Latest news with #Starship7
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
SpaceX set to conduct ninth Starship launch
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." Elon 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."
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."
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Elon Musk's SpaceX plans raise major red flags for regulators
Elon Musk is facing problems from more than just his flagship company. As Tesla stock continues to trend downward amid declining sales and consumer backlash, its future appears increasingly uncertain. With the electric vehicle (EV) leader struggling so much, it can be easy to overlook the fact that Musk's other companies are also dealing with problems. One of his other enterprises is off to an extremely discouraging start this year, after multiple public failures, likely severely diminishing confidence in its products. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The company in question is SpaceX, Musk's space exploration and technology startup, which became the world's most valuable privately held company in December 2024. Unfortunately, since then, it has attempted multiple rocket launches that haven't gone well, making things even more complicated for Musk. Now the company is gearing up to continue operations in the coming months, raising concerns among regulators. Image source: Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Anyone who follows SpaceX's recent progress knows that the company isn't off to a good start in 2025. The company has launched multiple Starship rockets this year, a central component of Musk's plan to help colonize Mars, both of which have ended in a literal explosion. Related: Elon Musk faces growing legal Twitter/X problem This comes at a time when SpaceX had previously seemed poised to usher in a new era of space tourism, something Musk had been highly focused on for years. With his new proximity to President Donald Trump, it seemed likelier than ever that his rocket company could reach new heights. However, after multiple explosions in just a few months, SpaceX may have a difficult time convincing regulators that its problems are over. The company is preparing to attempt another launch, which will send its Starship 9 rocket over the Caribbean, specifically over several British territories. According to reports, the previous SpaceX launches resulted in debris falling on these exact islands, a group that includes the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, and Anguilla. This has prompted concern among UK regulators that the people of these islands could be in danger if the SpaceX launch proceeds as planned. More Elon Musk News: Elon Musk gets devastating news as the 'anti-Tesla' catches onLeaked Tesla policy should infuriate Tesla loyalistsElon Musk's robotaxi ambitions hit with major roadblock The outlet describes this space vessel as the world's most powerful rocket, noting that increasing its launches seems to be a priority for Musk. SpaceX has made the same claim, stating that it is "capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable" into space. For the people of these islands, the prospect of another SpaceX launch could be a scary thought, and for good reason. Following the Starship 7 explosion in January, pieces of the rocket were found along beaches and roads in Turks and Caicos, and one resident reported that the debris damaged their car. Related: Veteran analyst revamps Rocket Lab stock price target As TheStreet's Veronika Bondarenko reported, when the Starship 8 exploded three months later, flights in Orlando, Florida, were unable to take off due to what airport authorities described as "space launch debris in the area." People on the Florida coast and across the Bahamas claimed to be able to see red streaks in the sky from the failed launch. With that in mind, British regulators have asked the U.S. Department of State to consider having the launch trajectory or site changed to prevent further risks to British territories. They have also requested that more information regarding SpaceX's planned safety measures be provided before the launch of Starship 9, expected to happen next week. This makes it quite clear that they do not trust Musk or his company. SpaceX recently gained federal approval to launch more rockets in South Texas, but that doesn't mean regulatory agencies are confident that more missions won't mean more disasters post-launch. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
FAA issues ground stop after SpaceX loses contact with Starship 8 minutes into launch
