Category Archives: Spacex

SpaceX plans to launch another big batch of its Starlink satellites to orbit Friday night (Sept. 16), and you can watch the action live.

SpaceX plans to loft 54 more Starlink broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida Friday at 9:05 p.m. EDT (0105 GMT on Sept. 17). You can watch here at Space.com, or directly via SpaceX (opens in new tab).

The flight plan calls for a Falcon 9 rocket to carry the Starlink Group 4-34 satellites into space, and for the first stage of the rocket to land on the Just Read the Instructionsdroneship in the Atlantic Ocean about nine minutes later. It will be the sixth launch and landing for this particular booster, SpaceX wrote in a mission description (opens in new tab).

Related: SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos

Starlink is SpaceX's broadband constellation of satellites. The company has lofted more than 3,200 of the satellites into orbit so far. SpaceX is rapidly expanding the constellation, with launches happening pretty much every week and sometimes more often than that.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently said he hopes to launch up to 100 SpaceX missions in 2023. The goal is, in part, to ramp up Starlink service as fast as possible for the remote customers that the company wants to serve.

SpaceX already has regulatory approval to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites. The company has also applied to an international regulator to send another 30,000 of the satellites into orbit.

The company is also expanding the types of customers that are accessing Starlink services.

SpaceX recently announced a collaboration with T-Mobile to beam broadband service directly to cell phones. Additionally, SpaceX signed with Royal Caribbean to offer Starlink on cruise ships, to improve Internet service at sea.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:45 p.m. ET on Sept. 13 with the new launch date of Sept. 14. SpaceX had planned to launch the mission on Sept. 13 but scrubbed the attempt due to weather. It was updated again at 8:50 p.m. ET on Sept. 14 with the new launch date of Sept. 15. Bad weather scrubbed the planned Sept. 14 attempt as well. It was updated again on Sept. 15, after bad weather forced another scrub.

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Watch SpaceX launch 54 Starlink satellites from Florida Friday after delays - Space.com

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SpaceXs third attempt to launch its next Starlink mission this week was scrubbed again on Thursday because of poor weather around Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Forecasters with the U.S. Space Forces Space Launch Delta 45 gave Thursdays opportunity only a 40% chance of acceptable liftoff weather conditions expecting more of the same rainy conditions that deluged areas around the spaceport Wednesday night.

The launch attempt slated for liftoff at 9:27 p.m. was called off about thirty seconds before liftoff setting SpaceX up for a 24-hour recycle. A fourth launch attempt is expected at 9:05 p.m. EDTon Friday, Sept. 16, although the weather outlook then doesnt look any more promising.

Space Force weather forecasters project only a 50% chance of go conditions at liftoff, the weather for a late evening launch attempt Friday evening looks similar to Thursday, with the primary weather concerns leftover anvil clouds and associated electric fields.

When it does launch, the Falcon 9 will loft another batch of dozens of Starlink internet-beaming satellites to join the more than 3,200 already in orbit.

The Falcon 9 is expected to land on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

It will mark SpaceXs 61st dedicated mission for the Starlink service and the 40th launch to fly from Florida this year.

Another SpaceX Falcon 9 mission can likely be expected before the end of the month, as well as NASAs next attempt to get its Space Launch System rocket and Artemis I mission off the ground.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Friday, Sept. 16: SpaceX Starlink

Live coverage: Starts 60 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space

About: SpaceX will launch the company's 61st batch of satellites for the Starlink internet constellation.

For the latest, visitfloridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her onTwitter at @AlteredJamie.

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Weather forces SpaceX to stand down a third time; will try again Friday - Florida Today

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has commended SpaceX on its rise within the space industry after years of being "poo-pooed" by critics. "I think the private space industry is extremely beneficial," he told Newsweek. "Just look at what SpaceX has already accomplished."

In 2011, NASA ended its space shuttle program, with high costs, slow turnaround, and safety problems that led to the fatal Challenger and Columbia disasters among the factors for its demise. Since then NASA has resorted to purchasing rocket trips to and from the International Space Station (ISS) from Russia.

Keen to restore spaceflight from U.S. soil, in 2014 NASA awarded two huge contracts, worth a total of $6.8 billion, to Boeing and SpaceX, with the aim of getting crew to the ISS independently once again.

"When there was the beginning of the space cargo and crew [programs], the two serious bidders were SpaceX and Boeing, and everybody poo-pooed SpaceX and said, 'Oh, Boeing is a legacy company,'" Nelson said. "Well, guess who is about to make its sixth flight after its first test flight with astronauts, and guess who's still on the ground?"

