On March 15, SpaceX stood down from its launch attempt of Starlink satellites (via SpaceX/YouTube) SpaceX on Sunday scrubbed the launch of 60 new Starlink satellites at the last second—due to an engine power issue with the mission’s Falcon 9 rocket. The onboard computer triggered an abort just before a scheduled 9:22 a.m. ET liftoff, after detecting an issue with one of its nine Merlin 1D engines. Even the countdown announcer was surprised. With about one minute to go, Falcon 9 flight computers took control of the launch procedure. At T-10 seconds, a human pipes in, following the cloc ..read more

SpaceX successfully completed a launch escape demonstration of its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket (via NASA Television) SpaceX will fly private citizens into orbit as early as next year. Galactic tourism company Space Adventures has teamed up with Elon Musk’s aerospace manufacturer to send up to four individuals* on the first Crew Dragon free-flyer mission. The trip, conducted entirely with American technology, is expected to break the world altitude record for private citizen spaceflight. Plus, those lucky jet-setters have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the wor ..read more

SpaceX successfully deployed 60 Starlink satellites (via SpaceX) SpaceX successfully launched its fifth batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Monday. Following a 24-hour delay (due to an issue with a valve component on the rocket’s second stage), Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station without a hitch. But it wasn’t smooth sailing for the rocket’s first stage, which failed to touch down on SpaceX’s drone ship landing platform (known as “Of Course I Still Love You”) in the Atlantic Ocean. Today’s launch of 60 Starlink satellites to orbit marked Falcon ..read more

SpaceX successfully completed a launch escape demonstration of its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket (via NASA Television) SpaceX successfully completed a launch escape demonstration of its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket over the weekend. A joint effort between Elon Musk’s aerospace firm and NASA, Sunday’s trial proved the SpaceX ship can safely separate from the rocket in case of an inflight emergency. As part of the assessment—the final major evaluation before the capsule begins carrying astronauts to the International Space Station—SpaceX configured Crew Dragon ..read more

SpaceX recently tested a Falcon 9 rocket for its upcoming Crew Dragon in-flight abort launch. (Photo Credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is very close to conducting an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. On Saturday, a Falcon 9 rocket aced a hot fire test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This booster will be used for the upcoming in-flight demonstration, which has a target date of Jan. 18. In a tweet, SpaceX said the test will be used to check if the spacecraft has the ability to carry astronauts to safety if there’s an emergency situation during ascent. Static fire of Falcon 9 ..read more

SpaceX is launching its third batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit tonight. (Photo Credit: SpaceX/ Twitter) SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is expanding tonight: The company is sending its third group of 60 internet-beaming satellites into orbit and you can watch the takeoff online. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:19 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. According to the 45th Space Wing, weather conditions are predicted to be favorable for the launch window. SpaceX will start a livestream of the Starlink mission at approximately 9:04 p.m. ET on its YouTube channel ..read more

SpaceX will try to recover both halves of a rocket nose cone tonight after a satellite launch. (Photo Credit: SpaceX / Twitter) SpaceX will attempt to recover both halves of a rocket nose cone tonight and you can watch the event live online. The company is launching a dual-purpose communications satellite called JCSAT-18/Kacific1, which was built to expand internet access in the Southeast Asia/Pacific regions, Engadget reported. The launch window opens at 7:10 p.m. ET and will close at 8:38 p.m. ET and you can stream the mission live here. The Falcon 9 rocket that will take the satel ..read more

An agricultural tech company is sending coffee and cannabis to the space station next year. (Photo Credit: Herbal Hemp / Pixabay) The International Space Station is going Dutch: A U.S. agricultural tech company is sending cannabis and coffee to the ISS as part of a zero-gravity experiment. Tissue cultures of java and hemp (a variety of cannabis that contains low levels of psychoactive compound THC) will be transported via the next SpaceX resupply mission, scheduled for March 2020. Up to 480 plant cells will be housed for about 30 days in a special incubator, which regulates temperatu ..read more

SpaceX postponed the launch of the CRS-19 resupply mission due to unfavorable weather conditions. (Photo Credit: SpaceX / Twitter) SpaceX delayed the launch of its CRS-19 resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) today due to bad weather. The company shared a tweet at 12:12 p.m. EDT, stating that the Dragon cargo ship was “standing down today due to upper altitude winds and high winds at sea.” If conditions were favorable, the vehicle would have headed to the space station at 12:51 p.m. EDT this afternoon, Space.com noted. Standing down today due to upper altitude wi ..read more