Jonathan McDowell

SpaceX is getting ready for another double-duty launch day launching two Falcon 9 rockets on Friday, just hours apart. The first liftoff is scheduled for Friday at 3:26 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where a Falcon 9 will carry the latest batch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to orbit. Later on in the day, another Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch at 7:38 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, delivering SES-18 and…

The Long March 2D second stage is believed to have reentered over an unpopulated part of Texas on March 7 and so far there are no reports of injuries or damage to property. Sadly, as more rockets are sent to space and as rules around these matters remain vague, it’s the new normal we have to deal with. Last week, bits of China’s Chang Zheng 2D ‘Long March’ rocket fell over Texas following a risky uncontrolled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere, according to the U.S. Space Command. The rocket’s second stage reentered over…

Depiction of NASA’s Artemis 3 mission.Image: NASA Visualization StudioThe coming week is poised to be an exciting one for rocket lovers, with no less than seven launches planned in the next seven days. It’s also the week when when finally get to see what NASA’s Artemis Moon suits will look like. Terran 1, Electron, Falcon 9, these are a few of our favorite things. These rockets are all poised to take to the skies this week, but whether they’ll all get a chance to fly remains an open question. Third time is hopefully the…

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann looking through the window of the ISS.Image: NASAEarlier this week, the International Space Station was forced to adjust its orbit to avoid an encroaching commercial satellite. The object is likely one of many Earth-observing satellites that are falling into and aligning with the space station’s orbital path, according to experts. On Monday, the Progress 83 resupply ship that’s docked to the space station fired its engines for just over six minutes, slightly raising the orbit of the ISS in order…

A Hubble image ruined by satellite streaks. Image: NASA/ESA/S. Kruk et al., 2023The steadily growing satellite population has been posing challenges for ground-based astronomy, but new research reveals that space-based telescopes like Hubble are also suffering.Satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) spin around Earth once every 90 minutes. Factor in the thousands upon thousands of satellites currently working in orbit, and you can quickly grok the problem as far as ground-based astronomy is concerned. Constellations such as…

Photo: SpaceXOn Sunday, SpaceX revealed new details about its V2 Minis in a series of tweets. The upgraded Starlink satellites are equipped with more powerful antennas and high-speed frequencies, allowing them to provide roughly four times greater capacity per satellite compared to the earlier versions, according to SpaceX.The V2 Minis will use argon-fueled Hall thrusters, a cheaper alternative to the xenon propellant that’s typically used, according to SpaceX. The company says this marks the “first time ever that argon…

Conceptual image of space junk in Earth orbit. Illustration: SCIPHO (AP)An old rocket body and military satellite—large pieces of space junk dating back to the Soviet Union—nearly smashed into each other onFriday morning, in an uncomfortable near-miss that would’ve resulted in thousands of pieces of debris had they collided.LeoLabs, a private company that tracks satellites and derelict objects in low Earth orbit, spotted the near-collision in radar data. The company, which can track objects as tiny as 3.9 inches (10…

The Falcon 9, loaded with 56 Starlink satellites, at the moment of ignition, on Thursday, January 25.Screenshot: SpaceXSpaceX’s freakishly reliable Falcon 9 continues to impress. The rocket delivered 56 Starlink satellites to Earth orbit this morning, and with a collective weight around 17.4 metric tons, it’s now the heaviest payload ever lifted by a Falcon 9 rocket.Blastoff occurred at 4:22 a.m. ET Thursday, with the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 taking flight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space…

Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster and Starman manikin shortly after launch on February 6, 2018. Photo: SpaceXBeing the space nerd that I am, I often imagine a museum filled with the most important objects ever sent to space. We couldn’t possibly build a place like this, but we can speculate as to which human artifacts deserve a place in our imaginary spaceflight museum. Most things sent to space are utilitarian in nature and are now of little practical value, unless they’re still functioning. Our artifacts can be found orbiting…

Falcon 9 launching earlier today.Photo: SpaceXWith only a small handful of days left in the year, SpaceX achieved a major milestone by pulling off its 60th orbital launch of the year—a goal that CEO Elon Musk had been targeting for the space company. A Falcon 9 rocket launched during the early hours of Wednesday morning, lifting off at 4:34 a.m. ET from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The rocket carried 54 Starlink satellites, which may have been the first batch of SpaceX’s next generation satellites…