SpaceX has since launched multiple NASA-funded crewed missions to the ISS, while Boeingalso a private companyhas yet to carry humans in its Starliner capsule.

SpaceX, which was founded in March 2002 by Elon Musk, almost never happened. Between 2006 and 2008, its first three rocket launch attempts all failed, putting it on the edge of bankruptcy. The fourth launch succeeded, but only after Musk scraped together just enough money to finance it.

"So many of [Musk's] friends advised him not to do SpaceX," Luke Nosek, who helped build Paypal, one of Musk's former ventures, told news outlet Quartz in 2014.

In an article for Forbes in 2011, aerospace and defense writer Loren Thompson voiced concerns about NASA becoming overly dependent on the still-young SpaceX and also wrote that "Musk's enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring, but SpaceX's performance to date doesn't measure up to the rhetoric."

There was also doubt within NASA. Former NASA astronaut-turned-SpaceX engineer Garrett Reisman told CNN in 2020 there was a perception of SpaceX along the lines of "they're cowboys; they're dangerous; they're going to kill somebody."

Musk had made a name for himself by voicing lofty ambitions for the company. He espoused self-landing, reusable, cheap rockets and a wider goal of enabling humanity to become a multiplanetary species by colonizing Mars.

In 2012 SpaceX launched its first cargo delivery to the ISS, and in 2014 it was co-awarded the aforementioned NASA contract, with NASA's commercial crew program manager Kathy Lueders telling reporters: "[Boeing and SpaceX] proposed the value within which they were able to do the work and the government accepted that."

In May 2022, SpaceX was valued at $127 billion. Its Starlink network of thousands of internet satellites is well underway with over 3,000 in orbit. On August 30 it launched its 39th Falcon 9 rocket of 2022the company's workhorse reusable launch vehicleon a mission to deliver a batch of 46 Starlink satellites into space.

In April 2021, NASA tasked SpaceX with developing one of the most crucial aspects of the Artemis III mission to return American astronauts to the moon for the first time in over half a centurythe Human Landing System (HLS). This is the spacecraft that will lower humans to the lunar surface, while NASA's Orion capsule remains in orbit around the moon.

Orion, developed at a cost of $20.4 billion, is NASA's next-generation human spaceflight capsule.

The plan for Artemis III is for SpaceX's huge upcoming Starship rocket and Orion to rendezvous in orbit around the moon. Two astronauts from the four-person crew will then transfer to Starship and descend to the lunar surface.

Once they are finished, Starship will launch the two astronauts back into orbit where they will transfer back into Orion and travel home.

SpaceX must keep in step with NASA and develop Starship from a rocket that has not yet flown into one that must be capable of supporting human crew and carrying out a lunar landing.

Nelson said SpaceX is "on track" to achieve it.

NASA was hoping to launch its huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocketthe backbone of the Artemis programon a test flight called Artemis I on September 3, but technical faults delayed that attempt as well as the previous one. It's unclear when the space agency will attempt another launch.

If successful, the launch will mark the start of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2025 with the help of private companies like SpaceX.

NASA has spent 12 years and $23 billion developing SLS aloneand that's not taking into account the Orion capsule.

In contrast, SpaceX developed Starship so fast that it went from blowing up steel prototypes in 2020, to being just weeks away from an orbital flightpotentially before 2023.

In addition, SpaceX says that when Starship does fly, it will be significantly more powerful than SLS, producing a claimed 17 million lbs of thrust to SLS's 9.5 million.

Nelson says he does not see this as a threat. "The fact is, we've got a rocket that is human-rated," he said. "I'm a huge fan of what these commercial companies not only have done but will do. SpaceX has been very successful in getting Starship ready. But Starship goes [to the moon] and it's got to rendezvous in lunar polar orbit with Orion and the crew transfer and go down and come back up.

"But Starship is not capable, at that point, of getting back to Earth. Only Orion is capable of getting back to Earth."

Looking ahead, NASA's budget suggests it is committed to building up private spaceflight even more. According to the agency's 2021 fiscal report, it tends to spend around 80 percent on its budget on contracting.

It's unclear if that is set to increase or decrease, but with the agency's goal of getting to Mars by the 2040s, significant investment is likely. "So I want Blue Origin, I want SpaceX, I want all of the other companies to be successful because I want as many opportunities for us to explore the cosmos as possible," Nelson said.

"And because of that, I think it is a very exciting time for venturing out into the universe."

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Bill Nelson: Everybody Poo-Pooed SpaceX. Look at Them Now - Newsweek

A rocket is headed our way, but dont panic: It will be on the ground, not through the air.

