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SpaceX wants to launch internet-beaming satellites
Google's Project Loon and Facebook's internet drones could soon see added competition from SpaceX. The Elon Musk-owned rocket company has just petitioned the FCC for permission to launch a pair of experimental, identical Ku-band downlink satellites -- the first pair of potentially four. Should the FCC grant SpaceX's application, Time reports that the satellites will likely launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Once they reach an orbital altitude of 625 km, they'll beam down broadband internet speeds to three receivers located in Redmond, Washington; Fremont and Hawthorne, California. The satellites are each rated for a 12-month operational lifespan. There's no word yet on when this technology will be available to consumers.
Boeing is NASA's first pick for manned ISS flights
NASA is on track to bring human spaceflight back to the US. The agency has ordered its first "crew rotation" mission from Boeing, which will involve ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA says it expects to make a similar order with Elon Musk's SpaceX later this year -- afterwards, it will decide which of the two companies to green-light for the first mission in late 2017. However, the date for this milestone moment in US spaceflight could shift. For one, Boeing and SpaceX still need to complete NASA's certification process before they can undertake any missions. For another, NASA's Commercial Crew Program is dependent on adequate funding through 2016 and beyond. If it comes up short, the agency says it "will have to delay future milestones for both partners proportionally and extend sole reliance on Russia." We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Air Force certifies SpaceX to bid for military space missions
Making peace with US Air Force and dropping charges against the agency has paid off for SpaceX. Its Falcon 9 rocket has finally been certified, giving the company the right to compete for national security launches. Elon Musk's space corp has passed every requirement set by the Air Force, after a couple of years (and a few months of delay), lots of paperwork and tests. According to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, this certification allows more than one provider to compete for military launches, which is expected to cost the branch $70 billion until 2030, for the first time in around a decade. "Ultimately, leverage of the commercial space market drives down cost to the American taxpayer and improves our military's resiliency," she said in a statement.
SpaceX gets the all-clear to launch most NASA science missions
After three long years, SpaceX finally has approval to launch most of the US' scientific missions. NASA tells Spaceflight Now that it recently greenlit the use of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for "medium-risk" payloads, which covers all but the most valuable cargo. That rules it out of launching missions destined for places like Mars, but it also opens the door to more opportunities for Elon Musk and crew. Although they already have government contracts, they should have a much easier time getting that all-important space agency business. The company won't have to wait long to prove its chops, either. A Falcon 9 will carry Jason 3, a satellite meant to measure ocean roughness, in late July. [Image credit: SpaceX/Steve Jurvetson, Flickr]
SpaceX's Mars travel posters make us want to explore the red planet
SpaceX has released a few Mars travel posters in the same vein as NASA's vintage exoplanet ones, and they're making us sad we were born too early for space exploration. Valles Marineris the "land of Martian chasms and craters," as the poster says, is an enormous series of canyons. Olympus Mons is tallest peak and biggest volcano we've seen in the solar system, thus far, at thrice the height of Mt. Everest. Finally, Phobos and Deimos are the planet's two moons, though we've explored the former more between the two. Elon Musk announced earlier this year that he doesn't only plan to go to Mars, he also wants to establish a city on the red planet. We might all be too old -- or you know, too dead -- to live there or visit when the time comes, but maybe these posters can help you imagine how it would be for our children's children (sniffs). [Image credit: SpaceX/Flickr]
Watch SpaceX's Dragon capsule perform its launch abort test
If you were still hitting snooze when SpaceX launched its Dragon capsule this morning, fret not: you can relive the action now. Elon Musk & Co. successfully launched the unmanned spacecraft at Cape Canaveral, Florida around 9AM ET and it splashed down in the Atlantic in under two minutes. The main goal for today's flight was to get a feel for how the vehicle would respond if it (and the crew) needed to separate from the eight SuperDraco engines in a hurry. Measuring trajectory and observing what the impact of an abort would be on the crew are two of the items today's launch aimed to solve. A video of the flight resides after the break (skip to the 16-minute mark) alongside a graphic that outlines the various stages in the test. Fair warning: you'll want to turn the volume down at launch. Update: SpaceX just uploaded its edit of the video, for a better angle on the whole process -- from launch to landing -- watch it here or embedded after the break.
