NASA, SpaceX test Starship docking system for moon missions – Inceptive Mind

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NASA and SpaceX have recently performed full-scale qualification testing of the docking system that will connect SpaceXs Starship Human Landing System (HLS) with Orion and later Gateway in lunar orbit during future crewed Artemis missions. The docking system will help astronauts move between different spacecraft during lunar landings as part of NASAs Artemis campaign.

The Artemis III mission will see astronauts riding the Orion spacecraft from Earth to lunar orbit and then transfer to the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) to land on the moons surface. Once their activities on the surface are complete, they will return to Orion in lunar orbit via Starship.

For future missions, the astronauts will move from Orion to Starship through the Gateway lunar space station. The Starship docking system is based on SpaceXs flight-proven Dragon 2 docking system, which has been used in missions to the International Space Station. The Starship docking system can be configured to connect the lander to Orion or Gateway.

The recent docking system tests for Starship HLS were conducted at NASAs Johnson Space Center. The tests were carried out for over 10 days and covered more than 200 docking scenarios with varying approach angles and speeds. These real-world results using full-scale hardware will help validate computer models of the Moon landers docking system.

During the dynamic testing, the Starship system could perform a soft capture while in the active docking role. This means the soft capture system (SCS) of the active docking system can attach to the passive system of the other spacecraft, allowing the two spacecraft to dock. This was demonstrated during the testing, where one vehicle assumed an active chaser role while the other was in a passive target role.

NASA says the docking mechanism is on its way to formal certification in the run-up to the launch of Artemis III in 2026.

SpaceX has achieved a lot since it was chosen as the lander to take humans back to the Moon. They have completed over 30 HLS specific milestones, which involved defining and testing hardware for power generation, communications, guidance and navigation, propulsion, life support, and space environments protection.

NASAs Artemis campaign is focusing on landing the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface. The mission is also preparing for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all. Commercial human landing systems are crucial for deep space exploration, along with the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, exploration ground systems, and the Gateway space station.

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NASA, SpaceX test Starship docking system for moon missions - Inceptive Mind

SpaceX’s ISS mission pushed to Saturday night – News 13 Orlando

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The Space X Falcon 9 stands tall at Pad 39A, and on top, the Endeavour Crew Dragon is ready to take the four-member Crew 8 to the International Space Station. But the crew has an extra day on Earth since the launch has been pushed back to Saturday night.

The launch was originally set for Friday at 12:04 a.m. ET but it was pushed back to Saturday at 11:16 p.m. ET, stated SpaceX. NASA cited unfavorable weather conditions as the reason behind the change of launch date.

The mission is a partnership between NASA and SpaceX to prep for this latest astronaut mission, dating back to the early demo flights.

Pouring through all that data, all the leak checks and checkouts, that are required to get it ready to fly, said John Posey, NASA Crew Dragon engineer, of the missions status.

The Crew-8 team landed at Kennedy Space Center Sunday afternoon.

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are readying for launch and a six-month stay at the orbiting outpost.

Posey hopes each mission inspires future generations.

We hope that kids will be inspired to go and work in that field, learn what it takes to do spaceflight safely, and come and join the work, he said.

SpaceX will soon be launching crews from Pad 40 next door at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station once the certification process wraps.

That could happen in the very near future.

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SpaceX's ISS mission pushed to Saturday night - News 13 Orlando

SpaceX Leaps, Launches and Lands Falcon 9, Delivers 23 Starlinks to Orbit – AmericaSpace

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SpaceX closed out an impressive nine-launch month earlier today by flying its first-ever Falcon 9 on a Leap Day, 29 February. Following hard on the heels of eight earlier missions in the past four weeksincluding a NASA-led ocean/climate-monitoring mission, an Indonesian geostationary communications satellite, a highly classified group of payloads for the U.S. Space Force, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) and Intuitive Machines high-profile IM-1 voyage to the Moons South Pole under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracta many-times-used Falcon 9 roared uphill from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 at Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:30 p.m. EST Thursday, laden with a 23-strong batch of Starlink low-orbiting internet communications satellites.

Following Wednesdays decision to postpone the launch of Dragon Endeavour and her Crew-8 quartet of NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Mike Barratt and Jeanette Epps, together with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Grebenkin to no earlier than 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday, SpaceX elected to squeeze a ninth Falcon 9 mission into Februarys final day, flown out of Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 at Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using the 11-times-flown B1076 booster. It marked the first-ever U.S. orbital launch on a Leap Day, although the crew of shuttle Columbia observed the quadrennial day during their 16-day STS-75 mission in 1996 and at least one U.S. astronaut have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for each Leap Day since 2004.

Todays mission firmed up yesterday with the appearance of an associated weather forecast update, via the 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base, and an announcement late Wednesday from SpaceX. In earlier comments provided by Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich, NASA does not permit a Falcon 9 launch within 48 hours of a Crew Dragon flight, due to insufficient time for data review.

However, citing a steadily deteriorating weather picture SpaceX and NASA announced late Wednesday that they would forego the opening pair of launch attempts for Crew-8both instantaneous, the first timed for 12:04 a.m. EST Friday, the second almost 24 hours later at 11:41 p.m. EST Fridayand aim instead for the third opportunity at 11:16 p.m. EST Saturday. It was noted that both opening launch tries had been called off in response to poor predicted weather across Dragon Endeavours flight path in the event that a launch contingency should force an aborted landing.

High wind and waves along the eastern seaboard have been observed and are forecast to continue through Saturday morning, NASA noted late Wednesday. In the unlikely case of an abort during launch or the flight of Dragon, the wind and wave conditions must be within acceptable conditions for the safe recovery of the crew and spacecraft.

As such, Thursdays Starlink mission by B1076 closed out February on nine Falcon 9 flights, with weather conditions hovering around 85-percent-favorable, tempered by a slight chance of violating the Cumulus Cloud Rule and Liftoff Winds Rule. However, the outlook for the backup opportunity at 10:04 a.m. EST Friday was expected to decline sharply to only 65 percent favorability.

