spacex

With a four-member crew from Houston-based startup Axiom Space, the first fully private mission reached the International Space Station (ISS) early on Saturday. For a long time, NASA has attempted to hand over the reins of space exploration to private companies. The space agency has welcomed the three-way collaboration with Axiom and SpaceX as a critical step toward commercialising the “Low Earth Orbit” sector of space. The ISS is set to be decommissioned in 2031. NASA is hoping that a privately owned station will be able…

SpaceX successfully launched one of its Falcon 9 carrier rockets with a US intelligence satellite on board on Sunday, broadcasting the launch live.The launch took place at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 9:13am local time (9:43pm IST). The rocket is putting into orbit the NROL-85 mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The mission's details have not been made public.The rocket's first stage has already landed in the vicinity of the launch site. This is its second launch as it was…

NASA has further delayed the undocking of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) - the first private astronaut mission to ISS - from the International Space Station (ISS) due to bad weather conditions. The Expedition 67 and Axiom Mission 1 will have to spend extra hours aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for this reason. The delay is being done considering unfavourable weather at the splashdown location for the recovery of the Dragon Endeavour and the Ax-1 crew. NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space have collectively postponed the…

Amazon's satellite venture, SpaceX's Starlink network and other satellite firms on Wednesday won a combined $278.5 million (roughly Rs. 2120 crore) in contracts from NASA to demonstrate communications in space as the US space agency moves to replace its current satellite network in orbit with privately-built systems.NASA is increasingly looking to rely on private space companies for its operations and wants to stimulate more commercial activity in areas from space communications to sending humans to orbit.Amazon's Project…

The first all-private astronaut team ever to fly aboard the International Space Station (ISS) departed the orbiting outpost on Sunday to begin a descent back to Earth, capping a two-week science mission hailed as a milestone in commercial spaceflight.A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four-man team from the Houston-based startup company Axiom Space undocked from the ISS at about 9:10pm EDT (6:40am IST) to embark on a 16-hour return flight, a live NASA webcast showed.The Axiom astronauts, garbed in their helmeted…

Elon Musk's Starlink will provide in-flight wireless internet on Hawaiian Airlines's trans-Pacific fleet, the airline said on Monday.Under the deal, the companies are in the initial stages of implementation and the wireless internet is expected to be installed on select aircraft next year, Hawaiian said.Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has been in talks with various airlines for months to provide the in-flight internet service as it seeks to expand its reach beyond consumers and households in rural areas of the globe with…

Three wealthy businessmen and a former NASA astronaut splashed down Monday off the Florida coast after spending more than two weeks aboard the International Space Station, in a landmark mission for the commercial sector.After a dizzying descent, a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom-1 gently floated down to the Atlantic Ocean near Jacksonville at 1:06 pm (1706 GMT, or 10:36pm IST) on four huge parachutes.The spaceship was affectionately referred to as a "toasted marshmallow" because of the scorch marks on its heat…

Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX was due to launch the next long-duration astronaut crew to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA early on Wednesday, including a medical doctor turned spacewalker and a geologist specializing in Martian landslides.The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Freedom, was set for liftoff with its four-member crew at 3:52 am EDT (0752 GMT, or 1.22pm IST) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.If…

Days after a SpaceX Dragon capsule crewed by wealthy adventurers splashed down off Florida's coast, another launched Wednesday, this time for a NASA mission to the International Space Station.The Crew-4 mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3:52 am (0752 GMT, or 1:22pm IST), carrying Americans Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, as well as Italian Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency.The event was livestreamed on NASA's website and social media.The rapid turnaround time for SpaceX…

Update April 27th, 4:18AM ET: SpaceX successfully launched the crew from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 3:52AM ET. The astronauts will now spend roughly 17 hours en route to the ISS, and are due to dock with the space station at around 8:15PM ET, reports Reuters. Original Story: In the early morning hours, SpaceX is set to launch its seventh crewed mission to orbit, this time sending three NASA astronauts and an Italian astronaut to the International Space Station. Their launch will spark the beginning of a six-month…