SpaceX's manned Dragon capsule gets its first real test on May 6th
You won't have to wait much longer to see what SpaceX's manned Dragon capsule is like in action. SpaceX now expects to conduct its promised Crew Dragon launch pad abort test (the craft's first major test) on May 6th, with things kicking off as early as 7AM Eastern. The point of the system is to make sure the crew and spacecraft have a way to escape if there's a problem with the rocket, and according to SpaceX, is an option from launch all the way up to orbit. This might not be as dramatic as some of the company's other tests, but it will give you a sense of what would happen if the vehicle had to abandon its host rocket in a hurry. One thing's for sure: with NASA streaming the whole thing live, it won't take long to find out whether or not SpaceX's orbital courier is on the right track.
Jeff Bezos' first proper test rocket has successfully launched
Elon Musk may be the most famous tech billionaire with an interest in spaceflight, but he's certainly not the only one. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also has a company, Blue Origin, which is doing similar research into reusable craft to get us to-and-from the heavens. The normally secretive outfit has just revealed that its first test vehicle, New Shepard, made arguably its most important, partially successful test flight yesterday. In the experiment, the priapic craft took an (empty) crew capsule to a height of 307,000 feet before releasing it to float gently back to earth.
NASA: nobody's going to Mars without our help
NASA's top priority is still taking humans to Mars, and it says private companies who want to do the same don't stand a chance without its support. Administrator Charles Bolden told a US House budget committee, "our ultimate focus is the journey to Mars and everything comes back to that," adding that the agency still plans to land there by the 2030s. A manned mission to Mars is crucial because the red planet was likely habitable in the past, and scientists must find out what went wrong to prevent a similar disaster on Earth. Bolden went so far as to say that humans need to "get away from being Earth-reliant... (and) Mars is the planet that is the most like Earth."
Leaked barge video shows SpaceX rocket landing up close
Another day, another video angle looking at the almost-landing of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This time, the video is from the barge itself, although there's no word on exactly how it got from there to a post on Reddit. Whatever its provenance (SpaceX has not commented yet) it certainly appears to be legit and gives us the closest view yet of exactly what happened. According to Kanye West biographer CEO Elon Musk, despite the rocket's explosive ending the "droneship" is fine, with no hull breach and in need of only minor repairs. Enjoy this video, since as we mentioned yesterday, SpaceX may make its next rocket landing attempt on land.
Here's video of SpaceX's rocket landing, and the explosion
Yesterday SpaceX made another unsuccessful try at landing a Falcon 9 first stage on a barge in the ocean, but the fuzzy Vine clip posted cut off right before things got exciting. Today, the company posted a longer, higher res video but quickly pulled it from YouTube. Now, you can see exactly what happens when one of those 200-foot tall rockets misses the mark. Yesterday CEO Elon Musk said the issue "should be easy to fix", and judging by the video it wasn't far off from success. If you need any more reasons to stay optimistic, SpaceX COO told DefenseNews that the company's next landing attempt may come on land instead of at sea, because of the difficulty in keeping a rocket upright on a moving barge -- as we all can now see. Update: The official video is back, and you can watch it after the break.
SpaceX rocket launched successfully, landed 'too hard for survival'
Today SpaceX successfully launched its latest mission to the International Space Station, but couldn't reach its goal of safely landing the rocket's first stage on a barge. According to CEO Elon Musk, while the ascent was successful, the "Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival." There's no video of the landing attempt yet, but hopefully soon we'll be able to see how close it came. This outcome isn't entirely unexpected, as Musk tweeted yesterday that the chance of a successful landing by the end of the year stands at 80 percent only because the company has so many launches planned. NASA video replaying the launch is embedded after the break. Update 3: The video is here, watch the full landing -- and explosion now.
SpaceX's next try at landing a reusable rocket is minutes away (update: take 2)
In January, Elon Musk's SpaceX came close to a controlled landing of one of its rockets after a quick trip to space, before things took a fiery, explosive turn for the worst. Today, assuming all goes well and those X wing fins remain powered, it will try again. A launch scheduled for 4:33PM ET will send supplies to the International Space Station as a part of the CRS-6 mission, before the Falcon 9's first stage will try to land itself on a barge in the ocean. Creating rockets that can used again could help cut the cost of sending stuff to space, so there's a lot at stake beyond just looking cool in its Grasshopper demos. The launch will be webcast live starting at 4:15PM (the video feed is embedded after the break) although we'll have to wait a bit longer to see if the landing is successful. Update: No launch today due to weather (Elon Musk tweeted it's "due to lighting from an approaching anvil cloud"). The next launch attempt is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:10PM ET. Update (4/14): The next launch attempt is about to take place, with SpaceX calling the weather "60% for a go." As we saw yesterday, lightning and clouds can derail things quickly, but take a peek after the break for the live stream, which is scheduled to begin at 3:50PM ET. Update 2 (4/14 4:27PM): The CRS-6 mission has successfully launched. By now the first stage should have returned to Earth, but there's no live feed from the barge to know if it was successful or not. Once we hear word if it's landed we will update to let you know. Update 3 (4/14 4:45PM): Still no video, but the word is in from Elon Musk -- the rocket landed too hard for survival.