Cloud cover will increase as a weak boundary approaches Central Florida tomorrow morning, the 45th noted of Thursdays forecast. A narrow band of light showers will form along the boundary, but any showers that develop will likely be too shallow to cause a weather violation due to very dry air in the mid-levels.

A slip to Friday morning, however, was expected to produce a far murkier picture. Conditions become more unfavorable for the backup window on Friday, it was continued, as the cirrostratus layer thickens and decreases in altitude. The result would be a risk of thick clouds, as well as Atlantic low-topped showers.

Todays mission targeted a two-hour window from 10:30 a.m. EST through 12:30 a.m. EST and marked the second outing by B1076 this year and her 11th flight overall. B1076s career began in November 2022, when she lofted the CRS-26 Cargo Dragon for a six-week berth at the International Space Station (ISS).

She flew an additional eight times last year, heaving 40 broadband satellites uphill for London, Englands OneWeb in the second week of January 2023, followed by the heavyweight Intelsat 40e geostationary communications satelliteco-manifested with NASAs Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) payloadin early April, five batches of Starlinks in February, May, July, September and October and a pair of O3b mPOWER communications satellites in November. Her 2024 campaign began with last months launch of the Swedish Ovzon-3 geostationary broadband satellite.

Aboard B1076 was a 23-strong Starlink V2 Mini payload stack, weighing an estimated 40,600 pounds (18,400 kilograms) and brought to almost 270 the total number of these flat-packed, low-orbiting internet communications satellites inserted into space so far this year and over 5,900 lofted by more than 140 Falcon 9 missions since May 2019. Deployment of the satellites occurred 65 minutes into todays flight.

As a network, Starlink enables high-speed and low-latency internet provision to over 70 sovereign nations and international markets in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa. Landlocked Eswatiniformerly Swazilandin southern Africa and Honduras and Paraguay joined Starlink in December.

The downsized V2 Mini satellites, first flown last February, boast three to four times greater usable bandwidth than earlier Starlink iterations. V2 Minis include key technologiessuch as more powerful phased-array antennas and the use of E-Band for backhaulwhich will allow Starlink to provide 4x more capacity per satellite than earlier iterations, SpaceX explained. Among other enhancements, V2 Minis are equipped with new argon Hall thrusters for on-orbit maneuvering.

Florida-based intercity operator Brightline adopted Starlink on its trains in 2023, the first passenger rail service in the world to do so. Additionally, El Salvadors Ministry of Education has begun integrating Starlink capability into its schools to help close the digital divide between urban and remote rural communities and 50 Rwandan schools are now connected via Starlinks high-speed internet service.

And last month, SpaceX lofted its first six Direct-to-Cell Starlinks, which permit mobile network providers to offer seamless global access to texting, calling and browsing, whether on land, lakes or coastal waters, without the need to change hardware or firmware. Within six days of that first launch, SpaceX engineers sent and received their first text messages via Direct-to-Cell.

In readiness for tonights launch, the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS), Just Read the Instructions, put to sea out of Port Canaveral last Sunday, bound for a recovery position about 390 miles (630 kilometers) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. This was be JRTIs second deployment in 2024: having taken center-stage during last Decembers premature loss of B1058the one-time ride of Demo-2 astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnkenshe was returned to dry dock for a month of repair and refurbishment, only re-entering operational service last week to recover the 17-times-flown B1067 booster after a successful mission to launch Indonesias Merah Putih-2 geostationary communications satellite.

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SpaceX Leaps, Launches and Lands Falcon 9, Delivers 23 Starlinks to Orbit - AmericaSpace

SpaceX sends 1st text messages using Starlink satellites – Space.com

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Well, that was fast.

SpaceX just broke in its new direct-to-cell Starlink satellites, using one of them to send text messages for the first time.

The milestone came on Jan. 8, just six days after the six Starlink spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, the company announced in an update on Wednesday (Jan. 10).

Those pioneering texts included the classic "New phone who dis?" as well as "Never had such signal" and "Much wow," according to a SpaceX post on X on Wednesday. (SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said the first message was "LFGMF2024," but he was apparently joking.)

Related: SpaceX Starlink satellites to beam service straight to smartphones

Starlink is SpaceX's satellite network in low Earth orbit that provides internet service to people around the world.

The megaconstellation currently consists of more than 5,250 functional spacecraft, but the six that went up on Jan. 2 were the first with direct-to-cell capabilities. (Those half-dozen launched along with 15 traditional Starlink satellites.)

Beaming connectivity service from satellites directly to smartphones which SpaceX is doing via a partnership with T-Mobile is a difficult proposition, as SpaceX noted in Wednesday's update.

"For example, in terrestrial networks cell towers are stationary, but in a satellite network they move at tens of thousands of miles per hour relative to users on Earth," SpaceX wrote. "This requires seamless handoffs between satellites and accommodations for factors like Doppler shift and timing delays that challenge phone-to-space communications. Cell phones are also incredibly difficult to connect to satellites hundreds of kilometers away, given a mobile phone's low antenna gain and transmit power."

The direct-to-cell Starlink satellites overcome these challenges thanks to "innovative new custom silicon, phased-array antennas and advanced software algorithms," SpaceX added.

Overcoming tough challenges can lead to great rewards, and that's the case here, according to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell

"Satellite connectivity direct to cell phones will have a tremendous impact around the world, helping people communicate wherever and whenever they want or need to," Shotwell said via X on Wednesday.

The Jan. 2 Starlink launch was SpaceX's first of the year. But there will be many more: The company has said it aims to launch 144 orbital missions in 2024, which would break its record of 98, set last year.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 6:10 p.m. EST on Jan. 11 to include some of the first texts sent via the direct-to-cell Starlink satellites.

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SpaceX sends 1st text messages using Starlink satellites - Space.com

SpaceX delays launch for third time out of VSFB, cites unfavorable weather – KSBY News

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UPDATE (Thursday, Jan. 11) - SpaceX delayed the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base for the third time, citing unfavorable weather conditions.

The aerospace company is now targeting Saturday, January 13 at 12:59 a.m. for the launch.

