Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX launches Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite
SpaceX continued its busy launch campaign today with the successful delivery to orbit of the Inmarsat-5 F4 communications satellite. The payload was originally planned to be launched using the companies Falcon Heavy Rocket due to the weight of the satellite. However, with the upgrades to the Falcon 9 over the years it is was powerful…
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SpaceX vs NASA progress since 2010
In 2010 Senator Richard Shelby made the following statement “This request represents nothing more than a commercially-led, faith-based space program. Today, the commercial providers that NASA has contracted with cannot even carry the trash back from the space station much less carry humans to or from space safely. “These providers have yet to live up…
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SpaceX makes history with SES-10 launch
Today SpaceX once again made history with the first launch of a previously flown first stage booster. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:27 pm EDT today with the SES-10 payload. The booster was previously used for the SpaceX CRS-8 mission on 8th April 2016, the booster was the first to successfully land on an…
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SpaceX launches EchoStar 23
After several delays originally for the static fire test and then the weather SpaceX successfully completed its third launch of 2017 this morning with the delivery of the EchoStar 23 payload to orbit. Liftoff occurred at 02:00 with the ignition of the nine Merlin 1D engines that propelled the towards orbit. 35 minutes later confirmation of…
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SpaceX CRS-10 launches
This morning SpaceX made history once again as it made its first launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The pad that had previously been used by NASA for Apollo and Space Shuttle launches has been refurbished by SpaceX over the last couple of years. Designed to support the launch of Falcon Heavy,…
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SpaceX launches first of seven Iridium Next payloads
This afternoon SpaceX successfully returned to flight operations following the September 1st anomaly with the successful launch of ten Iridium Next satellites. The launch was delayed several times due to the investigation into the anomaly, as well as the unfavorable weather around Vandenburg this week. As a result of the investigation into the anomaly, there…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 explodes during static fire test countdown
This morning during their standard Static Fire test procedure the Falcon 9 tasked with launching the Spacecom Amos-6 satellite exploded during the countdown to the static fire. SpaceX have confirmed that the Amos-6 payload was lost due to the explosion, however there were no personnel lost due to standard procedures during tanking operations. Statement on…
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SpaceX nails the GTO Landing
SpaceX successfully launched the JCSAT 14 satellite this week for SKY Perfect JSAT, and once again landed the Falcon 9 first stage on the ASDS “Of Course I Still Love You”. Unlike the landing during the CRS-8 mission this was more complicated due to the speed of the first stage booster at separation. According to…
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SpaceX CRS-8 launches successfully – First Stage Lands
Ten months after the failed CRS-7 launch SpaceX resumed their servicing missions to the International Space Station today with the successful launch of their Dragon spacecraft. Following a smooth countdown the Falcon 9 lifted off at 4:43 pm EDT to begin a 10 minute climb to orbit. As with previous launches SpaceX also attempted to…
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SpaceX launches SES-9
SpaceX continued it’s 2016 launch campaign today with the successful delivery of the SES-9 satellite to orbit. This was the third successful launch since the June 2015 failure and the second launch of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust version of the rocket. SpaceX attempted the launch several times but had to scrub due to several reasons…