It is a 185-foot-longSpaceX first-stage rocket component, about the height of an 18-story building. The component is 14 feet, 6 inches wide, and has 16-foot overhead clearance, with a gross weight of 165,000 pounds.

This is the second of its kind to make its way through the city in the last three months.

RELATED: SpaceX rocket cruises through town (Video) InMaricopa

The oversize load is scheduled to stop on Friday, just outside the city on State Route 238, and just west of State Route 347. The load will then make a trip through the main roads of Maricopa in the early hours of Saturday.

The rocket is planned to continue east down SR 238, until it reaches North John Wayne Parkway, where it will turn south and continue to Mercado Street, and under the John Wayne Parkway overpass. The load will continue east on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway toward Casa Grande.

EZE Trucking will do the work, from its origin in Hawthorne, Calif., to its destination in McGregor, Texas.

The rocket is set to leave the state on Saturday, via Interstate 10 toward New Mexico.

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Second SpaceX rocket to cruise through town this weekend - InMaricopa.com

Elon Musk-ownedSpaceX has received strong interest from the public, whopledged over $8 million in funding within hours of floating apetition.

What Happened: Spaced Ventures, a crowdfunding platform for space startups, said it has received about $8.05 million in financing pledges from the public for SpaceX. The company set out with a target of $10 million, with $100 being the minimum amount.

How It Works: Spaced Ventures initially asks the public to make pledges to invest in SpaceX. When enough interest builds, it notifies SpaceX and turns those pledges into investments if the company raises it on the platform.

The petition to raise feature is a tool that allows Spaced Ventures to aggregate large pools of investor interest into a specific company, very often large, private companies, which dont really think they need the publics money, the company said.

This is a way to show there is so much interest and a great way for them to democratize access to space and open up an investment opportunity, it added.

The platform doesnt charge carried interest or fees to investors and it is on a first-come-first-serve basis. The first petitioners will be notified first if and when the deal goes live.

See also:Elon Musk Applauds His SpaceX and Starlink Ventures Accomplishing These Feats

Why Its Important: SpaceX is a spacecraft manufacturer, space launch provider, and satellite communications company founded by Musk in 2002. Reduction in the cost of space travel and colonization of Mars were the main premises on which the company was established.

The company recently raised $250 million by selling equity, a new filing by the company in early August showed. This reportedly took the total funding raised by the company in 2022 to $2 billion.

Following a funding round in May that raised about $1.5 billion, SpaceXs valuation bumped up past $125 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Elon Musk reportedly told SpaceX employees in June that he doesnt intend to take the company public until 2025 or later.

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Elon Musk's SpaceX Attracts Over $8M In Investment Pledge In Record Time On Crowdfunding Platform - Benzinga

JustAnswer announced that it raised over $600,000 to help Ukraine. The platform also said that it partnered with SpaceX to provide almost 1,000 Starlink devices which protected critically important IT infrastructure.

The platform, which provides customers access to experts such as doctors and lawyers, partnered with the Arizae Foundation to raise over $600,000 for Ukraine relief efforts since the Russian invasion in February. Along with funding the Starlink dishes, the two organizations have helped:

In a statement, JustAnswer CEO Andy Kurtzig affirmed the companys commitment to Ukraine while other companies have either pulled out or scaled back operations.

From the day JustAnswer first established an office inUkraineand throughout these incredibly challenging times since the Russian invasion in February, we have remained 100% committed toUkraine and our team there.

Many other companies have pulled out ofUkraine or scaled back operations there, but thats exactly what Putin wants. Were not going to run away. The Ukrainian people are smart, kind, and honest people who have been fighting for their freedom for hundreds of years, including lots of progress in the last 35 years. And, theyve been getting very close to full independence over the last 8 years. We stand withUkraineand will continue to fight forUkrainesfreedom.

Elon Musk has also provided thousands of Starlink dishes to the nation since the invasion. Ukraines Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov said that Starlink dishes were provided free of charge and that Starlink has helped the nation provide accurate information about the ongoing war.

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JustAnswer raised over $600K to help Ukraine; partnered with SpaceX to provide Starlink - TESLARATI

On conducting a reverse image search on some of the keyframes of the video, we came across a YouTube video from 11 January 2021.

The video was uploaded by a channel named 'Night Sky' and the description read, "Starlink satellites train seen from Poland. Starlink is a satellite constellation being constructed by SpaceX in order to provide satellite Internet access."

On comparing the viral video with the 2020 video, we found similarities between the two.

The Quint also reached out to Nocne Niebo, the creator of the video, who told us that he shot this video on 10 August 2020 from Poland. He also sent us a longer version of the same incident.

