SpaceX’s Starship could get its launch license within two weeks, no seriously this time, stop laughing

According to two sources, SpaceX could be getting its FAA launch license for its Starship launch vehicle. If true, this could lead to Elon Musk’s state of launching in late April actually being accurate (I SAID STOP LAUGHING).

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NASA delayed Boeing Crewed Flight Test all the way back to July

It looked like Boeing would have a fantastic April with the launch of its first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft. However, now it seems like we’re going to have to wait until July before we see this milestone launch from the company to the International Space Station.

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How many rockets has SpaceX launched so far in 2023?

SpaceX is aiming to launch 100 rockets this year, another big increase from what the company did in 2022. That will mean they will have to launch on average every three to four days. Will SpaceX be able to pull it off? Keep track below of all of SpaceX’s 2023 launches.

Is this Europe’s ‘We choose to go to the Moon’ moment?

The European Space Agency’s High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) released a report on the current state of Europe’s human exploration program. It calls for the continent to go all in on space, or risk being left in the dust.

Europe has become a key partner in many of NASA’s programs, including the Artemis Program. However, the continent’s space agency seems to have much more ambitious plans, rather than just helping NASA with its goals. The ESA’s HLAG report makes it clear that its objective should be to bolster its commercial market with its own human exploration program, including low Earth orbit and the Moon.

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Astra to give update on Launch System 2 during livestream April 25

It looks like we will be getting an update on Astra’s progress on its Launch System 2 next month with the company’s second annual “Spacetech Day” event. The event will also cover the company’s electric propulsion system.

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This week ahead in rocket launches: Quiet week with possibly two SpaceX missions

In contrast to the last few weeks, this week is relativity quiet in modern space launch terms. However, we do have the possibility of two SpaceX launches within 24 hours of each other again if launch dates hold and the weather is good.

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NASA completes structure assembly of Artemis 2’s Core Stage

Teams have assembled the main structures of NASA’s Artemis 2 Core Stage at New Orleans Michoud Assembly Facility, another step closer to getting the rocket ready for launch.

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Stoke Space reusable rocket design acquires funding from Bill Gates’ venture fund

Small rocket startup Stoke Space recently received funding from Breakthrough Energy, an investment firm founded by Bill Gates.

Stoke Space was founded by Andy Lapsa and Tom Feldman in 2019 to develop a clean-fueled, fully-reusable two-stage rocket. Lapsa was formerly responsible for the development and operation of Blue Origin’s BE-3 and BE-4 engines.

The engines that are being developed for Stoke Space’s rocket utilize liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas, which burns cleaner than kerosene — one of the more common rocket propellant fuels, today.

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Blue Origin blames overheating in the engine for NS-23 failure, FAA investigation remains open

Last September, Blue Origin suffered an inflight failure of an uncrewed New Shepard rocket. Friday, the company released its findings from its investigation into the failure.

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When is the next Rocket Lab launch?

The leader in smallsat launches, Rocket Lab, is hoping to have its biggest year yet. Last year Rocket Lab launched nine rockets out of New Zealand, and this year we expect them to finally get into double digits. Rocket Lab has yet to confirm a launch date for its next Electron launch.

Rocket Lab launches first Electron recovery mission of the year

Unless you’re a night owl, you probably missed that last night Rocket Lab launched its third Electron rocket of the year and carrying its final contracted mission for satellite builder BlackSky. This mission also featured the year’s first recovery mission for Electron’s first stage.

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How many rockets has Rocket Lab launched so far in 2023?

Unlike SpaceX, Rocket Lab doesn’t have a public goal set for the number of launches this year, but a clear one has emerged. For the first time Rocket Lab, with its Electron rocket, could reach double-digit launches in 2023; here’s a list of all of them to help you keep track.

SpaceX having issues with its new Gen 2 Starlink satellites

SpaceX has encountered some issues with its brand new “V2 mini” Starlink satellites. Avid watchers of the company’s satellites have spotted many lowering their altitudes over the last week.

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Relativity gets Terran 1 3D-printed rocket into space on first launch, falling short of orbit

Over screams of excitement, Relativity’s livestream hosts continued to update us on Terran 1’s maiden launch and the making of history. While the rocket didn’t end up making it into orbit, it just barely crossed over the boundary of space and far exceeded the mission’s milestones, still bringing joy to the host’s voices, even while announcing the failure.

