Falcon9
Latest
Watch SpaceX launch a Dragon supply ship for the ISS today
SpaceX will send another Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station today at 4:43PM EDT from its base in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The weather is looking good so far and you'll be able to watch the launch live on the SpaceX webcast.
SpaceX will attempt another launch and sea landing today (updated)
SpaceX has been trying to launch a Falcon 9 rocket tasked with carrying a communications satellite for over a week now. After a few scrubbed attempts, the company will give it another go this evening. Today's launch is planned for 6:35PM ET at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Similar to previous tries, SpaceX hopes to successfully deploy the SES-9 satellite before landing the rocket at sea. Thus far, the company hasn't been able to nail the landing after three attempts -- the last of which was foiled by a landing strut failure.
SpaceX will try another sea landing tonight (update: scrubbed)
SpaceX announced on Wednesday that it will attempt another sea landing with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket after delivering the SES-9 commercial telecommunications satellite into orbit. The SES-9 will enter geosynchronous orbit and drastically expand the capacity throughout the Asia-Pacific region. This marks SpaceX's fourth attempt at a sea landing.
SpaceX could try its next sea landing on February 24th
The next sea-based landing attempt for SpaceX could be on February 24th, based on an announcement from satellite operator SES. As part of the launch of a new SES-9 satellite, which Elon Musk's company is expected to transport to its orbital slot using a Falcon 9, SpaceX will likely try to touch base at sea -- that's if the rocket doesn't have enough fuel to make it back to land.
SpaceX sea landing fails thanks to a broken leg (updated)
So much for SpaceX's successful ground landing representing a sign of things to come. SpaceX has confirmed that the first stage of its latest Falcon 9 rocket suffered a "hard landing" on its attempt to land at sea, breaking one of the landing legs and sending the vehicle crashing down. We're still waiting on full details (we'll update as necessary), but the partial failure isn't shocking. SpaceX had warned of choppy seas before the rocket took off, so there was little doubt that this was going to be tough. Let's just hope that the company can learn more from this third failed experiment -- while it's no doubt happy that the ocean-tracking Jason-3 satellite is still on track, it probably wants to avoid these costly incidents in the future. Update: Elon Musk explains that a leg lockout didn't latch properly, leading the rocket to tip over when it touched down. So close, and yet... [Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls]
Watch SpaceX attempt a sea-based landing at 1:42PM ET
Flush with success from its first ground landing, SpaceX is about to make history again... well, maybe. The private space firm is scheduled to launch the ocean-monitoring Jason-3 satellite today (January 17th) at 1:42PM ET, and it hopes to once again attempt landing a Falcon 9 rocket on its drone barge. If everything goes ahead as planned, it'll be the first successful sea landing ever -- and SpaceX can put those unpleasant crashes behind it. You can watch the company's official stream below, while NASA TV has live coverage running before and during liftoff. Update: Unfortunately, the landing wasn't successful. [Image credit: SpaceX Photos, Flickr]
Watch SpaceX staff erupt as Falcon 9 nails the landing
"The Falcon has landed." With that pronouncement, the SpaceX ground crew shares hugs and high fives, while a huge crowd of employees explodes in celebration. Sure, the new video of December's mission is an overproduced PR effort from Musk & crew, but it's an enjoyable four minute summary. Set to Incubus' Absolution Calling, it shows employees cheering milestones like the liftoff, first stage separation and satellite deployment. But you can feel the tension building as the Falcon 9 attempts its ground-based landing, and once it alights dead in the middle of the "X," the party is on. That celebration will likely be eclipsed, though, if the next Falcon 9 mission sticks its barge landing.
SpaceX will attempt to land a rocket on a barge yet again
After SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launches the Jason-3 satellite on January 17th, its first stage will attempt to land back to Earth unscathed. The private space corp performed a successful touchdown in December, but that was on solid ground. This time, the company will try to land on a drone ship -- something it failed to do twice in the past. According to TechCrunch, Musk and team have restored the barge they used for their first venture named "Just Read the Instructions" after the starships in Iain M. Banks' sci-fi novels.
SpaceX's first reusable rocket is back in its hangar
As a reminder of one of 2015's greatest accomplishments, SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted one more picture (embedded below) of the record setting Falcon 9 rocket it launched to space and then landed again at Cape Canaveral. Now the rocket is back in its hangar and after showing no damage from its trip, is "ready to fire again." That bodes well for future launches, but it's unlikely to happen for this unit. After the historic event, Musk told reporters "we will probably keep this one on the ground," and after testing will put it "somewhere." There's no word on which museum the rocket will end up in, but hopefully Musk knows our mantel is available.
Here's a close look at SpaceX's historic rocket landing
SpaceX's much-hyped rocket landing was impressive, but you didn't exactly get a good look at it if you were watching live. It seemed more like a matchstick putting itself out, really. Not to worry, though: SpaceX has delivered an ample supply of photos and video documenting every step of this milestone in private spaceflight. They help illustrate the challenge involved -- SpaceX had to bring a tall, fire-belching Falcon 9 down to Earth relatively quickly while keeping it stable. While this probably won't be the last time you see reusable rocket technology in action, it's certainly one of the more dramatic examples.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket sticks the landing on its return
SpaceX's last flight in June ended with its Falcon 9 rocket breaking up shortly after launch. When the rocket is meant to be recoverable after launch, you can see why this would be an... issue. CEO Elon Musk tried to improve his odds, this time around, pushing back the launch of its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket to Monday night. Better weather this evening offered a 10 percent better chance of the rocket booster landing on solid ground in a recoverable state, and for those that watched the stream, it looked like a surprisingly stable landing: a bright flare of light followed by the appearance of a fully vertical rocket -- this was the stage one landing. SpaceX is checking the rocket and satellite payloads now (update: all the 11 satellites were deployed successfully) and we'll update when we hear more.
