federal aviation administration

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has let launch providers conduct their own investigations in nearly every instance that a launch mishap has occurred since the start of the century — a practice that needs closer scrutiny, a federal watchdog said in a new report. The report, published Thursday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), takes a close look at the investigations into launch mishaps, the industry term for when a launch ends in an explosion or other failure. Mishap investigations are a…

The craft can recharge in about five minutes, while passengers are unloading and boarding, said CEO JoeBen Bevirt. The idea is that travelers will book their trip, similar to a rideshare app.Electric air taxis could be transporting passengers from JFK Airport to downtown Manhattan by 2025 - on quiet, emissions-free journeys that take around seven minutes.Manufacturer Joby Aviation carried out an exhibition flight at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York on Sunday,…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized its environmental assessment of SpaceX’s new water deluge system, concluding that it’s no more dangerous than a seasonal rain shower. With that assessment out of the way, and with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also satisfied with its own evaluation, the regulator has given SpaceX the green light for launch. Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewWe’re now closer than ever to the second launch of Space’s colossal Starship, a…

As hundreds of flights to and from the East Coast were canceled this week due to severe weather, the CEO of United has an axe to grind. In a leaked email, Scott Kirby, the airline’s head honcho, blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for the cancellations.Are Big Consumer Facing Tech Companies Redeemable? The email from Kirby to staff was leaked on Twitter on Tuesday. In the communication, Kirby validates his team with a classic CEO’s “I’m proud of you” while promptly passing the buck to the FAA—and he did not mince…

SpaceX’s launch facility in South Texas saw some fiery action last night as the upper stage of the company’s upcoming Starship prototype let out its first engine roar during a static fire test.Tesla Investors Not Happy With Mr. Tweet's TweetsStarship 25 fired its six Raptor engines for a few seconds on Monday at 8:27 p.m. ET at the company’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX revealed on Twitter. Starship is a two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle, this being a test of the upper stage. SpaceX will eventually perform…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking to limit the disruptions caused by rocket launches from Florida’s space coast, significantly reducing the amount of airspace closed off during liftoffs.You Could Soon Get Cash Back for Your Canceled FlightAfter reexamining the existing airspace restrictions for most Florida launches, the FAA determined that they were “too large and could be safely reduced,” the administration wrote in a recent statement. The FAA, therefore, introduced new, smaller zones for restricted…

We’re still not over the sight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploding in a fiery flame following its first-everliftoff, but the company is reportedly ready to see its heavy-duty launch vehicle fly once again.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Tuesday, the company’s CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that Starship’s next flight test will take place in six to eight weeks. Starship launched for the first time on April 20 for a less-than-ideal test flight in which a few of the…

SpaceX’s Starship could end up delaying humanity’s return to the Moon as NASA waits on the company’s lander to be ready to touchdown on the lunar surface, according to a space agency official.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Wednesday, Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, said that the Artemis 3 mission, designed to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, would likely be pushed back to 2026 instead of 2025,…

Following a two-year hiatus, billionaire Richard Branson’s space tourism venture is getting ready to offer suborbital flights for space tourists in late June, pending one last test flight on Thursday.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewVirgin Galactic is scheduled to launch the Unity 25 mission on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company isn’t live streaming its launch, but will be providing updates through its Twitter feed.The mission is meant…

Elon Musk-led SpaceX has few alternative options for test-launching its giant Starship spacecraft in the near term if a newly-filed lawsuit disrupts the breakneck speed of development at its remote Texas launch site, legal and industry experts say. Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday for approving SpaceX's rocket operations without conducting a deeper review of its environmental impact on land surrounding the Boca Chica, Texas, launchpad. That lawsuit was filed 11 days after the…