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How to watch Relativity’s Good Luck Have Fun launch from Florida

Tonight, Relativity will have its third attempt at getting its Terran 1 rocket into space for the first time. Right now, Relativity has the Good Luck Have Fun launch window opening at 10:00 p.m. EST and going until 1:00 a.m. EST.

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Small number of Virgin Orbit employees will return tomorrow to work on next mission

Last week we saw the first major collapse of a recent commercial space company, with Virgin Orbit furloughing its entire staff except for a handful of employees. However, there are some signs of hope, as tomorrow more employees will return for work with more coming later.

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It all comes down to the FAA before SpaceX’s Starship gets a launch date

Have these last two weeks flown by for anyone else or just me? I don’t think we have ever been closer to seeing SpaceX’s first Starship orbital launch than we are now. But, according to two SpaceXers, we are just waiting on the FAA’s approval.

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This week ahead in rocket launches: Relativity tries again, Electron number three, more

We have another busy week ahead with four launches scheduled around the globe, all from different companies. Check out below to see what is launching.

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SpaceX launches double header to bring rate closer to 100 launch goal

Friday, SpaceX launched two missions from both coasts of the United States to bring its rate back up, closer to its goal. With these launches in the books, SpaceX has launched 19 missions with 20 successful booster landings.

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Rocket Lab launches second mission from US launch site for Capella Space

Thursday evening Rocket Lab launched once again from its Virginia launch site at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. This was the company’s second launch of the year, both coming from LC-2.

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For All Mankind costume designer plays part in NASA’s next-generation space suit

NASA is returning humanity to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, but this time powered by the growing commercial space industry. To walk on the Moon, you need a few essential tools to survive. One of those was unveiled today – a space suit.

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Virgin Orbit pausing operations as it looks for a means of survival

According to CNBC’s Michael Sheetz, Virgin Orbit will be shutting down and furloughing its employees for at least one week while it looks for funding to continue operations.

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Vega-C gains new launch contract from ESA for Earth observation satellites

Tuesday, Arianespace announced it signed a new contract for two launches, with an option of a third, from the European Space Agency and the Italian Government. However, no response has been made on the validity of Vega-C’s failure investigation.

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Launch Spotlight: SES-18/19 – SpaceX set to launch new communications satellites to orbit

SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 17, 2023, at 7:38 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the SES-18 and SES-19 communications satellites to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

SpaceX CRS-27 Dragon resupply mission launches toward the International Space Station

Hot on the heels of the splashdown of the Crew-5 mission, SpaceX launched the uncrewed CRS-27 Dragon spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station.

Liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket came at 8:30 p.m. EDT March 14, 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The autonomous spacecraft is set to dock to the ISS about a day later to deliver some 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) of supplies to the seven-person Expedition 68 crew living aboard the orbiting laboratory.

@theresacross_

The Falcon 9 first stage that flew in support of this mission, B1073, successfully landed on the SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” less than 10 minutes after launch, which was positioned downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the seventh recovery for this booster.

Overall, this was SpaceX’s 17th launch of 2023 — the 16th for a Falcon 9 rocket. The company plans to fly as many as 100 missions this year.

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CRS-27 Dragon sending fresh science, hardware to Space Station

SpaceX is set to deliver thousands of pounds of hardware and science experiments to the International Space Station as part of the uncrewed CRS-27 Dragon resupply mission.

Liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket is slated for 8:25 p.m. EDT March 14 (12:25 UTC March 15), 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be the 27th resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

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Astra and Rocket Lab caught up in Silicon Valley Bank failure

Last week, the US saw the second biggest bank closure in history, with the FDIC taking over Silicon Valley Bank. While SVB specialized in tech startups, space companies also used the bank, including Astra, Rocket Lab, and more.

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When will NASA announce the Artemis 2 astronauts?

With the success of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission, the debut of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket, we are eagerly waiting to see who will fly on Artemis 2, the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. When will NASA announce Artemis 2’s crew assignments?

Launch Spotlight: CRS-27 – SpaceX set to launch the 27th space station resupply mission

SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station carrying food, science, and other supplies for the Commercial Resupply Services 27 (CRS-27) mission.

Four new companies gain access to Florida launch pads, who are they?

The premier spaceport in the world, Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has everything companies need to start launching its rockets to space. Four new companies will join those already operating there with new launch pad allocations by the Space Force.