SpaceX's 4K rocket footage is a great excuse for an upgrade
Not sure if you need a new high-res display? The 4K footage SpaceX just posted of its rocket launches might be enough to push any reasonable person over the line. It's on YouTube, predictably, and even if your connection or hardware is merely HD-ready it's still an incredible experience. It's embedded after the break -- press play, expand to full screen and enjoy.
SpaceX tests the safety rockets for its manned space vehicles
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is an initiative to get private companies to ferry personnel to-and-from the International Space Station. SpaceX is doing its very best to show that it can do the job, and has successfully tested one of the most important components its crewed vehicle needs: the escape engine. The company has test-fired a pair of its SuperDraco engines in Texas, demonstrating that the gear could ignite and throttle at the same time.
Two Xprize rivals will share a trip to the Moon
Just because the Google Lunar Xprize is hotly contested doesn't mean that the competitors always have to be at each other's throats. Astrobotic and Hakuto have announced a partnership that will have Hakuto's rovers (Moonraker and Tetris) "piggyback" on Astrobotic's lander when it hopefully reaches the Moon in the second half of 2016. The two sides will still compete when they touch down, but they're setting it up as a race -- during a conference call, Astrobotic noted that it would wait for the other rovers to give them a fair shot and get some extra camera footage. The new allies aren't saying exactly how they'll split the prize if they win, but Hakuto can still get the lion's share.
SpaceX launches DSCOVR but scrubs its barge landing
SpaceX has good and bad news for you space lovers. The good news is that a Falcon 9 rocket has finally launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite or DSCOVR, which has been waiting for years in storage. Bad news is that the stormy weather forced the company to abandon its plans to land the rocket on a barge named "Just Read the Instructions" (after the space ships from Iain M. Banks' sci-fi novels) that's currently floating 370 miles off the coast of Florida. The company wanted to use this opportunity to make a second attempt at landing on a drone ship after its first one ended in flames -- launch was even scrapped twice due to less than ideal conditions. But in the end, everyone involved decided they couldn't wait any longer, forcing SpaceX to make a soft water landing instead.
SpaceX shows how its heavy-lifting rocket will (hopefully) work
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has yet to grace a launch pad, but that isn't stopping the company from extolling the reusable rocket's virtues. Elon Musk and crew have posted an animation (below) demonstrating how a typical mission with the heavy-duty reusable rocket should go. As you might imagine, everything goes smoothly in this conceptual clip -- the machine blasts off from Kennedy Space Center, detaches its Falcon 9 boosters (which dutifully return to the ground) and puts its payload into orbit. Success!
Daily Roundup: The Pixar of VR, Apple Watch ship date and more!
In today's Daily Roundup, we look at Oculus Story Studio, the new film-innovation lab creating cinematic content to take advantage of VR devices. Meanwhile, Apple continues to crush it and announces when the Apple Watch will ship, and we learn more about how a drone landed on the White House grounds at 3 AM. Head past the break to get your fill of today's technology news.
Boeing and SpaceX schedule crucial safety tests ahead of ISS trips
SpaceX and Boeing spoke together in public for the first time with NASA and unveiled their plans to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017. NASA selected the companies last September to build manned spacecraft for its Commercial Crew Program, and both have tight schedules to make. A crucial phase will be the so-called pad abort tests, which "provide astronauts a means of escaping a potentially catastrophic situation," according to NASA. Boeing will run its pad abort tests in February 2017, with an uncrewed flight test in April and a full mission with a test pilot and NASA astronaut slated for July, 2017. Meanwhile, SpaceX's pad abort test and in-flight abort test are scheduled for later this year, with a manned trip planned for 2017.