___ UPDATE (Wednesday, Jan. 10) - SpaceX is citing unfavorable weather conditions for again delaying the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The aerospace company is now targeting Friday, January 12 at 12:59 a.m. for the launch.

The rocket will carry 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. ___

UPDATE (6:27 p.m.) - SpaceX delayed its planned launch Tuesday out of Vandenberg Space Force Base to Thursday morning.

The launch is now targeted for Thursday, at 12:59 a.m.

If needed, an additional opportunity is also available on Friday, January 12 at 12:59 a.m. ___

(Tuesday, Jan. 9, 8:50 a.m.) - SpaceX is targeting Tuesday night for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Liftoff is scheduled for 9:06 p.m. but backup opportunities are available until 11:28 p.m.

If the launch does not go, SpaceX will try again Wednesday starting at 9:08 p.m.

The launch will mark the 18th flight for the missions first-stage booster, which is expected to land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean. No sonic boom is expected to be heard locally.

A live webcast of the launch will begin on X approximately five minutes before liftoff.

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SpaceX delays launch for third time out of VSFB, cites unfavorable weather - KSBY News

NASA Reportedly Forced to Push Back Moon Landing After SpaceX Fails to Deliver Starship – Futurism

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SpaceX still has a lot to prove. Starship Has Sailed

NASA's efforts to return humans to the lunar surface are facing some serious delays.

As Reuters reports, the space agency's first crewed lunar landing mission in over half a century, dubbed Artemis 3 will likely slip from its tentative late 2025 launch date, with insider sources saying that the issue is SpaceX is taking longer than expected to reach certain milestones with its massive Starship spacecraft (you know, the one that keeps exploding.)

Similarly, NASA's Artemis 2 mission, a crewed journey around the Moon and back, will also likely be pushed back due to recently uncovered issues with Lockheed Martin's Orion crew capsule, per the report.

Given the astronomical complexities involved, the news shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. SpaceX has been working at a fever pitch to get its 165-foot stainless steel rocket into orbit and carried out two orbital launch attempts last year both of which ended in,well, don't call them failures but the missions didn't survive.

The plan is to have a Starship Human Landing System spacecraft rendezvous with an Orion spacecraft and ferry NASA astronauts from the Moon's orbit down to the surface.

It's a complicated mission that involves several Starship spacecraft fueling a Moon landing variant in Earth's orbit, before meeting up with the crew hundreds of thousands of miles away.

SpaceX still has a lot to prove, including achieving a stable orbit, swapping fuel between spacecraft, and of course the ability to make a safe and soft approach to the lunar surface.

Despite the delays, NASA is still making progress toward its goal of returning the first astronauts to the lunar surface in over half a century. So far, NASA already has one successful Artemis mission under its belt, having launched an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon and back in 2022.

According to Reuters, NASA is expected to announce revised plans today, so stay tuned.

Updated to correctly identify the manufacturer of the Orion crew capsule.

More on Artemis: This Multi-Purpose Moon Habitat Looks Cool as Hell

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NASA Reportedly Forced to Push Back Moon Landing After SpaceX Fails to Deliver Starship - Futurism

500 Million Reasons to Buy This Cathie Wood SpaceX Competitor in 2024 – The Motley Fool

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The space exploration industry has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. The exciting progress of SpaceX, which was founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has helped bring commercial space applications to the mainstream.

One company making noticeable strides is Rocket Lab USA (RKLB -3.37%). The company markets itself as an end-to-end space business -- specializing in launch services, satellite manufacturing, and software used on spacecraft.

At just $5.45 per share, the stock is hovering around all-time lows. Is this a grim sign, or is it possible that the stock is about to take flight?

Let's dig into what may have caused Rocket Lab's sell-off and why the future still looks bright.

Like fellow commercial space businesses Virgin Galactic and Astra Space, Rocket Lab went public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). SPAC mergers had a fleeting moment in the spotlight a couple of years ago as entrepreneurs such as Chamath Palihapitiya and many others looked to democratize access to high-profile start-ups. While the intentions were good, the reality is that many companies that hit the public exchanges through SPACs were still pretty risky. As a result, many SPAC stocks experienced pronounced trading activity with share prices whipsawing all over the place. Unfortunately, many investors were left holding the bag.

Shortly after going public, Rocket Lab stock essentially doubled -- reaching a high of $20.72 per share. Although its cratering share price may not appear alluring, investors should understand some important details.

The space industry requires a significant level of capital investment. Whether it's building rocket ships and satellites or developing software, sending things into orbit is a costly endeavor.

RKLB Capital Expenditures (Quarterly) data by YCharts

The chart above illustrates Rocket Lab's research and development (R&D) and capital expenditures trends over the last several quarters. Unsurprisingly, the rising costs have taken a toll on the company's liquidity.

Given Rocket Lab is not yet generating positive free cash flow, the company's burn rate could extinguish its cash position. These concerns have likely led to a sell-off in the stock as investors realized that each new space business isn't necessarily the next SpaceX or Blue Origin.

Image source: Getty Images.

The dynamics outlined above make it clear that Rocket Lab not only needs to identify new sources of business but needs to do so quickly. According to a recent regulatory filing, on Dec. 21 the company entered into an agreement with an unnamed U.S. government contractor "to design, manufacture, deliver, and operate 18 space vehicles."

Under the contract, Rocket Lab will earn a base amount of $489 million and have the opportunity to collect $26 million of additional incentive pay. While the prospects of a $515 million inflow are encouraging, there are some stipulations investors should be aware of.

First off, the $515 million represents potential future revenue for Rocket Lab. As the graphs above illustrate, consistent profitability is difficult in the space industry. And per the terms and conditions of the deal, these space vehicles won't be delivered until 2027, and full operations aren't expected until 2030.

The long-term nature of Rocket Lab's new contract could be seen as a blessing and a curse. While it adds validation to the company's mission and the quality of its business, it doesn't necessarily solve the liquidity concerns. If anything, the payments from this government deal should extend the company's runway a bit, but it'll still be an uphill battle to long-term profitability.