March 6 (UPI) -- SpaceX's Starship 8 roared into the late afternoon Texas sky from Starbase near Brownsville Thursday, but scientists lost contact with the craft minutes later. It was the first test flight since Starship 7 exploded mid flight in January. "We have lost contact with the ship. "It is no longer providing telemetry," a commentator said on SpaceX's live stream. "It looks like several engines have shut down and we've lost control of the vehicle." SpaceX said there are several safety measures in place to keep the public safe in the event of a mishap. It's the second consecutive Starship mission that has ended in failure. The rocket exploded of the Florida coast minutes after the launch. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for air traffic in Florida as a result of the errant rocket. Ground stops are typically issued when there is a security threat or bad weather. The first stage fuel cell returned successfully to a pair of waiting arms known as "chopsticks," which caught it minutes after the rocket hurtled toward space. Elon Musk's SpaceX said it had improved Starship's hardware systems to increase the reliability of its fuel cell since the failed mission of Starship 7, which exploded over the Turks and Caicos on Jan. 16, sending debris into the Caribbean. SpaceX blamed the Starship7 accident on a propellant leak, and released details of the explosion in a report. The company did not release details about the cause of the Starship 8 mission failure Thursday and said only that some of 6 Merlin engines that power the rocket appeared to have shut down midflight. Starship 8 was attempting to accomplish the same goals that the previous mission failed to do because of the accident. The Starship 8 mission was scheduled to fly the same suborbital trajectory as previous missions and will target objectives not reached on the previous test, including Starship's first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared toward returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch. SpaceX said in addition to hardware updates, it also made improvements to Starship 8's forward flaps, modifying their ability to tilt and better protect itself from heat upon atmospheric reentry. "Starship's reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage's rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure, SpaceX added. That change is independent of a change to the rocket's propulsion system, which is reflected by an upgrade over previous missions that will allow for a 25% increase in the fuel cell's propellant volume and is not only expected to help on the Starship 8 mission, but on future ones, as well. SpaceX also made upgrades to the systems that allow a pair of mechanical arms, referred to as "chopsticks," that catch and harness the returning reusable fuel cell after it has sent the Starship into low-Earth orbit. Starship 8 was scheduled to deploy simulations of the next generation of SpaceX's Starlink satellites, part of the company's expanding network of Internet satellites.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
FAA issues ground stop after SpaceX loses contact with Starship 8 minutes into launch
March 6 (UPI) -- SpaceX's Starship 8 roared into the late afternoon Texas sky from Starbase near Brownsville Thursday, but scientists lost contact with the craft minutes later. It was the first test flight since Starship 7 exploded mid flight in January. "We have lost contact with the ship. "It is no longer providing telemetry," a commentator said on SpaceX's live stream. "It looks like several engines have shut down and we've lost control of the vehicle." SpaceX said there are several safety measures in place to keep the public safe in the event of a mishap. It's the second consecutive Starship mission that has ended in failure. The rocket exploded of the Florida coast minutes after the launch. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for air traffic in Florida as a result of the errant rocket. Ground stops are typically issued when there is a security threat or bad weather. The first stage fuel cell returned successfully to a pair of waiting arms known as "chopsticks," which caught it minutes after the rocket hurtled toward space. Elon Musk's SpaceX said it had improved Starship's hardware systems to increase the reliability of its fuel cell since the failed mission of Starship 7, which exploded over the Turks and Caicos on Jan. 16, sending debris into the Caribbean. SpaceX blamed the Starship7 accident on a propellant leak, and released details of the explosion in a report. The company did not release details about the cause of the Starship 8 mission failure Thursday and said only that some of 6 Merlin engines that power the rocket appeared to have shut down midflight. Starship 8 was attempting to accomplish the same goals that the previous mission failed to do because of the accident. The Starship 8 mission was scheduled to fly the same suborbital trajectory as previous missions and will target objectives not reached on the previous test, including Starship's first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared toward returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch. SpaceX said in addition to hardware updates, it also made improvements to Starship 8's forward flaps, modifying their ability to tilt and better protect itself from heat upon atmospheric reentry. "Starship's reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage's rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure, SpaceX added. That change is independent of a change to the rocket's propulsion system, which is reflected by an upgrade over previous missions that will allow for a 25% increase in the fuel cell's propellant volume and is not only expected to help on the Starship 8 mission, but on future ones, as well. SpaceX also made upgrades to the systems that allow a pair of mechanical arms, referred to as "chopsticks," that catch and harness the returning reusable fuel cell after it has sent the Starship into low-Earth orbit. Starship 8 was scheduled to deploy simulations of the next generation of SpaceX's Starlink satellites, part of the company's expanding network of Internet satellites.
