SpaceX
SpaceX planning major increase in Florida launch activity
SpaceX is proposing a significant increase in launch activity in Florida over the next few years, including missions to polar orbits and those that will require the use of a new vertical payload integration tower.
NASA preparing for long-duration SpaceX commercial crew test flight
NASA is leaning increasingly towards making SpaceX’s crewed test flight to the International Space Station a long-duration mission, a move that could alleviate concerns about a lack of crew on the station later this year.
SpaceX revives plans for launch vehicle construction in Los Angeles
SpaceX has revived plans to develop a launch vehicle manufacturing facility at the Port of Los Angeles, a little more than a year after it abandoned its original agreement there.
Space Adventures to fly tourists on Crew Dragon mission
Space Adventures announced Feb. 18 that it has an agreement with SpaceX to fly a dedicated Crew Dragon mission that would send four space tourists on a mission to a relatively high Earth orbit.
SpaceX launches fifth batch of Starlink satellites, misses booster landing
SpaceX completed its fifth dedicated Starlink launch Feb. 17, successfully sending 60 satellites into low Earth orbit while missing what would have been the company’s 50th booster recovery.
Former NASA human spaceflight head Gerstenmaier to work for SpaceX
Bill Gerstenmaier, the longtime head of NASA’s human spaceflight program who was reassigned last year and later retired, is now working as a consultant for SpaceX as the company prepares to begin commercial crew flights.
Op-ed | SpaceX’s adaptation to market changes
SpaceX’s technical validation of reusable rockets has opened new horizons for the launch sector while inciting the firm’s competitors to invest in technological innovation as a means to fight market share erosion.
NASA safety panel calls for reviews after second Starliner software problem
A NASA safety panel is recommending a review of Boeing’s software verification processes after revealing there was a second software problem during a CST-100 Starliner test flight that could have led to a “catastrophic” failure.
Opportunities grow for smallsat rideshare launches
SpaceX disclosed new details about its small satellite rideshare efforts Feb. 5 as it, and other programs like it by large launch vehicle operators, put new pricing pressure on small launch vehicle companies.
SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch Earth science mission
NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX Feb. 4 for the launch of an Earth science mission that has successfully staved off cancellation several times.
Starlink vs. the astronomers
Since the first Starlink satellites launched in May, astronomers have complained that those satellites, and potentially other systems to be launched in the next few years, could make it far more difficult for astronomers to conduct observations using ground-based telescopes.
SpaceX launches fourth batch of Starlink satellites, tweaks satellite design
SpaceX completed its second Starlink launch of the month Jan. 29, conforming to a target cadence the company set last year to launch two dedicated Starlink missions monthly throughout 2020.
SpaceX to launch Egyptian satellite in 2022
SpaceX will launch Egyptian operator NileSat’s next communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2022, SpaceXsaid Jan. 23.
SpaceX presses on with legal fight against U.S. Air Force over rocket contracts
SpaceX has asked the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California to hold a hearing on March 2 to consider the company’s protest against the U.S. Air Force.
SpaceX performs in-flight abort test of Crew Dragon spacecraft
SpaceX successfully tested the abort system of its Crew Dragon spacecraft Jan. 19, one of the final milestones before a crewed test flight that could take place as soon as this spring.
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.
