Falcon Heavy
Latest
SpaceX's Starship orbital test launch scrubbed due to 'frozen valve'
SpaceX hopes to launch its first Starship orbital flight at 9:20AM ET — you can tune in here.
SpaceX gears up for Falcon Heavy's first flight since 2019 with a static fire test
SpaceX is targeting a November 1st launch date for the Falcon Heavy's first flight since 2019. It will carry US Space Force satellites to orbit.
SpaceX's reusable Falcon Heavy rocket can now carry US spy satellites into orbit
SpaceX now has clearance to launch top secret US satellites using Falcon Heavy rockets with reusable boosters.
SpaceX will answer Crew Dragon and Starlink questions on Reddit at 3PM ET
SpaceX is holding a Reddit AMA that could answer your questions about Crew Dragon, Starlink and more.
NASA's Psyche asteroid mission will use a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
SpaceX has won the contract for NASA's Psyche mission, and it's using the Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the spacecraft and ferry it to its target asteroid. NASA first approved plans to visit Psyche back in 2017 before finalizing them last year.
SpaceX's 'challenging' Falcon Heavy mission launch goes 2/3 on booster landings
Last year SpaceX launched its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, but the company describes tonight's STP-2 mission as one of the "most challenging" launches in its history. It's also the first Falcon Heavy launch to reuse side boosters, which previously took flight just 74 days ago on the Arabsat-6A mission. The tricky part is after it takes off, with a planned "four separate upper-stage engine burns, three separate deployment orbits, a final propulsive passivation maneuver and a total mission duration of over six hours." SpaceX's mission animation video shows what we're expecting to see:
NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock leaves Earth on June 24th
NASA JPL's Deep Space Atomic Clock, the navigation clock that could lead to self-driving spacecraft, is finally heading to space. The toaster-sized device will fly on the Orbital Test Bed satellite, which will be ferried to orbit along with two dozen other military, government and research satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on June 24th, 2019. It took two decades for JPL scientists to develop the technology, making sure it's 50 times more accurate than GPS clocks and that it'll be only off by 1 second every 10 million years.
Solar-powered LightSail spacecraft is ready for its second flight
When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches this summer, it will carry the Planetary Society's Carl Sagan-inspired LightSail 2. You may remember LightSail as a crowdfunded, experimental "solar sail." The unique craft looks something like a giant kite, and it was envisioned as a way to guide satellites around space using energy from the sun, rather than chemical fuel. The first LightSail took flight in 2015, and now the Planetary Society is ready to launch LightSail 2, which has worked out a few bugs and will provide an opportunity to further test solar sailing.
SpaceX sues over 'wrongly awarded' Air Force rocket contracts
To say that SpaceX was unhappy with losing out on the US Air Force's rocket development contracts would be an understatement. The company has sued the US government under claims that the Air Force "wrongly awarded" contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance. The military branch handed out offers to the competition despite their "unproven rockets" and "unstated metrics," while allegedly ignoring SpaceX's own real-world record. The company had completed numerous missions with its Falcon rockets, according to the lawsuit, but was deemed "highest risk" because of its largely untested Starship.
SpaceX loses Falcon Heavy's center booster to the sea
SpaceX successfully landed all three of Falcon Heavy's boosters after its most recent launch, but it won't be able to reuse one of them. The company lost the core booster that landed on its drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" to rough seas as it was making its way back to Port Canaveral. It was the heavy-lift rocket's second launch and the first time SpaceX was able to stick all three boosters' landing -- the one that was supposed to land on the barge after the first flight dropped straight into the ocean.
After Math: Eat your heart out, Soundgarden
From the first direct images of a black hole and a nearly-successful private moon landing to self-healing exosuits and self-retrieving rockets, read on for the top stories from what's been a stellar week for space science!
Watch SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch and triple booster landing (update: take two)
Last year SpaceX finally launched its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time. While the plan to return all three of its boosters fell just short of success, today the company will try again, and as usual you can watch a live stream of the attempt right here. This is also the first use of its more powerful Block 5 boosters that provide additional thrust for the Arabsat-6A mission. The launch window is scheduled to open at 8 PM ET, however the latest information suggested high winds could push a launch toward the end of the window at 8:32 PM. Once again, the plan is for the rocket's side boosters to pull off a synchronized ground landing, while SpaceX attempts its first successful return of the center core to a droneship in the ocean. If it does not launch today, then the next launch window is tomorrow from 6:35 PM ET until 8:31 PM. Update (7:30 PM ET): The launch attempt has been scrubbed for today due to "Upper atmospheric wind shear." The next opportunity is still set for tomorrow, April 11th. Update (5 PM ET, April 11th): According to SpaceX, all systems and weather are a go, with the launch window opening at 6:35 PM ET. Update (7 PM ET, April 11th): The launch and triple landing was successful!
