It’s been an interesting year for SpaceX’s Starship. The megarocket’s launch schedule got off to a rocky start with back-to-back explosive failures, then got back on track with a near-perfect test flight in August. Needless to say, the pressure is on for Starship’s final launch of 2025, currently scheduled for no earlier than October 13. […]
CEO of Troubled Rocket Startup Throws Shade at the Competition
It’s no secret that there are plenty of big egos in the spaceflight industry. While the key players typically refrain from roasting their rivals in public, that wasn’t the case at this year’s Berkeley Space Symposium. At least, not for Astra CEO Chris Kemp. During a talk he gave at the event on September 5, […]
SpaceX Wants to Fly Its Gigantic Starship Directly Over Florida
SpaceX is inching closer to sending its Starship rocket into low Earth orbit. A newly proposed flight path for the upper stage would see it fly across Florida skies—an unusual route that would seriously disrupt air traffic and raise the risk of debris falling onto populated areas below. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing […]
SpaceX’s Starship Lunar Lander Could Be ‘Years Late,’ NASA Safety Panel Warns
NASA aims to return astronauts to the Moon by mid-2027—a feat that would fulfill a decade of preparation. The agency may have to extend that timeline even further, however, as slow progress on SpaceX’s lunar lander threatens to delay the Artemis 3 mission. During a public meeting on Friday, members of the Aerospace Safety Advisory […]
Russia’s Space Chief Touts ‘Rapid’ Development of Starlink Rival
With more than 6 million active users, SpaceX’s Starlink has become the world’s leading provider of high-speed satellite internet. That prominence has sparked some rivalry, and not least with other world powers—including Russia. In a televised interview on Wednesday, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said it is pushing full steam ahead on an […]
Nudists and Surfers Protest SpaceX’s Plans to Launch Starship From Florida
SpaceX isn’t very popular among beachgoers in Florida at the moment. The rocket company applied for a permit to launch its Starship rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which threatens to restrict beach access for surfers and casual nudists. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently hosted a series of public meetings where residents […]
Everyone Thinks Elon Musk is Going to Build a SpaceX Mobile Network
SpaceX’s has been partnering with mobile carriers like T-Mobile to offer its satellite internet service Starlink to extend the reach of cell networks. But, according to a report from the Washington Post, the company has ambitions to be more than just a partner. Following a major purchase of wireless spectrum earlier this week, it appears […]
SpaceX’s Next Big Trick: Catch the Starship Upper Stage With ‘Chopsticks’
SpaceX finally broke out of a serious Starship slump on Tuesday, acing the rocket’s 10th flight after months of failed attemps. Now, CEO Elon Musk has set his sights on the next big challenge: catching Starship’s upper stage with Mechazilla’s “chopstick” arms. In an X post on Wednesday, August 27, Musk said the next opportunities […]
Satellite Companies Like SpaceX Are Ignoring Astronomers’ Calls to Save the Night Sky
There are more than 12,000 active satellites circling Earth at the moment, a growing figure that has nearly doubled in less than three years. This recent boom in the satellite industry has been a major headache for astronomers, with bright satellites appearing as streaks in telescope images of the universe and tarnishing views of the […]
SpaceX Just Sent the ISS a New Way to Stay in Orbit
The International Space Station (ISS) has been in orbit for over 26 years, housing astronauts at an altitude of 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth. But even at that distance, the space station can’t escape the drag of Earth’s atmosphere as oxygen molecules and other gases collide with it, causing it to lose altitude over […]