With that said, Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood has been scooping up shares of Rocket Lab. Since the company's announcement of its new deal on Dec. 21, Wood has increased her position in Rocket Lab by about 380,000 shares. This could be seen as a positive. However, keep in mind that Rocket Lab is still a relatively small position for her -- ranking 70th among her total holdings.

Investors interested in the space industry may want to consider a position in Rocket Lab. But keep in mind that the stock will likely experience pronounced volatility as it continues to build out its operations. To me, the government contract is a positive sign, and I think more deals will follow. The biggest questions that remain are when new business might enter the pipeline and how quickly the company can recognize those opportunities to strengthen its financial position.

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500 Million Reasons to Buy This Cathie Wood SpaceX Competitor in 2024 - The Motley Fool

Experience the Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission – NASA

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Editors Note: This article was updated Jan. 9 to reflect the extension of the application deadline to 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 11.

Digital content creators are invited to register to attend the launch of the eighth SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry crew to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission. This mission is part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

The targeted launch date for the agencys SpaceX Crew-8 mission is no earlier than mid-February from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, to the International Space Station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities.

If your passion is to communicate and engage the world online, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to see and share the #Crew8 mission launch.

A maximum of 50 social media users will be selected to attend this three-day event and will be given access similar to news media.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

NASA Social registration for the Crew-8 launch opens on Friday, Jan. 5, and the deadline to apply is at 3 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 11. All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

APPLY NOW

Yes. This event is designed for people who:

Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #NASASocial and #Crew8. Updates and information about the event will be shared on X via @NASASocial and @NASAKennedy, and via posts to Facebook and Instagram.

Registration for this event opens Friday, Jan. 5, and closes at 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 11. Registration is for one person only (you) and is non-transferable. Each individual wishing to attend must register separately. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Because of the security deadlines, registration is limited to U.S. citizens. If you have a valid permanent resident card, you will be processed as a U.S. citizen.

After registrations have been received and processed, an email with confirmation information and additional instructions will be sent to those selected. We expect to send the acceptance notifications on Jan. 17.

All social applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those chosen must prove through the registration process they meet specific engagement criteria.

If you do not make the registration list for this NASA Social, you still can attend the launch offsite and participate in the conversation online. Find out about ways to experience a launch here.

Registration indicates your intent to travel to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida and attend the three-day event in person. You are responsible for your own expenses for travel, accommodations, food, and other amenities.

Some events and participants scheduled to appear at the event are subject to change without notice. NASA is not responsible for loss or damage incurred as a result of attending. NASA, moreover, is not responsible for loss or damage incurred if the event is cancelled with limited or no notice. Please plan accordingly.

Kennedy is a government facility. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas.

IMPORTANT: To be admitted, you will need to provide two forms of unexpired government-issued identification; one must be a photo ID and match the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted.

For a complete list of acceptable forms of ID, please visit: NASA Credentialing Identification Requirements.

All registrants must be at least 18 years old.

Many different factors can cause a scheduled launch date to change multiple times. If the launch date changes, NASA may adjust the date of the NASA Social accordingly to coincide with the new target launch date. NASA will notify registrants of any changes by email.

If the launch is postponed, attendees will be invited to attend a later launch date. NASA cannot accommodate attendees for delays beyond 72 hours.

NASA Social attendees are responsible for any additional costs they incur related to any launch delay. We strongly encourage participants to make travel arrangements that are refundable and/or flexible.

If you cannot come to the Kennedy Space Center and attend in person, you should not register for the NASA Social. You can follow the conversation online using #NASASocial.

You can watch the launch on NASA Television or http://www.nasa.gov/live. NASA will provide regular launch and mission updates on @NASA, @NASAKennedy, and @Commercial_Crew.

If you cannot make this NASA Social, dont worry; NASA is planning many other Socials in the near future at various locations! Check backherefor updates.

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Experience the Launch of NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission - NASA

SpaceX Vandenberg Launch Delayed Again, This Time To Saturday Morning News Talk 1590 KVTA – KVTA

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Thursday January 11, 2024

(File photo courtesy SpaceX)

Updated--SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in northwestern Santa Barbara County has been delayed again, this time until early Saturday morning.

Liftoff is now targeted for 12:59 AM PT, Saturday morning.

Another way of looking at it would be almost an hour after midnight Friday night.

The payload in 22 Starlink Internet Satellites headed for low earth orbit.

The launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday night then rescheduled to Thursday, Friday, and now Saturday morning.

It's unclear if the delay has something to do with the rocket, or maybe the weather because of high winds, or the droneship because of rough seas.

A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.

This is the 18th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3, Korea 425 and seven Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

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SpaceX Vandenberg Launch Delayed Again, This Time To Saturday Morning News Talk 1590 KVTA - KVTA

T-Mobile and SpaceX successfuly test sending and receiving texts via satellites – PhoneArena

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Using T-Mobile's network, SpaceX successfully sent text messages via Starlink satellites. It was just last week when Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the first six Starlink satellites equipped with direct-to-device, or D2D, capabilities. The FCC gave SpaceX the green light last month to test this technology. D2D connects smartphones with satellites. Per CNBC, this past Monday, SpaceX said that it "sent and received our first text messages to and from unmodified cell phones on the ground to our new satellites in space." SpaceX stated that the test "validates" that "the system works." SpaceX hopes to start offering D2D text service this year and will eventually add features such as voice service, data service, and Internet of things services in 2025. Starlink internet service relies on 5,000 orbiting satellites covering 2.3 million customers globally. SpaceX says that "there is incredible demand and high interest" in allowing the Starlink satellite to add D2D capabilities. Besides T-Mobile, other wireless providers that are partners with SpaceX include Canadas Rogers, Australias Optus, and Japans KDDI. Other partnerships have been developed between smartphone manufacturers, wireless providers, and satellite companies. A good example of this is the Apple-Globalstar team that offers Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone 14 line and iPhone 15 series. The iPhone's system allows a user who finds themselves in an emergency situation in an area not covered by cellular service to send an emergency text via satellite to emergency responders who dispatch help to the iPhone user's location. The feature has already saved lives. One partnership that failed was the one between chipmaker Qualcomm and Iridium. Called Snapdragon Satellite, the service was supposed to be used on Android handsets to deliver emergency service via satellites. But not one Android phone manufacturer decided to add Snapdragon Satellite to their handsets and the partnership officially endedon December 3rd. Earlier this month, when SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellites with D2D, T-Mobile President of Marketing, Strategy, and Products, Mike Katz, said, "Our mission is to be the best in the world at connecting customers to their world and today is another step forward in keeping our customers connected even in the most remote locations for added peace of mind when they need it most. Today's launch is a pivotal moment for this groundbreaking alliance with SpaceX and our global partners around the world, as we work to make dead zones a thing of the past."

