Three former engineers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX have formed a startup to innovate in the rail transportation market, using electric and autonomous rail carts to shuttle shipping containers to where they need to go.
At the Mojave Air and Space Port, the second stage of a launch vehicle being developed by ABL Space Systems was destroyed during a test anomaly on January 19.
So far in January, SpaceX has launched three Falcon 9 rockets, two of which broke the 10 flight milestone. Both of these milestone-breaking missions took place just in the last week.
Friday afternoon United Launch Alliance is preparing to launch two satellites directly to geosynchronous orbit for the U.S. Space Force. The USSF-8 mission will be the only Atlas V to fly the 511 configuration and is ULA’s first flight of 2022.
Launch Date: Friday, January 21, 2:00 p.m. EST
Rocket Lab, everyone’s favorite US / New Zealand-based smallsat launcher, announced the first launch of its Electron rocket for the year, and yes, it’s going to be BlackSky satellites.
The newest smallsat launcher to come online is preparing to launch its first mission from Florida’s Space Coast, but it will need to wait for a license from the FAA.
Monday evening SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites. This will take off from Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Launch Date: Tuesday, January 18, 9:02 p.m. EST
An underwater volcano located near the Tonga Islands recently became active. Early this morning, a major eruption took place. Multiple satellites captured it as it happened.
This morning, SpaceX plans to launch their Transporter 3 mission, carrying a payload of dozens of nanosatellites and microsatellites to space. Here’s how to watch the Falcon 9 rocket lift off from the Kennedy Space Centers’s Space Launch Complex 40.
Virgin Orbit is back at it again with their one-of-a-kind LauncherOne rocket. Wednesday, the rocket will launch mid-air from Virgin Orbit’s custom Boeing 747 with several customer satellites onboard. Here’s everything we know and how you can watch it live.
After becoming a publically traded company last week, Richard Branson’s commercial launch provider, Virgin Orbit, is preparing for its first launch of 2022. Onboard will be four payloads from both civil and commercial entities. Continuing on with fun names Virgin Orbit has given its mission, this one is called “Above the Clouds.”
Launch Date: Wednesday, January 12, ~5:00 p.m. EST (Takeoff: ~4:00 p.m. EST)
The Biden Administration has committed to supporting the International Space Station until the end of this decade. This gives commercial companies more time to develop and bring their stations online before the ISS is retired.
Thursday morning SpaceX is preparing to launch another Transporter rideshare mission. This will take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission will feature a booster landing at Landing Zone 1, also located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Launch Date: Thursday, January 13, 10:25 a.m. EST
Astra is set to launch its next mission from Florida’s Space Coast rather than Alaska, where the company conducted its previous launches. Today we saw the first signs of Astra’s launch readiness with a vertical rocket on its launch site.
Sierra Space delivered a model of its Dream Chaser spaceplane to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the new Gateway exhibit. This model will “fly” over visitors, appearing as if it were in space.
Today NASA released software for their Autonomous Flight Termination Unit to the launch industry. This has been the primary reason for Rocket Lab’s delays in launching from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has officially begun today, and alongside the electric snowmobiles and smart home gadgets is a display product that is unlikely to enter your home any time soon.
Sierra Space is at CES 2022 showing off the company’s Dream Chaser space plane and LIFE habitat, which will both be vital to the company’s Orbital Reef space station.
Thursday evening SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites. This will take off from Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first SpaceX mission of 2022.
Launch Date: Thursday, January 6, 4:49 p.m. EST
On January 5, 2005, the Palomar Observatory-based team led by Mike Brown discovered a large world, later known as Eris, after systematically scanning for large outer Solar System bodies for several years. Unfortunately for Pluto, this was the beginning of the end for its official planet title.
It’s time to visit the world of the United States Space Force again. Here’s everything we know about season two of ‘Space Force’ coming to Netflix next month.
Currently, more than 35,000 miles away, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is cruising through space on the way to its 1 million mile parking spot above the Earth. It will take the space telescope almost a month to complete orbital insertion. Here’s how you can track its way there.
James Webb is now fully deployed! (1/8)
Early tomorrow morning, while those who celebrate Christmas will be busy opening gifts, NASA and Arianespace will be launching the most powerful space telescope ever built. Check before for updates on this once-in-a-generation launch.
In an SEC filing this week, SpaceX disclosed that the company has raised an additional $337 million in funding from 35 investors.
The Rosen Law Firm has opened an investigation into Astra Space, Inc. [NASDAQ: ASTR] due to allegations that Astra presented misleading material to the public. Astra’s stock price plummeted following the report by market analyst Kerrisdale Capital, a short seller of Astra Space.