Watch SpaceX's latest attempt at landing a reusable rocket
Tonight we could possibly see Elon Musk's dream of landing a reusable rocket on a hard surface come true. The test flight for the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 8:29 PM and the live-stream (embedded below, and also available on YouTube) is supposed to kick off at 8:05 PM from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Remember, last time SpaceX tested one of its rockets it failed pretty spectacularly, exploding right after it launched.
SpaceX will try to launch and land a rocket Monday night
SpaceX has been understandably quiet since its last rocket exploded right after launch, but it's hoping to make up for that failure in style. It's planning to not only launch a Falcon 9 rocket on December 21st at 8:29PM ET, but attempt its first-ever ground landing with that rocket -- no doubt in hopes of countering Blue Origin's landing from a few weeks ago. Even if the touchdown fails, it'll still be an important launch as ORBCOMM gets 11 communications satellites into orbit. Tune in to the live stream below (coverage should start at 8:05PM) and you'll see whether or not SpaceX has better success on terra firma than it did at sea.Update (12/21): You can watch the live stream of the launch attempt right here.[Image credit: SpaceX Photos, Flickr]
SpaceX is on target for a launch-and-land attempt Sunday
We're eagerly awaiting SpaceX's next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, and CEO Elon Musk tweeted tonight that it "will aim to launch Sunday." This is also the company's first attempt since a rocket exploded shortly after takeoff in June, and another failed to land on an ocean barge in April. A static fire test that took place earlier today "looks good," so if all the data checks out then this could be SpaceX's time to take the reusable rocket crown back from Blue Origin with a ground landing (or at least launch eleven OG2 satellites).Update: In a second tweet this morning, Musk provided more detail, saying the company plans an "attempted orbital launch and rocket landing at Cape Canaveral" Sunday night around 8PM ET.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to the skies this month
SpaceX is tentatively planning its next Falcon 9 rocket launch for December 19th at Cape Canaveral, Florida, following a static fire on December 16th. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted the news today, writing, "Aiming for Falcon rocket static fire at Cape Canaveral on the 16th and launch about three days later." This should be a ground landing, following the company's previous attempts to land its rockets on an ocean platform, which is a truly difficult feat.
The Google XPrize moonshot is a step closer to reality
An Israeli team competing in the Google Lunar XPrize has secured a launch contract to send its rover to the Moon. Xprize is offering $20 million to the first team to land a rover on the moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit HD video and images back to earth. SpaceIL, the Israeli team in question, has signed with Spaceflight Industries, a company which specializes in space "rideshares." The deal means that SpaceIL's rover will likely be hitching a lift aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket alongside commercial satellites -- and possibly even other XPrize contestants -- in 2017.
This web game shows that landing a Falcon 9 rocket is pretty much impossible
You thought the carrier landing stage in Top Gun was a nightmare to pull off? Then get ready to scream obscenities you didn't know you knew at MIT Media Lab's SpaceX Falcon 9 Lander. This 8-bit web-game combines all of the pulse pounding excitement of landing a multi-million dollar prototype spacecraft with the rage-inducing control scheme from a 1983 Yugo. The goal of the game is simple, get the rocket to set down gently on an ocean-going platform using only the WASD keys before its limited fuel supply runs out. Now try it without giving yourself a coronary.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explosion caused by faulty strut
Space is hard and currently no one knows that better than SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. During a call today about the Flacon 9 rocket mishap in June, Musk announced that a strut holding a high pressure helium bottle failed during the second stage of the launch. The gas from the bottle mixed with the liquid oxygen tank causing the failure. Musk said that the company will update the rocket's software to deploy parachutes in case of a failure like the one in June. The CEO said that the deployment of the parachutes could have saved the payload that was lost during the explosion. The Falcon 9 will return to flight in a few months but no sooner than September.
#ICYMI: Space X's rocket fail, Google's beer fridge and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-593902{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-593902, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-593902{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-593902").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Space X's latest ISS-resupply mission goes up in smoke after its Falcon 9 rocket explodes immediately after launching; Google debuts a smart refrigerator that dispenses free beer (so long as you can say "I'm a Canadian" in at least six languages) and a robotic finger swipes smartphone screens to test the limits of lag. From the cutting room floor: This art installation features capacitive-touch vines that follow your movements around the room, not unlike that creepy clown painting in your Nana's parlor. Let the team at Engadget know about any interesting stories or videos you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket breaks up shortly after launch (updated)
Today is not a good day for private spaceflight. SpaceX and NASA have confirmed that a Falcon 9 rocket broke up shortly after launching on a resupply mission for the International Space Station. It's not clear what caused the failure at this stage, but the vehicle started smoking right before it fell apart. The destruction won't create immediate problems for the Space Station. However, it comes at a very bad time for SpaceX. The company has lost yet another chance to land its reusable rocket on a sea barge, and it only just got clearance to launch valuable missions for both NASA and the US Air Force -- Elon Musk and crew may have to work overtime assuring officials that this kind of disaster won't happen again. Update: Musk reports that the explosion might have been due to an "overpressure event" in the rocket's upper-stage liquid oxygen tank. At a press conference, neither NASA nor SpaceX had enough information to say what went wrong besides ruling out a problem with the first (lower) stage. NASA notes that the ISS crew still has a comfortable four-month supply buffer, but is understandably concerned that there have been three supply mission failures in the space of several months. Microsoft is no doubt worried, too, since the HoloLens headsets for its astronaut assistance project were on the SpaceX flight. [Image credit: SpaceX, Flickr]
