SpaceX sues to block ULA’s monopoly on Air Force military launches.
SpaceX sues to block ULA’s monopoly on Air Force military launches.
Tag: SpaceX
SpaceX has signed a deal to have its new Raptor engine tested at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
The competition heats up: SpaceX has signed a deal to have its new Raptor engine tested at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
This is a good use of these government facilities, providing a service and also making money for the government.
Arianespace struggles to schedule its customers for launch.
Arianespace struggles to schedule its customers for launch.
The editorial describes the juggling act the company is often forced to perform organizing the duel payloads required by the Ariane 5, with the launch of some customers’ satellites delayed because of the late arrival of other customers. From this information it is clear that the competition coming from SpaceX is not limited only to price. Arianespace’s requirement on Ariane 5 that there be two satellites means that sometimes they have to do harm to one of their customers by delaying their launch, even if that customer delivered on time. I can imagine some of those customers quite willing to go elsewhere should this happen too often.
Data now suggests that SpaceX successfully achieved a controlled landing of its Falcon 9 first stage on Friday.
The competition heats up: Data now suggests that SpaceX successfully achieved a controlled landing of its Falcon 9 first stage on Friday.
The stage itself has not yet been recovered due to heavy seas, but all evidence points to a soft splashdown in the ocean. While I expect them to continue to do this over the ocean, until they get good footage of the landing as well as recover the stage, the next real step is to land the thing over land. The link above also has video of the vertical take-off/landing of Falcon 9R on Friday, which proves they are beginning to prove this capability as well.
In related news, Dragon was successfully berthed to ISS today.
Posted from Boulder, Colorado.
Some additional details about SpaceX’s effort Friday to bring the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth gently.
Some additional details about SpaceX’s effort Friday to bring the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth gently.
They have not yet released a full report, but it appears that the company has made progress. They were able to control the stage’s spinning as it descended, and it apparently was still functioning after it hit the water.
Dragon has successfully reached orbit.
Dragon has successfully reached orbit.
No word on the attempt to bring the first stage down to the water under controlled conditions. One announcement during launch said the video was good and that the stage’s first burn was successful.
SpaceX has completed the first vertical flight of the Falcon 9R landing test rocket.
The competition heats up: SpaceX has successfully completed the first vertical flight of the Falcon 9R landing test rocket.
Reports have been confirmed that SpaceX’s Falcon 9-R development vehicle made its first free flight today at McGregor — taking off, hovering, moving sideways and landing.
Falcon 9R is the successor to Grasshopper, carrying more engines to more accurately simulate a Falcon 9 first stage.
Meanwhile, today’s launch of Dragon and the second attempt to bring the first stage back to Earth in a controlled manner remains iffy because of weather.
NASA has officially handed control of launchpad 39A to SpaceX, where the company intends to launch its Falcon Heavy.
NASA has officially handed control of launchpad 39A to SpaceX, where the company intends to launch its Falcon Heavy.
The agreement turns over control of Launch Complex 39A to the commercial space transportation firm, which plans to use the launch pad for the the initial flights of the Falcon Heavy, a mega-rocket featuring 27 first stage engines generating nearly 4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
Pad 39A was the starting point for many historic Apollo and space shuttle missions, including the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 and the first and last shuttle launches in 1981 and 2011.
“We’ll make great use of this pad, I promise,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, in remarks to the media moments after signing the lease. “We’ve had architects and our launch site engineering [team] working for many months on the sidelines. We will launch the Falcon Heavy from here first — from this pad — early next year.” [emphasis mine]
The highlighted quote reveals a key fact. Until recently SpaceX had been claiming that it will do its first demo launch of Falcon Heavy in 2014. This quote confirms that this schedule is not happening.
SpaceX has positioned recovery crews in the Atlantic in an effort to retrieve the Falcon 9 first stage after its upcoming launch, now set for Friday.
SpaceX has positioned recovery crews in the Atlantic in an effort to retrieve the Falcon 9 first stage after its upcoming launch, now set for Friday.
European satellite operators are pressing Arianespace to find ways to immediately reduce the cost of launching satellites on now Ariane 5 and in the future on Ariane 6.
European satellite operators are pressing Arianespace to find ways to immediately reduce the cost of launching satellites on now Ariane 5 and in the future on Ariane 6.
And why are they doing this? To quote them:
“What is sure is that Europe deserves and requires a [reorganized launcher sector] ahead of 2019, the letter says. “[C]onsiderable efforts to restore competitiveness in price of the existing European launcher need to be undertaken if Europe is [to] maintain its market situation.
“In the short term, a more favorable pricing policy for the small satellites currently being targeted by SpaceX seems indispensable to keeping the Ariane launch manifest strong and well-populated.” [emphasis mine]
It seems that they take very seriously the competitive challenge being presented by SpaceX.
Today’s launch of Dragon to ISS has been scrubbed due to “a helium leak in Falcon 9’s first stage.”
Today’s launch of Dragon to ISS has been scrubbed due to “a helium leak in Falcon 9’s first stage.”
SpaceX also says they will be ready to launch by April 18, their next launch window.
Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?
Want to watch today’s SpaceX launch and tonight’s lunar eclipse? Here’s how?