Clearly, old videos from 2020 and 2021 are being falsely linked to the recent sight of Starlink satellites in India.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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Old Visuals of SpaceX Starlink Satellites Passed Off as Recent From UP - The Quint

In response to a Twitter user suggesting Apple and SpaceX partner up for the new iPhone 14's emergency SOS feature, Elon Musk wrote that SpaceX has had some "promising conversations" with Apple, writing that the "iPhone team is obv super smart."

The iPhone 14's emergency SOS feature will use satellites to allow users to send emergency messages even if they are outside of the range of WiFi and cellular coverage.

Users will be asked a series of questions to assess their situation, and then the iPhone will inform them how to connect to a satellite. The feature will be available to iPhone 14 users in the U.S. and Canada starting in November.

Related: Elon Musk's Starlink Is About to Make Major Waves in the Cruise Industry

It's unclear just how "promising" the conversations between SpaceX and Apple are given a recent filing that satellite communications firm GlobalStar will be partnering with Apple for the new emergency SOS feature. Apple has agreed to pay 95% of the costs necessary to implement the service.

Still, a SpaceX and Apple collab isn't totally off the table. In the meantime, SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile to eliminate dead zones in rural areas. The beta phase is set to begin early next year.

Related: SpaceX Test Causes a Dumpster FireLiterally

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Are SpaceX and Apple Working Together for the New iPhone 14 Satellite Feature? - Entrepreneur

Judge Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Chancery Court on Tuesday denied Twitter Inc.s request to turn in Elon Musks personal emails as evidence in their ongoing litigation that would come up for hearing on Oct. 17.

Claiming attorney-client privilege, Musk chose to withhold his personal emails from the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX servers.

In her ruling, McCormick said, to claim the privilege, Musk must demonstrate that he had an objectively reasonable expectation of confidentiality in the two email accounts.

Musk had unrestricted personal use of his Tesla and SpaceX email accounts so that no one can access those emails without his express consent, the judge said, citing affidavits submitted by Musk and IT managers from SpaceX and Tesla.

SpaceX and Tesla email policies, however, state that employees have no privacy interest in their work emails and the companies reserve the right to monitor those emails, the judge said.

These additional facts make Musks expectation of privacy objectively reasonable. Twitters motion is denied.

Earlier, Twitter argued that Musk had no reasonable expectation of privacy in his SpaceX and Tesla emails, while seeking access to those.

McCormick also said the publicly filed versions of Twitters motion and Musks opposition to disclosing his emails were heavily redacted. She asked both parties to prepare new filings, eliminating redactions, and also instructed Musk and his team to publicly file the four affidavits on which they had relied.

By Shanthi Rexaline

2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Elon Musk's Tesla And SpaceX Emails Can't Be Accessed Without His Consent, Judge Rules In Twitter-Deal Case - The Epoch Times

UK-based communications firm OneWeb announced its new partnership with Arianespace to launch the remaining internet-providing satellites for its constellation. The announcement comes after the company inked a deal with ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and Elon Musk's SpaceX in March and April this year, respectively. OneWeb currently has428 satellites in orbit and its constellationwill consist of 678 satellites in total.

"Arianespace is supporting OneWeb on its upcoming launches; including the performance of Dispenser Supply Services for two launches to be performed by NewSpace India Limited, part of Indian national space agency ISRO", an official release stated."Based on their unique heritage, OneWeb and Arianespace are determined to examine future opportunities together, especially on the Ariane 6 Launch Vehicle for the second generation of the constellation".

As for ISRO, itwill begin lofting OneWeb's internet satellites fromSatish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota whereas SpaceX will launch them from its launch sites in California and Florida.

OneWeb is partnering with various agencies after Russia refused to offer launch services for its satellites owing to the tensions amid the Ukraine crisis. The company's satellites were supposed to be launched by the Russian space agency Roscosmos on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. However, the former Roscosmos Director-General Dmitry Rogozin refused to cooperate citing the UK government's stake in the firm.

He even laid out some conditions saying that the launches would be conducted only when the UK government loses its shares in the company and demanded an assurance that the satellites wouldn't be used for military purposes. After rejecting Rogozin's demands, the latter ended the launch agreement between the two partners.

In itsannual financial report released last month, OneWeb revealed that it suffered losses to the tune of$229.2 million owing to the "postponement of subsequent scheduled launches, the loss of satellites not returned to the Group, and the impairment of a portion of the Groups prepaid launch insurance".

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After ISRO and SpaceX, OneWeb partners with Arianespace to launch remaining satellites - Republic World