Space X successfully test-fires Merlin 1D engine, forgets to buy marshmallows
SpaceX has added another string to its now weighty bow by successfully test firing the Merlin 1D engine, which will propel future craft into the thermosphere. The 1D is the sequel to the Merlin engines used to convey the DragonX to the International Space Station, with an improved thrust-to-weight ratio that reportedly makes it the most efficient booster engine ever built. It's hoped that the gear will be ready to make the jump to full use in time for the sixth flight of the Falcon 9, currently pencilled in for 2013. If you're the sort who enjoys watching a big pile of fire being pushed into a concrete chamber, you're really gonna love the video after the break.
SpaceX and Intelsat announce first commercial contract for Falcon Heavy rocket
SpaceX hit one pretty big milestone recently -- to put it mildly -- and it's now already back with another fairly significant one. It's announced today that satellite service provider Intelsat has signed the first commercial contract for its Falcon Heavy rocket, which is currently slated to undertake its first launch sometime in 2013. Details on the contract itself remain decidedly light at the moment, but SpaceX will apparently be launching at least one Intelsat satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit (or GTO) sometime after it's completed its launch tests, and Intelsat says it'll be working closely with SpaceX in the lead up to the launch to ensure that the rocket meets its standards. You can find the official announcement after the break.
SpaceX breaks ground at Vandenberg Air Force Base, continues preparation for 2013 Falcon Heavy launch
End of the US space shuttle program got you down? It doesn't seem to have phased SpaceX, which is still chipper and chugging right along with plans for its bodacious Falcon Heavy. The company recently broke ground at Complex 4 East at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, which Elon Musk's baby will call home, later next year. With twice the payload-to-orbit capacity of Boeing and Lockheed's Delta IV Heavy, and at a third of the cost, the firm hopes its latest will usher in a new era of affordable $100 million launches. If all goes according to plan, the 22-story behemoth will have its inaugural launch in 2013, making it -- we're told -- the most powerful US rocket since Saturn V hurtled the Apollo spacecraft towards the moon. Budget-friendly, rocket-boostin' PR awaits you after the break.
Elon Musk says SpaceX will send a man to space in three years, Mars within the next two decades
Elon Musk has never been one to shy from making bold predictions, which is why we're not surprised to hear that he has high hopes for the future of space travel. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the SpaceX founder said his company will "probably" put a man in space within the next three years, in the hopes of sending passengers to Mars within the next ten to 20 years. Earlier this month, Musk's company unveiled plans for the "world's most powerful rocket," the Falcon Heavy, just a few weeks before receiving $75 million from NASA to help spur the development of its commercial spaceflight projects. Musk, it seems, is approaching these projects with an almost sacred sense of duty. "A future where humanity is out there exploring stars is an incredibly exciting future, and inspiring," he explained, "and that's what we're trying to help make happen." Head on past the break to see the full interview (space talk begins around the 13:00 mark).
NASA awards $270 million to SpaceX and other commercial spaceflight ventures
NASA has given its seal of approval (and a lot of money) to SpaceX and three other private companies, as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) initiative -- a program designed to spur the development of U.S. commercial spaceflight. The agency awarded a total of $270 million to the four lucky winners, with Boeing receiving $92.3 million to help develop its CST-100 capsule design, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation garnering $80 million, which will go toward its shuttle-like Dream Chaser craft. The smallest prize ($22 million) went to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which is reportedly looking to create a cone-shaped craft capable of carrying crew members into the abyss. And then, of course, there's SpaceX, the proud recipient of a cool $75 million in NASA funds. The California-based company has already successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, and is currently working on the Falcon Heavy -- a 22-story craft heralded as the "world's most powerful rocket." NASA's extra dough should give a little boost to SpaceX's projects, but the funds are contingent upon improvements in Dragon's crew-carrying capacities, to be carried out over the next year. If all goes well, we may see one of these companies launch an intergalactic 'taxi' service by the middle of the decade. Saddle up!
SpaceX reveals plans for world's most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy
SpaceX promised something big, and it's now delivered. The company today revealed its plans for the Falcon Heavy, which promises to be the "world's most powerful rocket." Just how powerful is that? SpaceX says the 22-story rocket will be able to carry satellites or spacecraft weighing over 53 metric tons (or 117,000 pounds) into low earth orbit, which is nearly twice what the Space Shuttle is able to carry. What's more, this isn't just a far off promise. SpaceX says the rocket will be "ready" sometime next year, and the first test flight is planned for 2013. The rocket's sheer size isn't it's only selling point, though -- it also promises to drastically reduce the cost of sending things into space, with each launch expected to cost "only" $100 million. Head on past the break for a taste of what's in store.
SpaceX teases 'something big,' suggests we check back April 5th (video)
Okay, okay, so the last time a company teased "something big," they were exaggerating a tad, but this video here comes from SpaceX, maker of giant rockets. So when the only commercial organization that shot a hunk of burning metal into orbit and retreived it back on Earth tells us to look out for something with "five new engines" and "two new rockets" on 11:15AM ET on April 5th, you'd best believe we're going to have our tails firmly pressed into comfy chairs and popcorn at the ready to watch it. Spoiler alert: it's probably the Falcon Heavy. [Thanks, Doug]
