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) […]
NASA News Release: A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket launches with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)satellite onboard from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Image Credit: […]
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 […]
According to a tweet from Elon Musk Thursday evening, after a fully successful second static fire of the Falcon 9 v1.1, SpaceX is ready to begin launch preparations for a window at Vandenberg which opens “in 10 days.” If that holds, the launch could occur as early as Sunday, September 29th. Space.com reported earlier this week […]
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 tweeted this picture of an Amercan flag flying on top of its new transporter / erector at Vandenberg, Ca. Note the substantial structure designed to support the Falcon Heavy’s triple core configuration.
Wacotrib.com reports via its Joe Science blog, the following notification from SpaceX received Thursday evening. “SpaceX completed first-stage development testing on June 19 with a test fire. This test achieved all verifications needed following earlier stage testing, and with this test we have achieved the equivalent of nearly two full mission duty cycles on the integrated stage. […]
Based on a tweet from company founder Elon Musk, it appears that SpaceX has begun full-scale testing of all 9 engines for the Falcon 9-R at the company’s McGregor, Texas development facility. Musk tweeted ” 1st firing of Falcon -R advanced prototype rocket. Over 1M lbs thrust, enough to lift a skyscraper,” accompanied by the image above. Musk later clarified the comparison […]
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