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T-Mobile and SpaceX successfuly test sending and receiving texts via satellites - PhoneArena

SpaceX Releases Cringe Elon Musk Staff Meeting Video To Prove He Wasn’t On Drugs, But His Bizarre Behavior Isn’t … – Jalopnik

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Elon Musk has never been particularly good at public speaking. Hes constantly stumbling over his own words, repeating himself, and forgetting key talking points. Every time Ive seen a new Tesla unveil, Ive thought to myself that he looks like he was randomly selected from the crowd and told to give a speech on a topic he was only tangentially familiar with. More people suffer from glossophobia, a fear of public speaking, than they fear death. Maybe hes afraid. Or maybe hes tired, or hungover, or stressed. Or maybe its a consistent and ongoing propensity for drug abuse.

Walter Isaacson On Elon Musk(s)

A recent Wall Street Journal expos voices the concerns of executives and board members within Musks many companies, that Elons use of LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, psilocybin, marijuana, and ketamine are affecting his ability to run those companies effectively. His behavior has long been described as volatile and unstable, but SpaceX employees reportedly called out a specific 2017 all-hands meeting as the turning point, describing the meeting as nonsensical, unhinged, and cringeworthy.

In an effort to refute the claims, SpaceX tweeted the full one hour and thirteen minute meeting in full for everyone to watch. Evidently this is intended to refute a single sentence of the WSJ report; SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell ultimately stepped in and took over the meeting. While Shotwell was certainly on hand to keep the meeting at least aimed in the right direction, Musk was the driving force for the full meeting. That doesnt change the fact that hes incomprehensible and difficult to follow for the entirety of the meeting. Its a rough watch, I dont recommend it. Youve been warned.

Musk has said that he has a prescription for ketamine and weve all seen the video of him smoking (if you can call it that) weed on Joe Rogans podcast. Reports indicate that Musk occasionally hosts private parties where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter and his drug use has been witnessed. He reportedly took acid at a party in Los Angeles in 2018, took mushrooms at a party in Mexico in 2019, and got blasted on ket at Art Basel in 2021. Steve Jurvetson, former Tesla and current SpaceX board member, says hes done drugs with Elon.

Its worth mentioning that Alex Spiro, Musks attorney, said that Elon is regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test. But whats the chain of custody on his pee?

Look, Im not going to be the Just say no Richard Nixon war on drugs buzzkill around here and say that there are no circumstances under which drug use is okay. All Im saying is that its a little disconcerting that the richest man in the world who is singularly in control of several trillions of dollars of shareholder value and billions of tax-paid government contracts cant get his mind right. At a certain level Musk is Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Company, Twitter, Solar City, Neuralink, etc. and those companies are Musk.

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SpaceX Releases Cringe Elon Musk Staff Meeting Video To Prove He Wasn't On Drugs, But His Bizarre Behavior Isn't ... - Jalopnik

SpaceX’s explosive test flight achieved key milestones. But there is still a long way to go – AppleValleyNewsNow.com

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SpaceX's explosive test flight achieved key milestones. But there is still a long way to go - AppleValleyNewsNow.com

ROCKET LAUNCH SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-2 – Kennedy Space Center

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SpaceX's Starlink is the constellation of networked satellites aimed to provide internet services to those who are not yet connected, and to provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe. The launch window opens at 8:18 AM ET and concludes at 12:00 PM ET. The visitor complex will open at 7:30 AM for launch viewing.

The Falcon 9's booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Watch the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the next batch of Starlink satellites from one of the following locations:

ROCKET LAUNCH: April 19, 2023 | SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-2

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Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is operated for NASA by Delaware North and is entirely visitor-funded.Images shown may not represent current operational and safety guidelines.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953

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ROCKET LAUNCH SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 6-2 - Kennedy Space Center

Vulcan Rocket Aces Its First Launch – The New York Times

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Read more about the malfunctioning moon lander mission.

A brand-new rocket lifted off early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla., sending multiple payloads on journeys into space.

Hours after the debut of the Vulcan rocket, a moon lander it carried built by a private company faced malfunctions that imperiled its mission. That did not diminish the launch itself, which was flawless and set up future missions of the vehicle, which was built by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Tory Bruno, the chief executive of U.L.A., summed it up tersely in a post on the social media site X.

Launched on the open of the window. Perfectly nominal mission. Dead on bullseye orbital insertion, he wrote.

For U.L.A., the successful launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket was crucial. Vulcan is designed to replace two older rockets, and the United States Space Force is also counting on it to launch spy satellites and other spacecraft that are important for U.S. national security.

The Vulcan is also the first of several new rockets that could chip away at the current domination of the space launch market by Elon Musks company, SpaceX. SpaceX sent nearly 100 rockets into orbit last year. Other debut orbital launches in the coming months could include the Ariane 6 rocket from Arianespace, a European company, and New Glenn from Blue Origin, the company started by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder.

Through the night, the countdown for the Vulcan rocket proceeded smoothly, and the weather cooperated.

At 2:18 a.m. Eastern time, the rockets engines ignited and lifted off from the launchpad, heading up and east over the Atlantic Ocean.

Everything looking good, Rob Gannon, the launch commentator at United Launch Alliance, said repeatedly as the Vulcan headed to space.

Yee-haw, Mr. Bruno, said after the deployment of the lunar spacecraft. I am so thrilled. I cant tell you how much.

United Launch Alliance was formed in 2006, and for nine years it was the only company certified by the United States government to send national security payloads into orbit. Until now, it has used two vehicles: the Delta IV, developed by Boeing, which will complete its final flight later this year, and the Atlas V, developed by Lockheed Martin, which is also to retire in a few years.

