falcon 9

Retired satellites typically burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, never again seeing the light of day. However, a Welsh design firm named Space Forge is developing a foldable heat shield in the ongoing effort make satellites reusable, and the company wants to test the concept in orbit later this year. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewIt’s called Pridwen, named in honor of King Arthur’s legendary shield. Space Forge announced the new foldable heat shield earlier this week in a press…

History could be made this week, as astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi seeks to become the first Saudi woman and first Arab woman to reach orbit. We’ve also got our eyes on the annual Humans to Mars Summit and an ongoing contest to make in-space food production more practicable. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewIt’s alsoa big week for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which could perform as many as four missions in the coming days.Axiom’s second stint on the ISSThe second privately funded…

The International Space Station (ISS) hasn’t been retired yet, but private space companies are already vying for a spot in low Earth orbit to take its place. A California-based startup wants to be the first to put a commercial space station in orbit, assigning SpaceX as its launch partner. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewVast is planning to launch Haven-1 on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to low Earth orbit no earlier than August 2025, the company announced on Wednesday.…

Earlier today, a Falcon 9 rocket launched to space with 56 Starlink satellites on board. For SpaceX, this was an otherwise routine mission, but with this launch, the company now has over 4,000 Starlinks orbiting the Earth at low altitude—yet another unprecedented milestone for the Elon Musk-led company.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe Falcon 9 rumbled off the Cape Canaveral launch pad at the ungodly hour of 3:31 a.m. ET this morning. The core stage landed safely on the A…

The most recent flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was historic in that it was the rocket’s first fully expendable mission, and it was also the first Falcon Heavy mission to include previously flown fairings. As new footage attests, the fiery return of these fairings was a sight to behold.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewAfter several delays, the Falcon Heavy blasted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, April 30 at 8:26 p.m. ET. The…

SpaceX’s giant Falcon Heavy rocket is on a mission to directly deliver three satellites to high Earth orbit, which means the company won’t be able to recover any of the three boosters. You can watch the launch live right here.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewUpdate: 7:00 p.m. ET: SpaceX is now targeting 8:26 p.m. ET for launch, saying weather is now 70% favorable. Original article follows.The Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to blast off on Friday, April 28, from Launch Complex…

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its super heavy-lift rocket for the second time this year, carrying a hefty broadband satellite to a distant orbit above Earth’s equator, as well as a pair of smaller satellites, before being disposed entirely.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled for liftoff on Thursday during a 57-minute launch window that opens at 7:29 p.m. ET. The rocket will take off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space…

A Japanese company tried to land its own spacecraft on the moon early Wednesday, but its fate was unknown as flight controllers lost contact with it moments before the planned touchdown.Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as the minutes went by with still no word from the lander. A webcast commentator urged everyone to be patient, as the controllers investigated what might have happened. “Everyone, please give us a few minutes to confirm,” he urged.If successful, the company ispace would…

A Japanese private space company, ispace, can potentially create history today, April 25. The firm will be attempting its maiden lunar landing later today and if it is successful, it will become the first private organization to achieve this feat. So far, the Moon landing is an achievement that only government-backed space organizations have been able to successfully complete. The historic mission will see the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander gradually begin its descent into the lunar surface in just a few hours.As per reports,…

Starship during its maiden launch, April 20, 2023.Photo: SpaceXThe mission lasted for just four minutes, but the fiery debut of SpaceX’s Starship resulted in stunning visuals and an abundance of new questions.The fully integrated Starship megarocket blasted off at 9:33 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 20,from SpaceX’s launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The inaugural mission didn’t go as planned, with the rocket entering into a fatal tumble that forced ground controllers to issue a self-destruct command at the 3:59 mark of…