Watch LIVE: Elon Musk's SpaceX launches Starship Super Heavy on 9th test flight
SpaceX is all set to launch the ninth test flight of its Starship Super Heavy rocket, marking a significant step in the development of its next-generation heavy-lift launch system.The launch, known as Starship Flight 9, will see the behemoth Starship Super Heavy lift-off from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas.WATCH STARSHIP SUPER HEAVY LAUNCH LIVE
This mission is notable as it will be the first time SpaceX attempts to reuse a Super Heavy booster. Booster 14, which previously flew on Flight 7 earlier this year, will be reused with 29 of its original 33 Raptor engines still operational.advertisementUnlike previous flights where the booster was caught by the launch tower's robotic arms, this time the booster will perform a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, allowing SpaceX to test new recovery techniques and gather data to improve future booster performance and reliability.The Starship upper stage, Ship 35, will attempt to reach engine cutoff and deploy eight Starlink simulator satellites into a suborbital trajectory. This is a critical test following the failures of Flights 7 and 8 earlier in 2025, where the booster successfully returned but the upper stage failed to complete its mission.SpaceX has made several technical adjustments, including changes to propellant loading times and engine configurations, to address previous issues and improve the chances of success.Flight 9 will also feature experimental maneuvers, such as intentionally disabling one of the center engines during the booster's landing burn to validate engine-out capability. The booster will return at a higher angle of attack to increase drag and reduce fuel consumption during landing, a refinement aimed at enhancing reusability and efficiency.Must Watch
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Shukla's ISS flight set to mark liftoff for India's space industry
'I carry not just technical equipment but the hopes and dreams of 1.7 billion Indians.' With these words, Shubhanshu Shukla, poised to become the first Indian astronaut to reach the International Space Station, has stirred a wave of national pride. As he readies for launch from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa's) Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, his mission marks a return to government-sponsored human spaceflight for India after a hiatus of more than four decades — and a bold step into the country's spacefaring future. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is reportedly spending ₹550 crore on the mission. The resonance is unmistakable. More than forty years have passed since Rakesh Sharma's legendary journey aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984 — and his immortal reply when asked how India looked from space: 'Saare Jahaan Se Achcha'. Now, Shukla's flight, part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), is being cast as a generational handoff. If Sharma represented the dreams of a nascent India looking outward, Shukla embodies a confident India reaching for the controls, according to industry experts, who say Shukla's flight will be a stepping stone, signalling a larger role for the private sector in India's forthcoming human spaceflight programmes and space station plans. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, the Crew Dragon C213 capsule will carry Shukla into low Earth orbit. His participation is more than symbolic: At 39, he is one of the four astronauts shortlisted for India's maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, currently slated for late 2026 or early 2027. His role on Ax-4 is to pilot the Dragon spacecraft -- and to bring home crucial operational experience for the Gaganyaan programme. It was on February 27 last year that Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the names of the four astronauts who would carry India's spaceflight ambitions: Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Prathap, and Shukla. Of the four, Shukla is the first to make the leap — and he is clear-eyed about what it means. 'I will be conducting seven scientific experiments that could contribute significantly to our understanding of microgravity and pave the way for future space research. In many ways, I see myself as a bridge between Earth and space,' he told the media. Alongside the research gear, he is also carrying artefacts designed by the National Institute of Design — a nod to India's creative and technological confidence. While his mission is short compared to lifetime milestones, its significance is enduring. Gopichand Thotakura may have etched his name in history last year as India's first civilian astronaut, but Shukla's journey feels different — a measured stride toward a new frontier for Indian science, not just a visit. 'It is important to note that a private company (Elon Musk's SpaceX) is providing the means to go to the space station,' said A K Bhatt, director general of the Indian Space Association (ISpA). 'This experience is a stepping stone to what we want to achieve.' Firms like Larsen & Toubro, among others, are already playing a critical role in the Gaganyaan project, he noted. Bhatt sees a broader transformation underway. 'I see companies like L&T, Tata, and Anand excelling in the sector going ahead, and our startups are also going to play a major role.' The ambition is vast. From $8.4 billion in 2024, India's space economy is projected to soar to $44 billion by 2033, according to a March Ficci-EY report. If the trajectory holds, India's share of the global space market will quadruple: From 2 per cent to 8 per cent. But the sector will need a net investment of $22 billion to reach that target. A constellation of startups is already orbiting the dream. From Dhruva Space and Bellatrix Aerospace to Skyroot, Manastu, and Agnikul Cosmos -- each firm is carving out a niche, whether in propulsion systems, launch vehicles, or satellite design. Even legacy mapping companies like MapmyIndia are getting in on the action, providing geospatial solutions and navigation tech.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Extremely fortunate to be part of space mission, says Indian astronaut Shukla ahead of June 10 launch
Ahead of his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has termed the preparations for the Axiom-4 mission an "amazing journey" and that he was extremely fortunate to be part of something that is "much larger than yourself". The 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot is all set to travel with three other crew members to the ISS onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday (June 10, 2025) at 5:52 p.m. IST. Mr. Shukla, who goes by the nickname "Shux", will be the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984 onboard the erstwhile Soviet Union's Soyuz spacecraft for an eight-day stay in orbit. "It has been an amazing journey; these are the moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself. I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this," Lucknow-born Mr. Shukla said in a short video issued by Axiom Space ahead of Tuesday's (June 10, 2025) launch. Mr. Shukla's crewmates, Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, describe him as "operational-savvy", "focused" and "wicked smart" when it comes to space technologies. "Shux's wisdom, the knowledge he possesses, shows he could be 130-years-old," said Mr. Kapu, the second Hungarian astronaut to travel to space since 1980. "For me, having him as my pilot in the dragon capsule is great. He is already operational-savvy and he is just wicked smart when it comes to spacecraft technologies," said Mr. Whitson, a veteran U.S. astronaut who has spent 675 days in space and undertaken 10 spacewalks. Mr. Slawosz said Mr. Shukla is very focussed in his approach and quick to respond to situations. "He is very focused. He will go one, two, three, four in record time. I don't even know how he gets there so fast," the Polish astronaut said. 'A fantastic squad' Mr. Shukla heaped high praise on his crewmates, describing them as a "fantastic" squad, saying they would be his "friends for life". SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket and the Dragon space capsule were rolled out to the launchpad 39A at the KSC in Florida on Saturday (June 7, 2025). The Axiom-4 (or Ax-4) crew checked on the spacecraft that they will travel into the ISS. "Launch is targeted for 8.22 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Wednesday (June 11, 2025), at 8 a.m. ET," SpaceX announced in an update about the mission. The Axiom Space video also showcases Mr. Shukla's journey from being a child to becoming an astronaut and being chosen for the ambitious space mission. "This journey that I am has been a long one for me. It started out somewhere, I didn't know that this is the path it is going to finally take," Mr. Shukla said. "I would say that I am extremely fortunate and extremely lucky to have had opportunities to first fly all my life, which is a dream job for me, and then to have the opportunity to apply for the astronaut corps, and now be here," he said. Mr. Shukla said that, like his idol Rakesh Sharma, he would also like to inspire the next generation to take up space science as a career and strive to become an astronaut.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Solar Storms Are Causing Elon Musk's Starlink Satellites To Fall From The Sky
The Sun's growing activity is affecting Earth's satellites, particularly those in the Starlink constellation launched by SpaceX. As the Sun approaches the peak of its 11-year cycle, increased geomagnetic storms are causing more satellites to fall out of orbit and re-enter the atmosphere. Denny Oliveira, a space physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre, led a study on 523 Starlink satellites that fell back to Earth between 2020 and 2024. The study revealed that geomagnetic storms caused by the Sun's eruptions increased atmospheric drag, causing satellites to re-enter faster than expected. "We clearly show that the intense solar activity of the current solar cycle has already had significant impacts on Starlink reentries. This is a very exciting time in satellite orbital drag research, since the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit and solar activity are the highest ever observed in human history," the NASA team wrote in the paper. As per Science Alert, the solar cycle, an 11-year period of fluctuating solar activity, involves a magnetic reversal of the Sun's poles, marked by sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. Activity peaks at solar maximum, when the poles flip, and declines to a minimum before rising again. We're currently at the peak of the 25th cycle, which has been stronger than predicted, though not the strongest recorded. This heightened activity impacts Earth significantly. Solar particles, carried by coronal mass ejections and solar wind, create vibrant auroras by interacting with the atmosphere. Less visibly, increased solar activity heats the upper atmosphere, causing it to expand. This expansion increases drag on spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, requiring trajectory adjustments to maintain their orbits. All low-orbit satellites are affected, but SpaceX's Starlink constellation, with 8,873 satellites launched and 7,669 still operational, provides a unique case study for analysing solar maximum on satellite operations. As a result, satellites need to make adjustments to maintain their trajectory, and the increased drag can even cause some to fall out of orbit. "Here, we use … Starlink orbital data to perform a superposed epoch analysis of orbital altitudes and velocities to identify impacts caused by storms with different intensities. The Starlink reentries coincide with the rising phase of solar cycle 25, a period with increasing solar activity," the researchers wrote. Starlink satellites Notably, SpaceX's Starlink satellites aim to provide global high-speed internet access, especially to remote areas with limited or no connectivity. Each Starlink satellite has a limited lifespan, which is typically less than five years. After this period, the satellites re-enter the atmosphere and burn up before reaching the ground. However, the growing number of satellites in Earth's orbit poses challenges beyond their benefits. One major concern is the obstruction they cause to astronomical observations, as these satellites can reflect sunlight and interfere with stargazing and scientific research. Further, the increased launches of human-made satellites are contributing to the accumulation of space junk in Earth's orbit.
