Monday, Amazon launched its first batch of operational Project Kuiper satellites as it begins the build-out of its satellite internet constellation. However, the start has been delayed, and reports show the company might not meet the FCC deadline that is fast approaching.
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For the last couple of years, SpaceX has been shaving hours off its booster turnaround timelines. This has turned months-long turnarounds into weeks; last week, SpaceX finally got that timeline down to just nine days! The company also just recently broke a launch pad turnaround timeline as well.
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During the live coverage of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, the company laid out an update to its plan to launch the massive vehicle from Florida. Some of the plans we’ve seen starting to take shape already were finally confirmed by SpaceX, such as the massive expansion of Roberts Road.
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ULA launched its Cert-2 mission on its brand new Vulcan rocket early Friday morning. While there was an obvious anomaly in one of its solid rocket motors, the company states the mission was a success. Now ULA and the Space Force will have to review flight data in order to gain certification for its lucrative National Security Space Launch missions.
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SpaceX launched the two person crew of Crew-9 for NASA early Saturday afternoon from SLC-40. The mission is sending a NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut to the ISS for a six month stay, the two spare seats will be used to bring Starliner’s crew back at the completion of their mission.
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Over the last week there has been a lot going on around SpaceX‘s biggest and baddest rocket in development. While the action has returned down in Starbase for pre-IFT-3 flight tests, action might come in the future to the Space Force side of Florida’s Space Coast, according to the Department of the Air Force.
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Phil McAlister, director of NASA’s commercial space division, said that Axiom Space and SpaceX were in talks to fly Axiom-3 from SLC-40 rather than LC-39A like in the past. This would use the newly constructed crew access tower built to bring redundancy to SpaceX’s human spaceflight operations.
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This week SpaceX hoisted up and attached a new crew access arm at the company’s SLC-40 pad. The addition of a second crew tower gives SpaceX the flexibility to launching at either of their East Coast launch sites.
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Relativity has now filed a permit to upgrade Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the company moves full steam ahead with their reusable launch vehicle, Terran R. This comes after the company announced it was discontinuing the Terran 1 program so teams could solely focus on the upcoming launch vehicle. With the first launch of Terran R expected no earlier than 2026, the company is getting to work in Florida so the launch complex is prepared.
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A new permit application confirms rumors of Astra launching from Launch Complex 46 as soon as late 2021 or early 2022. The previous launch from SLC-46 was the Orion Ascent Abort 2 test for the Artemis program.
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A team has started applying the “Launch America” logo onto the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new art celebrates NASA’s now-operational Commercial Crew Program and return to crewed flight from U.S. soil after the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.
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SpaceX will attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this afternoon at 3:55 p.m. EDT. SpaceX is sending the GPS III Space Vehicle 3 to space to join a constellation of 31 existing global positioning system satellites operated by the United States.
Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt to land on the SpaceX droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes 30 seconds after liftoff. The GPS III satellite payload will be deployed in space 1 hour and 29 minutes after liftoff.
Watch the launch, landing, and deployment below.
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