One perplexing item regarding today’s SpaceX CRS-3 launch to ISS, and subsequent first stage landing recovery attempt, was the fact that we had yet to see any flight test of the new F9R test vehicle, with the only released video having been a ground level static fire. It seemed therefore, that even if first stage […]
UPDATE: According to multiple sources, the CASSIOPE satellite and all secondary payloads have deployed successfully. By any standards, SpaceX has had an exceptional day. The inaugural flight of the new SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 began with an on-time liftoff at 9:00 AM PDT this morning. With no holds, or apparent issues of any sort, the […]
It is after all, just a test launch. But what a test launch it is. Whenever the Falcon 9 v1.1 finally lifts off from Vandenberg, Ca. it will carry much more than a 700 lb. satellite, (as well as a couple of cubesats) which got a bargain basement price for accepting an elevated level of […]
According to a twitter update from Elon Musk, SpaceX is aiming for a two day launch window for the new Falcon 9 V1.1, beginning this Sunday, contingent on good weather at the Vandenberg, Ca. launch site. At the moment, the weather forecast appears to be quite favorable for the launch, , with clear skies and […]
The maiden launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 v.1, to be conducted out of Vandenberg AFB in California, has been pushed back from September 10th to the 14th, and if a recent tweet from company founder Elon Musk is any indication, further delays are possible, as the company attempts to cover every contingency for one […]
SpaceX has completed a full length mission test burn of the Falcon 9 V1.1 first stage at its rocket development facility in McGregor, Tx. This most recent test, which according to the Waco Trib took place at approximately 7:41 p.m. Sunday evening, was confirmed by twitter post from Elon Musk, who congratulated his team for overcoming a number of difficulties. […]
If you’ve ever been to Key West, you probably visited Mallory Square docks around sunset to look for the elusive “Green Flash” on the western horizon. It is a beautiful sight to be sure, but for space exploration enthusiasts, it perhaps pales in comparison to another green flash, that emitted by the tea-tab ignition which marks the […]
Good news for both the state of New Mexico, and that of SpaceX’s Grasshopper RLV program. Apparently, if you build it, sometimes they really do come. Spaceport America Press Release Governor Susana Martinez today announced that Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, has signed a three-year agreement to lease land and facilities at Spaceport America to […]
This week could see significant developments for two of the most visible companies in NewSpace. Things got off to an early start with a tweet from Elon Musk dated 5:54 AM Sunday, announcing an ignition test for the “Falcon 9-R (reusable) ignition system.” The nomenclature is interesting, as it might have been expected to be identified as the […]
Video : SpaceX Grasshopper performs another test flight, reaching a peak altitude of 820 feet, tripling its previous public record and holding station in high winds. Looking back from some future point in time, when the humanity has established itself as a multi planet species, historians are going question just why it was that in the post Shuttle era, NASA, the Air […]
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