SpaceX’s CRS-24 mission seemingly went off without a hitch. The company launched a cargo Dragon Capsule to the International Space Station for NASA, and the new booster, B1069, landed on Just Read the Instructions out in the Atlantic Ocean for the 100th successful landing of an orbital rocket booster. The booster sitting on JRTI seemed as if it took a slightly heavier-than-normal landing, but otherwise, all seemed well. It was known that the ocean weather wasn’t ideal, with a moderate rating, but there were still no major signs of issues… yet.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment has been delayed until February 28, 2022. This places the orbital launch attempt in March 2022 at the earliest.
The news that no one wants to hear is a failure in one of the James Webb Space Telescope‘s deployment processes. While there isn’t a rescue plan, you bet NASA has thought about one.
Over the weekend, we finally got to watch the James Webb Space Telescope begin its journey to space. The long-awaited telescope launch was followed by celebrations from both the President and Vice-President.
While the week of Christmas was a slow one, there were two highly anticipated launches. Check out this week’s top stories below.
This morning, the spaceflight and science communities held their breath as Arianespace launched the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope. But, while the launch is now done, Webb has a long trip to go and many more obstacles to face.
The largest and most powerful telescope ever made is finally set to launch on Christmas day. After years of delays, the long-anticipated James Webb Space Telescope has been given the green light for lift-off. Here’s how you can tune in live.
Space fans have long anticipated SpaceX’s next rocket, Starship. While, to this point, most of the early development and testing has taken place in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX intends to launch Starship from Florida. We recently learned that, in addition to the LC-39A, SpaceX would like to use LC-49 to launch and land Starship Super Heavy vehicles.
We had the opportunity to speak with Tom Engler, the director of center planning & development at Kennedy Space Center.
This weekend Arianespace will be entrusted to launch NASA’s most expensive and new flagship space telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope launch will be one of the biggest butt-puckering events of Webb’s deployment. The feeling will stay for the following months as the rest of the systems come online and parts of the telescope attempt to deploy. Learn everything about the launch below.
Launch Date: Saturday, December 25, 7:20 a.m. EST
Georgia Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett Sr. issued a temporary restraining order to block Camden County from buying the land for Spaceport Camden Tuesday. The land acquisition now could depend on the results of a special election.
Back in June, Blue Origin’s auction for a seat on the first crewed flight of New Shepard ended with a $28 million bid. Yet as the first flight came around the winner was not announced. Instead, 18 year old Oliver Daemon joined the first flight and became the youngest person to fly in space.
Blue Origin only said that ‘scheduling issues’ stopped the auction winner from participating in the flight, but did not reveal the winner’s identity. Now the winner has been revealed as H.E. Justin Sun, and five people will be invited to join him on his journey to space.
SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters currently faces large COVID outbreak amidst the cOmicron surge.
SpaceX has launched 31 Falcon 9s this year, beating 2020 by five launches. Post-launch, the company stated it is now done for 2021, making its CRS-24 mission for NASA its final launch until January.
It’s Christmas week and also a good time to step outside and admire the sky for the peak of the annual Ursid meteor shower, which will grace the sky tonight. Here’s when, where, and everything you need to know.
This week SpaceX is preparing for its next mission to space, this time a cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s CRS-24 will launch the company’s Dragon 2 spacecraft to the ISS and take additional food, experiments, and other supplies to the current crew. Two notable studies will be a protein crystal growth study for possible future cancer treatments drugs and a handheld bioprinter that could one day heal wounds.
Date: Tuesday, December 21, 5:06 a.m. EST
The International Space Station is designed to always be crewed by cosmonauts and astronauts. For this reason, women and men have been living and working in space constantly since the first Expedition mission in the year 2000. So how many people are in space right now?
In a full week of news, NASA is looking at LC-49 for Starship launches, Parker Solar Probe touched the Sun, and more claims of sexual harassment surfaced in the industry. Catch up on last week’s news this Monday below.
Less than 24 hours since its most recent launch, SpaceX is preparing to launch Türksat 5B from one of its launch sites in Florida. Operated by Türksat A.Ş., the satellite will sit in geostationary orbit and service parts of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa with direct TV and telecommunications. This will mark SpaceX’s 30th launch of 2021.
Launch Date: Saturday, December 18, 10:58 p.m. EST
‘Oumuamua is on its way out of the solar system but that hasn’t stopped researchers from learning what they can. Some individuals are trying to see if they can make contact with it before it leaves our neighborhood.
This morning, SpaceX launched its Starlink Group 4-4 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This was the first time SpaceX launched a booster for the eleventh time, further proving the reliability of its Falcon 9 first stage.
Early Friday morning SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites into a polar orbit. This will be the second operational Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base and could be one of the final missions from SpaceX in 2021.
Launch Date: Saturday, December 18, 7:41 a.m. EST
NASA has selected Dragon’s commander and pilot for SpaceX’s Crew-6 mission. The International Space Station rotation mission is expected to take place in the Spring of 2023.
SpaceX has reached out to NASA to conduct an environmental assessment for Starship Super Heavy launches out of Launch Complex 49 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