Seventeen Atlas V launches remain, but the rocket uses Russian-built engines, which became more politically untenable with the rise of tensions between Russia and the United States. That led U.L.A. to begin development of the Vulcan, which replaces the capabilities of both rockets at a lower cost, United Launch Alliance officials said.

Whats unique about Vulcan, and what we originally set out to do, was to provide a rocket that has all the capabilities of Atlas and Delta in one single system, said Mark Peller, the U.L.A. vice president in charge of Vulcans development. Because we do have that adjustability, its configuration can be really tailored to the specific mission.

Vulcan can be configured in a variety of ways. Its core booster stage, the main body of the rocket, is powered by two BE-4 engines manufactured by Blue Origin. The engines, which emit deep blue flames from the burning of methane fuel, will also be used on Blue Origins New Glenn rocket.

Up to six solid rocket fuel boosters can be strapped to the cores side to increase the amount of mass it can lift into orbit. Its nose cone comes in two dimensions a standard size of 51 feet in length, and a longer one, 70 feet, for larger payloads.

The launch market is more robust than it has been in decades, said Carissa Christensen, the chief executive of Bryce Tech, a consulting company in Alexandria, Va. And anticipated demand is likely to be sufficient to support multiple launch providers, including Vulcan.

U.L.A. already has a backlog of more than 70 missions to fly on Vulcan. Amazon bought 38 launches for deployment for Project Kuiper, a constellation of communications satellites that will compete with SpaceXs Starlink network to provide high-speed satellite internet.

Many of the other launches will be for the Space Force. U.L.A. and SpaceX are currently the only companies that are approved for launching national security missions. Mondays launch is the first of two demonstration missions that the Space Force is requiring to gain confidence in Vulcan before it uses the launcher for military and surveillance payloads.

The second launch is to lift Dream Chaser, an uncrewed space plane built by Sierra Space of Louisville, Colo., on a cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. That could then be followed by four additional Vulcan launches this year for the Space Force.

The main payload for the first launch of Vulcan was Peregrine, Astrobotics lunar lander. Astrobotic, founded in 2007, is one of several private companies aiming to provide a delivery service to the surface of the moon. Its primary customer for this trip is NASA, which paid Astrobotic $108 million to carry five experiments. No American spacecraft has made a soft landing on the moon since 1972.

That is part of the scientific work the space agency is conducting to prepare for the return of the astronauts to the moon under the Artemis program. Unlike in the past, when NASA built and operated its own spacecraft, this time it is relying on companies such as Astrobotic to provide the transportation.

That spacecraft likely will no longer be able to attempt a moon landing. But Vulcan also lifted a secondary payload for Celestis, a company that memorializes people by sending some of their ashes or DNA into space. Two toolbox-size containers attached to the Vulcans upper stage house 268 small cylindrical capsules.

Among the people whose remains are on this final journey are Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek; his wife, Majel Barrett, who played Nurse Chapel on the original television show; and three other actors on the show: DeForest Kelley, who played the medical officer Leonard Bones McCoy; Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, the communications officer; and James Doohan, who played Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer.

One of the capsules contains samples of hair from three American presidents: George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.

A final brief engine firing sent the second stage and the Celestis memorial into orbit around the sun.

While Vulcan has many payloads to launch over the next few years, its longer-term prospects are less clear. Other aerospace companies are looking to win some of the Space Force business, and Amazon could in the future shift many more of its Kuiper launches to Mr. Bezos Blue Origin.

Another factor affecting Vulcans future is that SpaceX lands and reuses its Falcon 9 boosters, which is likely to give it a sizable price advantage over U.L.A. By contrast, the whole Vulcan rocket is used just once. Blue Origin is also planning to reuse the New Glenn boosters.

U.L.A. is developing technology that could be used to recover the two engines in the booster, the most expensive part of the rocket, but that is years away.

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Vulcan Rocket Aces Its First Launch - The New York Times

Historic SpaceX Starship Launch to Be Followed by Stunning Explosion Near Hawaii at 4:30am – Weatherboy

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The sun sets in south Texas at Starbase, where SpaceX will attempt their first orbital flight of their Starship spacecraft Monday morning. Image: SpaxeX

SpaceX is preparing the historic launch of their Starship and Super Heavy Rocket from southern Texas; if all goes well, the massive rocket will head on its first orbital journey before coming down near Hawaii just 90 minutes later. A document released by the FAA now details exactly what will happen near Hawaii at the end of this orbital flight test, and the results could be quite explosive.

Space X has designed Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. Several tests have occured up to this point and more tests are planned in the months ahead before people travel on Starship. With an orbital flight test such as the one planned for Monday, April 17, SpaceX says, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.

In addition to the testing of Starships upper stage, the team has conducted numerous tests of the Super Heavy rocket, which include the increasingly complex static fires that led to a full-duration 31 Raptor engine test. That 31-engine test was the largest number of simultaneous rocket engine ignitions ever in history. For this orbital test, SpaceX will attempt to nearly circle the world with Starship and not much else; for this first flight test, the team will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of the Super Heavy booster. Such attempts will be made at future test launches.

As part of a slew of documentation released by the FAA when SpaceXs license to launch Starship was issued, included in the documentation was a re-evaluation of the 2022 Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starship / Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. That document, authored by Stacey Molinich Zee on April 14, 2023. This Programmatic Environmental Assessment or PEA for short details numerous specifics of the launch plans, including possible environmental impacts at the launch site around Texas and the planned splashdown site around Hawaii.

According to the updated PEA, from a height of about 75 miles, Starship would begin its passive descent back to Earth over the Pacific Ocean. During this descent, residual rocket fuel amounting to roughly 10 metric tons of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and 4 metric tons of methane would remain with the spacecraft to the surface. The PEA says the residual fuel represents approximately 1.1 percent of the total fill levels for the Starship main tanks.

