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‘Inspiration4 Miler’ is the one virtual run space fans can’t miss (yes, there’s a stellar swag bag)

The Inspiration4 hype train is full steam ahead, and the team at Space Explored is all aboard. The newest piece of awesome to come out of the first all-civilian mission to orbit is the Inspiration4 Miler, a virtual walk or run to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Participation raises money for a phenomenal effort and the swag bag includes must-have Inspiration4 merch.

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[UPDATE: New Pictures] Scoop: SpaceX purchases and outfits two ships, potentially for fairing recovery

A photo was shared in a Facebook Group that appears to show 2 vessels in the midst of being outfitted. The post shared a tip that SpaceX purchased these two ships for operations on the east coast. One of the vessels clearly brands a SpaceX logo, while the other is being worked on and sharing the same color scheme. So we looked into it…

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NASA test fires SLS RS-25 engine at Stennis, validating new manufacturing process

NASA recently conducted an important 8-minute RS-25 single-engine hot fire test at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. Space Launch System (SLS) relies on four RS-25 engines (and two solid rocket boosters) to leave the planet for destinations like the Moon and beyond as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

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[Update: Booster 4 rolls out, Starship 20 stacked] SpaceX works at stunning speed installing 29 Raptor engines overnight on Super Heavy Booster 4 ahead of Starship SN20 orbital flight

Update: Booster 4 has rolled to the launch site and is now awaiting integration with Starship 20, which has been stacked in the High Bay.


This morning Elon Musk showed off what appears to be a full complement of 29 Raptor engines in place on Starship Super Heavy Booster 4. The stunning overnight installation is the latest feat in a breathtaking surge of activity around SpaceX’s Starbase facilities as the company pushes hard toward a maiden orbital flight test for the fully stacked vehicle.

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Boeing pauses critical Starliner OFT-2 mission to ISS over propulsion system issue

After a year and a half of focusing on software issues, Boeing has paused its Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station today. The launch was scheduled for this afternoon but scrubbed hours before liftoff due to a propulsion system issue with the spacecraft.

Boeing’s mission is to have its uncrewed Starliner spacecraft reach the International Space Station and return safely before it can be rated for human spaceflight. Boeing is one of two providers for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (along with SpaceX) to transport astronauts to and from the space station.

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[Update: NASA on-duty flight director interview] Watch the moment things went wrong when Nauka joined the ISS [Video]

Earlier this week Russia launched their newest module to the International Space Station. After a rough orbit insertion, Nauka caused even more issues when it started firing its thrusters while attached to the International Space Station. Video shows Nauka’s docking mishap.

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White House taps Microsoft Azure Space director for National Space Council executive secretary

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Chirag Parikh to serve as the executive secretary of the National Space Council. Parikh most recently worked as senior director of Microsoft’s Azure Space division. As executive secretary of the National Space Council, Parikh is well-positioned to influence space policy across the government.

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