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 […]
Watch Live as SpaceX Tries to Snap Starship’s Miserable Losing Streak
After back-to-back scrubs, SpaceX is aiming to launch its Starship rocket on Tuesday and hoping to finally break a streak of failed test flights. SpaceX’s Starship is set for liftoff during a launch window that opens at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 26. The rocket was originally scheduled to fly this past Sunday, but […]
Starship Nails 10th Test Flight, Putting SpaceX Back on Track
SpaceX has returned to the winning column, with Starship Flight 10 going down about as well as the company could have hoped. Following a string of unsuccessful flights, SpaceX managed to pull off its most successful test in months, with Starship fulfilling a number of key milestones. It was a good day for SpaceX. The megarocket […]
Watch Live as SpaceX Tries to Prove Starship Isn’t a Total Flop With Flight 10
SpaceX is gearing up for the tenth test flight of its megarocket following a streak of failures that have cast doubt on Starship’s ability to fly to Mars in 2026. Starship is slated for lift-off on Sunday, August 24, during a launch window that opens at 7:30 p.m. ET. SpaceX recently wrapped up investigations into […]
When Starship Comes to Florida, Expect 2-Hour Flight Delays, FAA Warns
SpaceX aims to expand its Starship operations to Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a goal of launching 44 super heavy-lift rockets per year. If regulators approve this plan, the uptick in launch activity could result in more ground stops, reroutes, and flight delays at major airports throughout the Sunshine State, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. […]
Watch Live: SpaceX Launches Space Force’s X-37B Spaceplane on New Military Test Mission
The U.S. Space Force’s experimental spaceplane, X-37B, is ready for another go in orbit for an undisclosed duration, in which it will test new technologies aimed at bolstering military capabilities in space. The Boeing-built orbital test vehicle, designated as OTV-8, will attempt to launch on Thursday at 11:50 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) […]
SpaceX Has Likely Skirted Federal Income Taxes for Decades, Investigation Reveals
Since its founding in 2002, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has emerged as the leading force in commercial spaceflight and a key launch provider for the U.S. government. A recent investigation suggests its dominance may stem—at least in part—from two decades of federal tax avoidance. Internal company documents reviewed exclusively by The New York Times show that […]
Private Spaceflight Enters the Wild West as Trump Slashes Regulations
President Donald Trump is calling for an ease of regulations for commercial spaceflight and streamlining licensing for rocket launches and reentries. The move highly favors companies like SpaceX but could have negative repercussions on environmental habitats surrounding launchpads. On Wednesday, August 13, Trump signed an executive order intended to bolster the spaceflight industry and increase […]
Starlink Rival Announces Plans to Take on Musk With a $1.5 Billion Satellite Push
Texas startup AST SpaceMobile announced its plan to launch 45 to 60 satellites by 2026, establishing itself as a worthy competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation in building space-based broadband networks. The company announced its second-quarter earnings on Monday, revealing that it had $1.5 billion on its balance sheet to fund the deployment of dozens of […]