Relativity Space has made major changes at Space Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where its Terran R rocket will be launched. The launch site last saw the company launch its Terran 1 rocket on its first and only test flight in March 2023. The launch proved the 3D-printed rocket could withstand maximum aerodynamic pressure. While the rocket didn’t make it to orbit due to the second stage not igniting, it gave the company the confidence it needed to move forward to the Terran R. Soarin’ over Launch Complex 16, Cape Canaveral, FL. – making room for something big, #TerranR ..read more

NASA shared updated renders of the SpaceX and Blue Origin cargo landers that will bring rovers and other equipment to the Moon. In addition to landing humans, SpaceX and Blue Origin are providing cargo landers to carry next-generation Moon rovers and other equipment to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program. These cargo landers will be capable of delivering between 26,000 to 33,000 pounds to the Moon to support future astronauts and are planned to be ready in time for the Artemis VII mission, which is currently planned for no earlier than 2031. A closer look at Blue Origin’s cargo lander (Cred ..read more

Rocket Lab successfully launched the “Beginning of the Swarm” mission, its 47th overall yesterday. Electron took the skies at 10:32 am NZT from Launch Complex 1B on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, sending two small payloads to vastly different orbits. Our 47th Electron launch…and counting pic.twitter.com/yCbaHXukMV — Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) April 24, 2024 The launch was originally scheduled for 10:15 a.m. NZT, just 2 minutes before a Falcon 9 mission from Florida, but it held at t – 12 minutes as the Rocket Lab team worked on a ground support system issue. It didn’t take long for teams t ..read more

During its most recent Starlink mission, which occurred last night, SpaceX landed the 300th Falcon rocket. The 300 mark is split between both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy but does not count as recovered rockets, as two of these rockets, a Falcon Heavy center core and a Falcon 9, tipped over at sea after successful landings. Engines full power and liftoff! pic.twitter.com/FeW78mZio2 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 23, 2024 This is a significant milestone for the company as it continues to push its flight cadence further than what nearly anyone in the industry thought was possible. SpaceX is currently o ..read more

Vast and SpaceX have reached an agreement to use Starlink on its future commercial space station. Haven-1, which is planned to launch atop a Falcon 9 no earlier than August 2025, will be outfitted with Starlink terminals to ensure occupants aboard the station will have access to high-speed communications courtesy of the SpaceX Starlink network. Announcement: Haven-1 to be the world’s first commercial space station connected by SpaceX Starlink: https://t.co/jAwG5TbkxL @SpaceX @Starlink pic.twitter.com/tLY15HB0a0 — VΛST (@vast) April 9, 2024 Vast CEO Max Haot commented: “If you need to provide ..read more

NASA has selected three companies to compete to land the next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that will be intended to be used during the Artemis V mission. The 3 companies selected are Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Astrolab. These companies will now compete to develop a lander for a demonstration mission ahead of Artemis V to validate its designs and safety for future astronauts. The study will take approximately a year before NASA makes its decision on the winner. Here is a quick overview of each company’s designs. Intuitive Machines Intuitive Machines Moon Racer concept art ..read more

SpaceX successfully launched and landed a Falcon 9 for the 20th time on Friday, April 12th, marking a new milestone for flight-proven rockets. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which broke its own turn-around record with just 2 days, 19 hours, and 42 minutes between launches. According to a post on X from Space Launch Delta 45, the previous record was 3 days, 17 hours, and 24 minutes. Liftoff of Falcon 9! pic.twitter.com/aMZKAFr897 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 13, 2024 The ability of SpaceX to turn the launch pads around this quickly is wha ..read more

SpaceX successfully launched a new-generation weather satellite for the Department of Defense on Thursday, April 11th, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 7:25 a.m. PT to complete the USSF-62 mission. The payload on board was the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M1) satellite. Liftoff of USSF-62 – SpaceX’s 12th National Security Space Launch on a Falcon rocket pic.twitter.com/PPryxZnOCE — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2024 WSF-M1, built by BAE Systems, will primarily focus on providing real-time data on ocean surface ..read more

Blue Origin is preparing its next crewed mission this month, its first with a crew in a year and a half. This will be the first crewed mission since and second overall launch since a nozzle failure caused the flight termination system to trigger during a launch in September 2022. The mission will launch from the company’s West Texas launch site. #NewShepard #NS25 crew will include Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Ed Dwight, Ken Hess, Carol Schaller, and Gopi Thotakura. Read more : https://t.co/KbAJkbRTvj pic.twitter.com/8QBFYPJkYj — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 4, 2024 The company returned to ..read more

Rocket Lab is readying for its next launch no earlier than April 24th from Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The mission, Beginning of the Swarm, will feature two payloads being deployed to completely different orbits. Welcome to LC-1, @KAISTPR! NEONSAT-1 is going through checkouts in the cleanroom at Launch Complex 1 in the lead up to KAIST’s mission on Electron in the coming days, NET April 24th. Launch info: https://t.co/xyg2Ghty8K pic.twitter.com/vpjq0kYRPp — Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) April 9, 2024 The primary payload for this mission, NEONSAT-1, is for the Korea Adva ..read more