SpaceX wants to do a land swap in Texas to “expand its operational footprint around its launch facilities” for its giant new Starship rocket, according to the state. SpaceX plans to give 477 acres (193 hectares) to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department near the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge […]
Starship
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SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket apparently performed better on its second-ever test flight than its explosive end would suggest. The mission launched from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas on Nov. 18 of last year. It ended about eight minutes after liftoff, when Starship’s upper-stage spacecraft (called, somewhat confusingly, Starship), detonated […]
WASHINGTON — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk says a propellant dump caused the destruction of the Starship upper stage on a November test flight, giving him confidence that the vehicle can reach orbit on its next launch. On that Nov. 18 launch, the Starship upper stage, or ship, was nearing […]
We could see Starship return to flight as soon as next month. SpaceX’s massive, reusable Starship rocket made two test flights in 2023, the first in April and a second in November, and company representatives now say the third such mission could come as soon as February 2024. During a […]
NEW ORLEANS — SpaceX expects to conduct the third integrated test flight of its Starship vehicle in February as it works to demonstrate key technologies needed to land humans on the moon. During a Jan. 9 media briefing about NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort, Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer […]
Surprise, surprise: SpaceX plans to set more spaceflight records this year. Elon Musk’s company launched 96 orbital missions in 2023, a big jump from its previous high of 61, which was set a year earlier. And SpaceX is planning another big leap in 2024, one that will take it well […]
SpaceX closed out 2023 with a fiery double test of its next Starship megarocket booster and spacecraft on Friday (Sept. 29), sharing some stunning videos of both vehicles in the process. The dual test of engines on the giant Starship and Super Heavy rocket stages at SpaceX’s Starbase proving ground […]
NASA astronauts tested SpaceX’s elevator concept for the Artemis lunar lander that will bring humans back to the surface of the moon as early as 2025. SpaceX was selected to build the spacecraft that NASA will use for future Artemis program missions to the moon. The company’s Starship human landing […]