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SpaceX launches another batch of OneWeb satellites

Earlier today, SpaceX launched another set of satellites to fill out OneWeb’s internet providing constellation of satellites. Today’s launch saw 40 OneWeb satellites launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket out of SLC-40 in Florida.

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Relativity reschedules Terran 1 launch to the weekend

On Wednesday afternoon, Relativity attempted to launch its first Terran 1 rocket out of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. However, it was not in the cards as the company used up its three-hour window troubleshooting the countdown, but they will be back out there this weekend.

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JAXA lost a $280 million payload on its H3 launch failure

I’ve came across some new details about JAXA’s H3 launch Monday that might change how we look at its failure. We mentioned that inside its payload fairing was the Advanced Land Observing Satellite 3 (ALOS 3), and it turns out that was not a cheap satellite.

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How to watch Relativity’s first Terran 1 launch

Later today, Relativity is planning to launch its first rocket in the company’s history to orbit. The Terran 1 is currently on Space Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, awaiting launch.

HEO Robotics captures photo of deployed Starlink V2 satellite on orbit

Last week, SpaceX launched its first set of Starlink V2 Mini satellites, which will help the company build out their internet service to be more financially viable. Now, a company has shared imagery of one of these satellites with its solar panels deployed which they captured using on-orbit assets.

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JAXA’s H3 rocket suffers second stage failure on inaugural launch

Last night Japan attempted to launch its H3 rocket carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellites 3 (ALOS 3). However, while the first stage and solid rocket boosters performed nominally, the second stage failed to light.

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Ukraine Space Agency calls the Vega-C failure investigation findings ‘premature’

Friday, Arianespace released its findings from its independent review commission’s investigation into December’s Vega-C failure, blaming a Ukrainian supplier. Now, it looks like Ukraine disagrees with the commission’s findings.

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Moon o’clock?: Europe pushing for lunar ‘time zone’

With humanity on the cusp of returning astronauts to deep space, one organization is attempting to garner support to give the Moon a time zone.

Spearheading this is the European Space Agency, which says space organizations agree “a common lunar reference time” for timekeeping is important for all lunar systems to reference, be they robotic missions or human surface stays.

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The week ahead in rocket launches: Relativity debut, OneWeb on SpaceX, more

This week is gearing up to be an exciting spectacle of launches. While not the most packed we’ve seen in the past, we could see the debut of two new rockets.

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Chinese astronauts perform secretive spacewalk at Tiangong space station

I really hope this isn’t your first time learning about the three Chinese astronauts (taikonauts) currently on orbit Earth at their nation’s space station. However, earlier this week, two taikonauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station but to no fan fair from its space agency.

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Arianespace releases cause of December Vega-C launch failure

On December 22, Arianespace launched its second-ever Vega-C rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in South America. However, the launch failed shortly after the second stage ignition, and now we know why.

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Rocket Lab looking at ditching helicopter catches after better than expected water recovery

Probably the two biggest things Rocket Lab is currently working on perfecting this year and in the coming years are tasks its CEO said would never happen. One of those is recovering the Electron’s first stage booster, something that might have a detour from its original idea.

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SpaceX Crew-6 arrive and dock at the ISS, beginning its six month stay

In the wee hours of the night, SpaceX’s Crew-6 and Endeavour Crew Dragon completed its rendezvous with the International Space Station. After following the slow and safe process, Endeavour docked with the ISS and the crew is now onboard.

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How many people are in space right now?

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?

Astra releases investigation report for TROPICS-1 launch failure

Last June Astra launched its final Rocket 3 mission, which was a pair of satellites for NASA. Sadly that mission did not end well with a failure in the second stage. The company has now released its report detailing what went wrong.

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Ars: ULA is looking to be sold off as soon as this year

Ars Technica’s Eric Berger reports that United Launch Alliance has informed interested parties that it is up for sale, potentially throwing the entire industry upside down.

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SpaceX successfully launches Crew-6 mission to ISS with second-ever UAE astronaut on board

After aborting during an issue with loading Falcon 9’s ignition fluid, SpaceX successfully lifted off from historic LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with the sixth crew rotation in part of the Commercial Crew Program. This mission is unique, as it carries the first long-duration mission of a UAE astronaut, thanks to a partnership with Axiom.

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SpaceX and NASA are ready to reattempt Crew-6 launch tonight

After scrubbing Monday morning’s attempt to launch the next crew rotation to the ISS due to an issue with the Falcon 9’s ignition fluid, both the company and agency are ready to try again tonight.

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