SpaceX

An unusual build up of ice on the second stage of the Falcon 9 that launched the Starlink 8-3 mission. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX suffered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015, leaving 20 Starlink satellites in a perilously low orbit. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said it was unclear if the spacecraft could be saved using onboard ion thrusters. SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the year, designated Starlink 9-3, initially appeared to go well after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. PDT (10:35 p.m. EDT, 0235 UTC). But during the burn of the Falcon 9’s second stage an unusual amount of ice was seen building up around the Merlin Vacuum engine in camera views from the rocket. About an hour after satellite deployment, Musk posted on his social m...

Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore spoke to reporters Wednesday and said they’re confident the spacecraft will bring them safely back to Earth. In the meantime, Williams said, they’re both enjoying their extended stay aboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA TV The crew of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft said Wednesday they’re confident the capsule will carry them safely back to Earth at the end of their extended stay aboard the International Space Station, despite helium leaks in the ship’s propulsion system and trouble with maneuvering thrusters. Launched June 5, commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams originally expected to spend about eight days in space, putting the Starliner through its paces in the ship’s first piloted...

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It carried the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 8:10 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms deployment of the Türksat 6A satellite. Turkey launched its first home-grown communications satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Monday evening. Prior to the mission’s launch, Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu called the Türksat 6A geostationary satellite “the symbol of our independence”. While this wasn’t the first Türksat spacecraft launched, it’s garnered such national pride because it is the first of its kind to be entirely built in Turkey. Uraloğlu said Turkey is just the 11th country capa...

The Ariane 6 rocket stands at the launch pad at the Europe Spaceport in French Guiana following the removal of the mobile launch gantry. Image: M. Pédoussaut/ESA To quote the title track of Swedish rock band Europe’s third album, “It’s the final countdown” for the long awaited Ariane 6 to finally take flight. After running years behind schedule, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace are less than a week from the planned debut. The 62-meter-tall (203-foot-tall) rocket will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana about 4 km (2.5 mi.) from the former Ariane 5 launch pad. This will be the first of two planned launches of the rocket in 2024. “We will keep in mind that this inaugural flight is also the start of a very important phase in the Ariane 6 program,” said Franck Huib...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of the planned Starlink 8-9 launch on July 3, 2024. SpaceX finished raising the rocket into its vertical position just before midnight on July 2. Image: Spaceflight Now Update 1:48 a.m. EDT: SpaceX updated its target launch time after raising the rocket into launch position shortly before midnight. SpaceX is preparing to launch a batch of Starlink satellites using a booster that ran into technical issues during the final seconds of its last launch attempt. The launch is the first of the month for the company, which is aiming for an average of 12 Falcon flights per month in 2024. Liftoff of the Starlink 8-9 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT ...