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UPI
3 days ago
- Science
- UPI
SpaceX deploys 27 Starlink satellites from the West Coast
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully deploys a Global Positioning System satellite on Friday, and another launch on Saturday deployed 27 Starlink communications satellites. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo May 31 (UPI) -- SpaceX ended May with another successful launch of its Falcon 9 rocket Saturday afternoon at its West Coast launch facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch occurred at 1:10 p.m. PDT with a payload of 27 Starlink satellites bound for low-Earth orbit, SpaceflightNow reported. It was the Falcon 9's 16th successful launch and the 25th for its first-stage booster rocket. The booster rocket successfully landed on the "Of Course I Still Love You" drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. The successful landing marked the 133rd successful booster rocket landing and 455th overall on the droneship. Anne Mason, director of National Security Space Launch for SpaceX, said at least 170 more Falcon launches are planned this year. "This demonstrates how Falcon's reusability and reliability ... have been critical to supporting assured access to space," Mason told media before the afternoon launch. SpaceX is producing a second-stage rocket every 2.5 days to meet the demand for the large number of planned launches. Officials for the Elon Musk-owned space company also are looking to buy Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base to support the ambitious launch schedule.
UPI
4 days ago
- Science
- UPI
SpaceX plans launch of advanced GPS satellite for Space Force
A SpaceX launch of an advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force was scheduled for a 1:23 p.m. ET Friday launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is prepared to launch the GPS 3 satellite from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida on Friday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo May 30 (UPI) -- A SpaceX launch of an advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force was scheduled for a 1:23 p.m. ET Friday launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket will put the GPS III SV-08 into orbit. According to SpaceX, prep work for the launch was done in less than three days, a new record for U.S. national security missions. Those preparations normally take 18-24 months. Space Force Col. Jim Horne hailed the speed of the preparation. He said the launch "highlights another instance of the Space Force's ability to complete high-priority launches on a rapid timescale, which demonstrates the capability to respond to emergent constellation needs as rapidly as Space Vehicle readiness allows." In a pre-launch briefing Launch Weather Officer Mark Burger said the weather outlook shows a 45% chance for favorable weather for Friday's launch. "We'll be looking at those cumulus cloud violations and associated thunderstorms in and close to the pad," Burger said. GPS III satellite maker Lockheed Martin said the company got notice to take the SV-08 satellite out of storage for the launch Feb. 21. Despite the rapid launch schedule for this one, compared with the SV-07 satellite it was less challenging, according to the company. "I'll say somewhat tongue-in-cheek, compared to SV-07, this was, I'll say, a relatively less punishing path to launch, primarily because of the challenges we faced on SV-07, whether it was ground transportation or the RRT climate," Lockheed Martin vice president of Navigations Systems Malik Musawwir said. Just preparing the satellite can take four to five months due to the need for full integration of components stored separately. Two more of the satellites are stored for future launches using ULA Vulcan rockets with no plans to reassign them to SpaceX.
UPI
4 days ago
- Science
- UPI
Next phase of NASA's Artemis II testing set to begin
1 of 2 | NASA projects an image of the Artemis II Mission "Patch" onto the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida in April. The Artemis II mission is planned to be the first to send a crew of four around the moon on a ten day flight. File photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- The next phase of testing is set to begin for NASA's crewed Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon, the administration announced Thursday, and will serve as a foundation for travel to Mars. With a major phase of testing complete, teams will begin to ensure that the Artemis II's rocket and ground systems are working correctly. "It will ensure different systems, including core stage engines and booster thrust control, work as planned," a release from NASA said. Testing teams will also simulate a launch-day scenario in which the Artemis II astronauts will test emergency systems and have them simulate leaving their crew quarters after suiting up to board the rocket for launch. NASA scientists will also test their countdown procedures. Artemis II is scheduled to carry the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface. It is scheduled to lift off in April.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
SpaceX Starship blasts off in ninth test flight as Elon Musk shoots for Mars
SpaceX's massive Starship blasted off into the sky on Tuesday night for its ninth test flight following back-to-back failures earlier this year. The 400-foot-tall ship launched from the company's Starbase facility in Texas just after 7:30 p.m., with the rocket aiming to deploy eight Starlink satellite simulators, a first for Starship, before a scheduled landing in the Indian Ocean. 4 The 400-foot-tall ship launched from the company's Starbase facility in Texas, with the rocket aiming to deploy eight Starlink satellite simulators. SpaceX Advertisement The spacecraft took off after a delay of a few minutes as some last moment issues were worked out. Perfecting the Starship is critical for Elon Musk's quest to reach Mars next year. Tuesday's test also marked the first time that SpaceX has reused the Super Heavy booster rocket. The booster had previously been used in January. Unlike with previous missions, SpaceX will not be attempting to catch the Super Heavy booster. The booster rocket was set to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico during Tuesday's launch but blew up after detaching from the main rocket, according to a broadcast of the launch. Advertisement 4 SpaceX Starship blasts off in ninth test flight on May 27, 2025. SpaceX The Starship is flying the same route as its predecessor, which exploded 10 minutes after take off during SpaceX's eighth test in March. Nearly 1 million viewers watched as the spaceship spun out of control and exploded over the Atlantic ocean, causing several Florida airports to ground flights due to 'space launch debris.' Advertisement 4 The Starship Spacecraft sits on top of the Heavy Booster as SpaceX makes final preparations for the ninth test flight from Pad 1 at Starbase, Texas on Tuesday May 27, 2025. Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock 4 The Starship is flying the same route as its predecessor, which exploded 10 minutes after take off during SpaceX's eighth test in March. SpaceX A similar incident occurred during the seventh test when Starship experienced a propellant leak during its ascent, causing it to break apart and explode in January. Advertisement Despite the failures, both missions saw success in guiding the Super heavy boosters back to the Texas launchpad, where they were caught with the so-called 'chopsticks' or 'Mechazilla' mechanical arms. Starship is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, saving SpaceX significantly on cost and resources, which would aid the company in reaching its ultimate goal of pioneering travel to the Moon and Mars.
UPI
27-05-2025
- Science
- UPI
SpaceX set to conduct ninth Starship launch
1 of 3 | SpaceX is set to conduct its ninth test flight of its Starship spacecraft on Tuesday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo May 27 (UPI) -- SpaceX is set to conduct its ninth test flight of its Starship spacecraft Tuesday after the vessel that it plans to ultimately use to send humans to space exploded in the sky during the two previous tests. The window for the latest flight test from Starbase, Texas, opens at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be streamed live on SpaceX's website. The test flight is to be the first ever takeoff powered by a "flight-proven Super Heavy booster," which SpaceX hopes such boosters will one day be "capable of multiple launches per day." The Super Heavy will execute experiments after blastoff to generate data intended to help improve the vessel's future dependability and performance. The Starship stage of the rocket will attempt to deploy eight satellite simulators for the first time ever and will also relight its engine while in space. Additionally, some of the protective thermal tiles usually attached to protect Starship from heat have been removed for experimental purposes, and a variety of different tile options will be evaluated during the launch. Starship was cleared for the ninth flight test in May after the Starship 8 mission in March stopped commercial air traffic in Florida after SpaceX lost communication with the spacecraft shortly after launch. The spacecraft suffered engine failure and automatically self-destructed, sending debris falling across parts of South Florida and the Atlantic Ocean. The Starship 7 mission in January also exploded after launch, sending debris into the Gulf of Mexico. Tuesday's launch will feature a hazard zone twice the size of the one implemented for Starship 8. The Federal Aviation Administration also required SpaceX to secure a $550 million insurance policy to cover the hazard area that spans 1,600 miles from Starbase. SpaceX claims that Starship is "the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed," and can carry up over 165 tons of reusable parts, and more than 275 tons when expendable materials are in use. Starship spacecrafts are intended to serve for multiple launches and return landings with little maintenance. According to the SpaceX website, the Starship spacecraft is designed to "represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond." Musk is scheduled to host a company talk from Starbase, Texas dubbed "The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary" via the SpaceX X account at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, which Musk said in a note posted to X earlier in May would explain the company's "Mars game plan."
