost contact with ground control teams, a SpaceX spokesperson said June 28.
SpaceX targets 2021 commercial Starship launch
“We are in discussions with three different customers as we speak right now to be that first mission,” Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX’s vice president of commercial sales, said at APSAT 2019. “Those are all telecom companies.”
Canadian fund invests in SpaceX
A Canadian pension fund is the latest investor in SpaceX as the company seeks to raise yet another multi-hundred-million round of funding.
