Derek Wise

News sites around the world, including us, reported on a Falcon 9 upper stage that was on a collision course with the Moon, with an impact expected on March 4. Except… new evidence (or rather, reobserving old evidence) points to the fact that this rocket stage is not actually the Falcon 9 upper stage from the DSCOVR mission, but instead a rocket stage from the Long March 3C that launched China’s Chang’e 5-T1 mission.

On December 25, 2021, James Webb Space Telescope was launched from the French Guiana towards Lagrange point 2. People have been anxiously awaiting the return of the first image from the next-generation space scope, but now that wait is finally over!

The time has finally come, Elon Musk is about to take to the stage to update the world on SpaceX’s Starship progress. While many of the big events were widely reported when they happened, we expect to get more information about how development has gone, internal progress, and the future of the development.

Today Astra launched its Rocket 3.3 vehicle from Florida. This was the company’s first launch from the Space Coast, with all previous launches taking place out of Alaska. While the rocket successfully lifted off, the rocket failed to deliver its payloads to orbit, an issue with the fairing is possibly to blame.

SpaceX is often lauded for having its whole operation in South Texas on display. Despite this, there are regular calls for a proper “Starship update” presentation. The last “Starship update” was in 2019, and to say the program has progressed a lot since then would be a gross understatement. Let’s take a look at the program’s development since 2019.

On Tuesday, SpaceX confirmed that up to 40 of the company’s Starlink satellites that launched last week would be lost, as a result of a geomagnetic storm. Now, a video from Puerto Rico shows a stunning view of Starlink satellites burning up on reentry.

Last week, SpaceX launched Starlink 4-7, carrying 49 satellites into low Earth orbit. Now, up to 40 of those satellites are a complete loss, as a result of a geomagnetic storm.

When Bill Gray and a team of observers realized that the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage that launched the DSCOVR mission is going to crash into the Moon, everyone was talking about it. Now, Unistellar is making it easy for citizen astronomers to catch a glimpse of the rocket with their eVscopes, before it crashes into the Moon on March 4.

On February 1, 2022, the Starlink website was updated to include a new, higher-performance tier: Starlink Premium. This is the first time SpaceX has added options for different tiers on its satellite internet service, previously there was only a single offering for Starlink.

Starlink Premium is SpaceX’s high-performance tier for the company’s Starlink satellite constellation internet service. Starlink Premium was first announced on February 1, 2022, with deliveries expected to begin in Q2, 2022.

On Sunday, January 30, space fans near Cape Canaveral and around the world waited to see SpaceX launch CSG-2, an Earth-observing satellite for the Italian space agency. Launch attempts on the previous three days all had to be delayed due to weather, but the weather had dramatically improved for the Sunday launch attempt, with clear skies and calm winds. Unfortunately, a cruise ship departing Port Canaveral entered the launch hazard area, forcing SpaceX to put a hold on the launch.

SpaceX has been preparing to launch its CSG-2 mission for the Italian Space Agency for the last few days. Weather has delayed the launch from last Thursday to today, January 30. The delay also pushed back the launch of Starlink 4-7 to Monday. Additionally, SpaceX will be launching once again on Wednesday with NROL-87.

Thankfully, it is rather simple to use a third-party router with Starlink internet service, though the exact steps you need to take will depend on which user terminal you have. And your own router you will lose access to the Starlink app and the features that come with it. Head below to learn how to connect your own router to the Starlink user terminal.

SpaceX’s Starlink internet service continues to expand and see upgrades, in addition to all the launches. We recently spotted a change to the Starlink FAQ page that will improve the experience for those hoping to use their own router with the service.

On January 21, SpaceX filed an application with the FCC for the operation of a new, more ruggedized Starlink user terminal. The terminal would be better suited for harsh conditions, such as high heat. This joins a previous application to operate similarly ruggedized terminals on moving vehicles, such as trucks, aircraft, and ships.

As a Government agency, NASA images are not copyrighted. This means YouTubers, news agencies, or anyone else can use the images without needing to fall into fair-use exceptions. The same, however, is not true for the agency’s logos. NASA logos, including the meatball logo and popular worm logo, may only be used with permission from the agency – and don’t expect to get this permission for space-themed NFTs.

On December 21, SpaceX launched CRS-24, a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. Now, the Dragon capsule that supported that mission has splashed down off the coast of Florida.

Reusability in spaceflight is increasing. While SpaceX has been able to reuse the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket by landing them, Rocket Lab is taking a different sort of approach with its Electron rocket: deploying a parachute and using a helicopter to scoop them out of the air.

It’s certainly a different approach than landing, but Rocket Lab teams are hard at work making this reusability a reality.

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.

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.

In an SEC filing this week, SpaceX disclosed that the company has raised an additional $337 million in funding from 35 investors.