All articles tagged with #orbital launch
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and South Korean rocket company Perigee Aerospace Inc. have partnered to launch satellites from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden starting in 2025. This collaboration will see Perigee's Blue Whale 1 microlauncher become the first orbital rocket launched from Esrange, enhancing Europe's satellite launch capabilities.
SpaceX successfully launched its Starlink 6-25 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the 59th orbital launch this year from the Space Coast. The Falcon 9 rocket carried 23 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit, while the first-stage booster landed on SpaceX's drone ship, completing its eighth mission. SpaceX plans to deploy its second-generation Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit and aims to start deploying V3 Starlink satellites with its larger Starship Super Heavy rocket in about a year.
SpaceX is preparing for its 60th orbital launch of the year with the Starlink Group 6-13 mission, which aims to deploy 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. This launch puts SpaceX on the verge of breaking its own record of 61 missions set in 2022. The company continues to dominate the launch market, with 43 orbital launches in the first two quarters of this year, compared to 53 launches from all other providers combined. However, an engine issue delayed another launch that would have tied the record. Weather conditions may also affect the Starlink launch.
SpaceX's Starship rocket caused significant damage to its launchpad during liftoff, leaving a large crater beneath the circular launch mount in Boca Chica, Texas. The damage has raised questions about when Starship will be able to attempt another orbital launch. The rocket exploded minutes after lifting off, failing to make it into orbit. This was the first time SpaceX launched a Starship rocket and its Super Heavy booster together. It's unclear when Starship will fly again.
SpaceX's first orbital Starship test flight is set to launch on April 17 from the company's Starbase facility in South Texas. The launch will be webcast live on SpaceX's website and YouTube channel, with coverage starting 45 minutes before liftoff. The Starship will lift off from its Starbase pad and reach a near orbital velocity that will carry it around the world toward a targeted splashdown point in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii. The Super Heavy booster will separate about 3 minutes into flight and aim to make a soft landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX is preparing for the first orbital-velocity launch of its Starship deep-space rocket system, which consists of a first-stage booster called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship. The test flight will use prototypes Ship 24 and Booster 7 and will take around 90 minutes, starting at Starbase, flying east over the Gulf of Mexico and between the Straits of Florida, and finishing off near Hawaii. Both Super Heavy and Starship are designed to be fully reusable, but this will be the only flight for Booster 7 and Ship 24, which will splash down in the ocean.
The FAA has granted SpaceX a launch license for its Starship rocket, allowing the company to attempt its first orbital launch. The license is valid for five years and comes after a comprehensive evaluation process. SpaceX aims to launch Starship as soon as Monday from its private facility in Texas. The rocket is designed to carry cargo and people beyond Earth and is critical to NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon.
SpaceX is preparing for the first orbital flight attempt of its massive Starship system from its facility in Texas. The combined system, consisting of the Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle, will take flight if minor hardware work and a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration are completed. NASA plans to use a modified version of Starship to lower astronauts to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program. The success of Starship's first flight could impact the growing space industry in Texas and Florida, where SpaceX plans to launch Starship from KSC's pad 39A in the coming years.
SpaceX's Starship vehicle could launch on its first-ever orbital test flight by the end of the third week of April, according to CEO Elon Musk. The company is still waiting on an orbital launch license from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Starship is designed to take people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond, and is fully reusable. The enormous vehicle is powered by 33 of SpaceX's new Raptor engines, while the upper-stage spacecraft, known as Starship, sports six Raptors.
Elon Musk has hinted that SpaceX's Starship rocket may explode on its first orbital launch, estimating a 50% chance of success. The rocket is designed to be fully reusable and could revolutionize the orbital economy by making it cheaper to send payloads into space. If successful, Starship will be the world's first fully reusable orbital rocket. SpaceX is building multiple Starship rockets, and Musk estimates an 80% chance that one of them will reach orbit this year.