Starship would impact the Pacific Ocean intact, horizontally, and at terminal velocity, and the impact would disperse settled remaining propellants and drive structural failure of the vehicle. The structural failure would immediately lead to failure of the transfer tube, which would allow the remaining LOX and methane to mix, resulting in an explosive event, the PEA describes.

With a planned 8am Central Time Launch in Texas (3am Hawaii Time / 9am Eastern Time), such an explosive event would occur 90 minutes after launch time as the Starship returned to Earth near Hawaii. This means Starship would explode upon impact in the off-shore waters of Hawaii at 4:30am local time (10:30 am Eastern Time / 9:30 am Central Time) assuming an on-time launch free of technical issues.

While recovery of Starship isnt expected due to the explosive event planned, SpaceX resources will attempt to retrieve any large debris pieces from the ocean.

Following the Starship breakup, SpaceX would have a vessel in the area of highest likelihood of debris that would identify large debris for salvage. SpaceX would use the vessel to survey the debris field for approximately of 24 to 48 hours using visual survey in the day and onboard vessel radar at night) depending on the outcome of the breakup, the PEA says. The initial survey area would be determined based on last known data location point received from the telemetry on the vehicle upon splashdown. Weather and ocean current data would be used to further characterize the debris field as the operation is conducted.

During the debris recovery mission, SpaceX will coordinate with the United States Coast Guard on their endeavors.

If debris is generated, SpaceX expects the majority of the Starship debris would sink because it is made of steel and will have sufficient mass to sink to the seafloor, the PEA adds. Debris is expected to sink within the expected landing location which is 240 nautical miles east of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument; SpaceX says any debris is not expected to drift into the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. However, they caution that some lighter items not made of steel, such as composite overwrapped pressure vessels, may float for a short period before sinking after becoming water logged.

SpaceX also adds that though not expected and unlikely, if there is floating debris found by the vessel during the debris field survey, they would sink or recover any floating debris before it could drift into the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument by physically removing the item or puncturing the item to cause it to sink.

The PEA also evaluated potential impacts to marine life around Hawaii from such an explosive return to Earth of Starship. A consulting biologist explored marine mammals and sea turtles that could be in the splashdown zone; these creatures include assorted whale species, the Hawaiian Monk Seal, assorted turtle species, the Giant Manta Ray, and the Oceanic Whitetip Shark. Based on their assessment of marine life being harassed or injured as a result of this impact, they project less than 1 marine life would be impacted in this zone.

SpaceX plans to start a live webcast on their website roughly 45 minutes before their planned liftoff. SpaceX cautions, though, as is the case with all developmental testing, this schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our social media channels for updates.

Questions remain with how successful this rocket test will be. When SpaceX was testing their first Falcon 1 rocket, their first three launches proceeded to fail. SpaceX Founder Elon Musk has said he believes theres a 50-50 chance of this orbital test flight of Starship to succeed.

SpaceX wrote, As we venture into new territory, we continue to appreciate all of the support and encouragement we have received from those who share our vision of a future where humanity is out exploring among the stars!

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Historic SpaceX Starship Launch to Be Followed by Stunning Explosion Near Hawaii at 4:30am - Weatherboy

SpaceX Starship launch countdown: all of the news on its first test flight – The Verge

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The first time Anthony Gomez saw one of SpaceXs Starship prototypes take flight, he watched it on a projector. He was far away from the humid Texas coast, where the actual launch was taking place. Instead, he was sitting in his house in Florida with his girlfriend.

On the wall of his home, Anthony admired the Starship rocket as it careened through the sky. All three of the Raptor engines cut off when the spaceship reached an altitude of roughly 41,000 feet, and the massive steel vessel began to plummet back to Earth, pitched over on its side, looking like a grain silo in free fall. Just before reaching the landing pad, its engines reignited, and the vehicle rapidly turned upright again as it prepared to touch down. But the spacecraft came down too fast, hitting the ground hard and bursting apart in a massive explosion. Afterward, only a charred patch of Earth remained where Starship once stood a disappointment.

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SpaceX Starship launch countdown: all of the news on its first test flight - The Verge

SpaceX fires up powerful Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of April 18 … – Space.com

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SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket is getting ready to fly again.

Elon Musk's company conducted a "static fire" (opens in new tab) with the Falcon Heavy on Thursday (April 13), briefly igniting the vehicle's 27 first-stage Merlin engines on the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

Static fires are common preflight tests, designed to ensure that a rocket's various systems are primed for launch. And that liftoff is just around the corner for the Falcon Heavy: It's scheduled to fly from KSC on Tuesday (April 18) at 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT).

You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, when the time comes.

Related: SpaceX's 1st Falcon Heavy rocket launched Elon Musk's Tesla into space 5 years ago

The upcoming launch will send two satellites toward geostationary orbit. The primary payload is the 14,000-pound (6,400 kilograms) ViaSat-3 Americas, a broadband satellite that will be operated by California-based company Viasat.

The secondary satellite flying on Tuesday is Arcturus, a communications craft belonging to San Francisco-based Astranis Space Technologies.

"Although it only weighs 300 kg [660 pounds], the mighty communications satellite has the ability to provide data throughput up to 7.5 Gbps for ... Alaska and the surrounding region," EverydayAstronaut.com wrote (opens in new tab) of Arcturus in a description of the Falcon Heavy mission.

The Tuesday launch will be the sixth overall for Falcon Heavy, which debuted in February 2018 with a test flight that sent Musk's red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun with a spacesuit-clad mannequin at the wheel.

The Falcon Heavy's most recent flight, a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force called USSF-67, occurred in January of this year.

The Falcon Heavy consists of three strapped-together first stages of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with the central booster topped by an upper stage and the payload(s). These three first-stage boosters are designed to be reusable, but none of them will be recovered on Tuesday, according to EverydayAstronaut.com. (There apparently won't be enough fuel left over for the boosters to steer themselves back to Earth for safe touchdowns.)

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There (opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter@michaeldwall (opens in new tab).Follow us on Twitter@Spacedotcom (opens in new tab)orFacebook (opens in new tab).

