SpaceX

With X-37B Launch, SpaceX Brings a Long Lost NASA Program Back From the Dead

With X-37B Launch, SpaceX Brings a Long Lost NASA Program Back From the Dead

The advent of fully reusable launch systems took another partial step forward with last Thursday’s liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle. The mission, dubbed OTV-V, was the fifth launch overall for the fleet of two unmanned spacecraft, with the first […]

Posted in: SpaceX
Science Fiction Fact : SpaceX Falcon 9 Flys Into History

Science Fiction Fact : SpaceX Falcon 9 Flys Into History

  Somewhere, Robert A. Heinlein is smiling. Check that, he is more likely roaring with delight that at long last, a privately developed rocket has been successfully re-flown in an orbital flight. That the most recent mission took place from a government owned launchpad that is practically a shrine to taxpayer funded frustration in the […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX Shoots For The Moon

SpaceX Shoots For The Moon

When Donald J. Trump won the U.S. Presidency, it was a pretty fair bet that America’s space program would soon be setting its sights on the Moon once again. What few saw coming however, was the bombshell that SpaceX dropped on Monday, as the company announced that it is in the advanced stages of mounting […]

Posted in: Space Tourism, SpaceX
Very Different Press Takes on SpaceX Turbo-Pump Cracks

Very Different Press Takes on SpaceX Turbo-Pump Cracks

As SpaceX is making the final touches on launchpad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in advance of its upcoming inaugural flight from that historic venue, a Washington Post article centers on blade cracks in the Falcon 9 rocket’s turbo-pumps. The piece, written by Andy Pasztor goes under the scary headline Congressional Investigators Warn of SpaceX […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 Returns to Flight  (And Lands Again)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Returns to Flight (And Lands Again)

After working through a four month stand-down as it sought to understand and address the cause of the September 1st, 2016 explosion that destroyed a Falcon 9 booster and its payload during a pre-launch wet dress rehearsal at Cape Canaveral, SpaceX returned to flight in typically dramatic fashion on Saturday, successfully launching 10 Iridium Next […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX Aims for Mid-December Return to Flight

SpaceX Aims for Mid-December Return to Flight

Although SpaceX has yet to make an official announcement, it appears that the company’s return to flight following the September 1st ‘anomaly’ that destroyed a Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral will come in less than two weeks, on December 16th. The news came via a press release from Iridium Communications, which confirms that SpaceX will […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX: The Sexiest Broadband You Can Buy

SpaceX: The Sexiest Broadband You Can Buy

After a high-profile, media-free opening of its Seattle area office in 2015, SpaceX has been rather circumspect about its plans to build and launch a satellite constellation to provide global broadband access. Until this week, that is. On Tuesday, SpaceX’ officially pulled the cover off of its plans in the form of an application filed […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX Aims for Return to Flight Next Month

SpaceX Aims for Return to Flight Next Month

After an exhaustive investigation, one which company founder Elon Musk said is “the toughest puzzle to solve that we’ve ever had to solve,” SpaceX has positively identified the cause of a September 1st pre-flight test that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and its Amos-6 payload. Confirmation came from Musk via a wide-ranging Friday interview on […]

Posted in: SpaceX
Safety Panel Objects to SpaceX Astronaut Boarding Plan

Safety Panel Objects to SpaceX Astronaut Boarding Plan

SpaceX is facing a potential roadblock in its path to sending astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew program. Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Tom Stafford, a veteran astronaut who flew during the Gemini and Apollo eras, and who happens to be chair of the ISS Oversight Panel, an independent safety committee […]

Posted in: NASA, SpaceX
Risk and Advancement: SpaceX Anomaly Investigation Makes Progress

Risk and Advancement: SpaceX Anomaly Investigation Makes Progress

Late last week, SpaceX released a new update regarding the ‘anomaly’ which destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and its satellite payload during pre-flight testing on September 1st. It is included in its entirety below. As suggested by previous updates, as well as comments both on and off the record from company officials, the overall cause […]

Posted in: SpaceX
π