Tag SpaceX

In the days leading up to the Starship integrated flight test, there was a flurry of activity at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Teams meticulously prepared the Orbital Launch Pad, fueling systems, and the flight hardware itself – Booster 11 and Ship 29. The booster, standing 71 meters tall and featuring 33 Raptor […]

With the second successful wet dress rehearsal (WDR) completed, SpaceX is making final preparations for the highly anticipated Flight 4 of the Starship vehicle. After successfully loading more than 10 million pounds of propellant into the stacked Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage, the company confirmed that the launch is targeted as early as […]

EarthCARE carries four instruments that work together to study clouds and atmospheric aerosols, enabling a comprehensive understanding of their impact on Earth’s climate. The Atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) measures the altitudes of cloud tops and aerosols using a laser and telescope. It emits ultraviolet pulses and detects the scattered light to calculate the altitude and infer […]

The North Korean space agency launched a Chollima 1 satellite launch vehicle from Sohae on the west coast of the country at 13:44 UTC on Monday, May 27. However, the vehicle exploded during first stage flight, marking the third failure out of the launcher’s four flights to date. The Chollima 1 vehicle, named after a […]

The 100th orbital launch attempt of 2024 took place on Saturday, May 25, when Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. This marked the first launch of NASA’s PREFIRE-1 mission, which will study the heat loss from Earth’s polar regions and provide data on our changing climate. […]

## Starship Prepares for Flight 4: Wet Dress Rehearsals and Beyond SpaceX is gearing up for the next chapter in Starship development with Flight 4, kicking off with a series of critical tests. This includes a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) – a full-stack simulation of launch day, complete with propellant loading and countdown procedures. The […]

## A Week in Space: Delays, Record Launches, and New Spy Constellations This week in space was a whirlwind of activity, with delays, record launches, and new spy constellations taking center stage. Here’s a breakdown of the key events: **Starliner’s Second Attempt:** Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, poised for its first crewed flight test, encountered a delay […]

The space facilities around Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast are undergoing significant upgrades and expansions in preparation for an increase in spaceflight activity. These developments include the construction of new launch pads, upgrades to processing facilities, and expansions to factories and Port Canaveral itself. These improvements are necessary to accommodate the upcoming generation of […]

SpaceX is making significant progress in its engine testing campaign and preparations for upcoming flights. Ship 30 has been rolled out for engine tests, following the same procedure as Ship 29. Notably, Ship 30 is the first ship to be rolled out with engine covers, hinting at a change in testing practices. Ship 30 also […]

The NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations Committee recently provided updates on the Artemis I through IV missions, with a focus on SpaceX’s Starship system. The Starship will be the designated landing system for the Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the surface of the Moon in September 2026. NASA officials […]