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SpaceX fires up powerful Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of April 18 ... - Space.com

SpaceX will try to launch its Starship rocket again on Thursday – NPR

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Visitors look on as SpaceX's Starship, the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, stands ready for a scheduled launch from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Eric Gay/AP hide caption

Visitors look on as SpaceX's Starship, the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, stands ready for a scheduled launch from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

SpaceX will try to launch its Starship again on Thursday after it was delayed earlier this week due to a frozen valve.

The launch window will begin at 9:28 a.m. ET in Texas and last for 62 minutes, the company said.

"All systems currently green for launch," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said.

Musk has billed the world's largest rocket as a way to transport humans to the Moon and Mars.

"With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship," SpaceX said in a statement.

Numerous SpaceX rockets have blown up during testing in the past.

The live stream of the launch will be available about 45 minutes before the anticipated takeoff.

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SpaceX will try to launch its Starship rocket again on Thursday - NPR

SpaceX launches 51 small satellites, lands rocket back on Earth – Space.com

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SpaceX launched dozens of small satellites to orbit early Saturday morning (April 15) and landed the returning rocket back on Earth.

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 51 satellites lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 2:48 a.m. EDT Saturday (0648 GMT; 11:48 p.m. on April 14 California time), kicking off the Transporter-7 rideshare mission.

The Falcon 9's first stage come back to Earth as planned, acing a vertical touchdown at Vandenberg about 7 minutes and 45 seconds after launch. It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description (opens in new tab).

Related:8 ways that SpaceX has transformed spaceflight

The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued carrying the 51 satellites to orbit. The payloads were deployed on schedule over a roughly 95-minute span, beginning about an hour after liftoff, SpaceX confirmed via Twitter (opens in new tab).

The payloads that launched Saturday are a diverse lot, consisting of "cubesats, microsats, hosted payloads and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time," SpaceX wrote in the mission description.

The spacecraft will be operated by a variety of customers. The main payload, for example, is the Imece Earth-observation satellite, which was provided by the Turkish government.

Another three belong to Canadian company GHGSat, which detects greenhouse gas emissions from space. And another satellite, called Brokkr-1, will be operated by AstroForge, a California-based startup that aims to mine asteroids.

"During this mission, we will demonstrate our refinery capabilities with the goal of validating our technology and performing extractions in zero gravity," AstroForge wrote in a January blog post (opens in new tab). "The spacecraft will launch pre-loaded with an asteroid-like material that the refinery payload will vaporize and sort into its elemental components."

As its name suggests, Transporter-7 is the seventh small-satellite rideshare mission that SpaceX has launched to date. The most recent one, Transporter-6, launched atop a Falcon 9 on Jan. 3.

Transporter-6 sent 114 satellites to orbit quite a haul, but not a record. The mark belongs to SpaceX's Transporter-1, which launched a whopping 143 spacecraft back in January 2021.

Saturday's launch was the 24th of 2023 so far for SpaceX. Falcon 9s have flown all but one of these; the lone outlier was USSF-67, a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force launched by SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket on Jan. 15.

We should see a lot more spaceflight action from the company in the coming weeks and months. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said last summer that the company could launch up to 100 orbital missions in 2023.

And SpaceX is currently gearing up for the first-ever orbital test flight of Starship, its next-generation spaceflight system. That landmark mission is scheduled to fly on Monday (April 17).

Transporter-7 had been scheduled to launch early Wednesday morning (April 12), but SpaceX announced on Tuesday (April 11) that it was pushing the try back by two days to allow more time for pre-launch checks and to give the weather a chance to improve. The company tried to launch early Friday morning (April 14) but scrubbed the attempt due to bad weather with about 30 seconds left on the countdown clock.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:35 a.m. EDT on April 12 with the correct launch date of April 14 (not April 13). It was updated again at 2:50 a.m. EDT on April 14 with news of the scrubbed launch attempt and new target date of April 15. It was updated again with news of successful launch and rocket landing at 3:10 a.m. EDT on April 15, then again at 11:10 a.m. EDT on April 15 with news of payload deployment.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There (opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter@michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Follow us @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab), or on Facebook (opens in new tab) and Instagram (opens in new tab).

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SpaceX launches 51 small satellites, lands rocket back on Earth - Space.com

SpaceX Dragon cargo ship departs space station and returns to Earth – Space.com

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A robotic SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule is returning to Earth today (April 15) after a month parked at the International Space Station.

The Dragon CRS-27 supply ship undocked from the International Space Station at 11:05 a.m. EDT (1505 GMT) as both spacecraft orbited high over the Indian Ocean, beginning an hours-long trip back to its home planet. It splashed down off the Florida coast at about 4:58 p.m. EDT (2058 GMT), SpaceX wrote in a Twitter update (opens in new tab).

"After re-entering Earths atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Saturday, April 15," NASA wrote in blog post (opens in new tab). NASA will not livestream the Dragon capsule's splashdown.

Related: Facts about SpaceX's Dragon capsule

The Dragon launched into orbit from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on March 14, kicking off SpaceX's 27th robotic cargo run to the orbiting lab for NASA.

The Dragon carried up about 6,300 pounds (2,860 kilograms) of supplies on its mission, which is known as CRS-27. (CRS stands for "commercial resupply services.") The cargo included a variety of hardware, 60 different scientific experiments and some gustatory treats for the station astronauts.

"The crews requested some fresh fruit and refrigerated cheeses," Phil Dempsey, NASA's International Space Station Program transportation integration manager, said during a CRS-27 prelaunch press conference on March 13. "So on board are apples, blueberries, grapefruit, oranges [and] cherry tomatoes, as well as a few different cheeses."

The CRS-27 Dragon will carry about 4,300 pounds (1,950 kg) of "experiment hardware and research samples" down to Earth with it today, according to the NASA blog post.

This is a unique capability of the SpaceX capsule. The other two robotic cargo craft that currently service the space station Russia's Progress vehicle and Northop Grumman's Cygnus are designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere when their time in orbit is up.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:45 pm ET to reflect the successful undocking of the Dragon CRS-27 spacecraft.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There (opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter@michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or on Facebook (opens in new tab).

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SpaceX Dragon cargo ship departs space station and returns to Earth - Space.com