First and and so far only SpaceX launch from Vandenberg : Image Credit SpaceX According to a story first reported in Space News, SpaceX is now leasing a second launch pad from the Air Force at Vandenberg, Ca. Although SpaceX has not made any recent public statements, the lease of Space Launch Complex-4 West (SLC-4W) […]
With the successful completion of a static test fire, the stage is now set for a SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft on the evening of Sunday, February 8th. Liftoff must take place in an instantaneous window occurring at 6:10 PM EST. If needed, a backup date is reserved […]
On Tuesday, SpaceX released this YouTube “Flight Animation” depicting a Falcon Heavy launch and landing from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. There are a couple of interesting points to consider, particularly in the context of the recently released Draft Environmental Assessment regarding SpaceX’s plan to use abandoned Launch Complex 13 at the […]
For SpaceX, the weekend began with the late Friday announcement that it and the Air Force had reached an agreement during mediation in the lawsuit regarding the EELV program and the block buy of rocket cores from ULA. With the announcement more than a little ambiguous, observers split on who, if anyone really won. The […]
Only a few days after officially entering mediation, SpaceX has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the Air Force’s block buy of 36 launch cores from ULA under the EELV program. Here a joint statement released by SpaceX the Air Force: “The Air Force and SpaceX have reached agreement on a path forward for the […]
Image Credit : Founders Fund / Anatomy of Next While Elon Musk generally attracts media attention the way a black hole attracts wayward matter, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell keeps a slightly lower profile almost by default. Make no mistake however, there is more than just one rock star in the company which is […]
After two days of speculation based on media reports, SpaceX has confirmed that Google is making a major investment in the company, releasing the following statement on its website: “Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has raised a billion dollars in a financing round with two new investors, Google and Fidelity. They join existing investors Founders Fund, […]
On April 28, 2014, SpaceX filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of Federal Claims seeking to block the USAF “block buy” of 36 rocket cores from the EELV program’s sole source provider United Launch Alliance. After a series of legal maneuvers which included a temporary injunction, soon dismissed, against further purchases of Russian […]
Following its early Saturday morning launch, the SpaceX CRS-5 Dragon capsule made its way to the International Space Station where it was “captured” a 5:54 AM EST as the orbiting complex sailed high above the Mediterranean Sea. Operating the Station’s Canadarm 2 robotic arm and grapple were Expedition 42 Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore (NASA) and […]
Falcon 9 on the pad Monday evening / Image Credit S. Money Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing are estimating an 80% change of good weather for Saturday’s 4:47 AM EST SpaceX launch attempt from Cape Canaveral. Temperature will be in the low 50’s, with the primary concern being thick clouds. In […]
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