SpaceX

The FAA held the first of two virtual public hearings regarding the development of SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy launches in Boca Chica, Texas. Dozens of attendees spoke during the public comment session, many of whom displayed their support for Elon Musk’s ambitious projects. The meeting focused on SpaceX’s Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), a […]

The commercial spaceflight industry is led by the likes of SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, utilizing powerful rockets to shoot customers into space for a few minutes at a time, but one company is opting for a different method—luxury space balloons. Space Perspective plans to launch a capsule lifted by a giant hydrogen balloon […]

SpaceX has set some lofty goals to develop the world’s most powerful launch vehicle, capable of sending crew and cargo to the Martian surface. The spacecraft, Starship, and its Super Heavy rocket will be launched from the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas—if it can gain approval from the FAA. Next week, the […]

Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson are on notice: The United Nations is not happy with their recent journeys to the edge of space. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeared to call out the CEOs of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic this month during a speech to world leaders. While not specifically naming them, Guterres […]

The U.S. Space Force is advancing investment in next-generation rocket development, awarding $87.5 million in contracts to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance. The awards announced this week were made in response to a request for prototype proposals put forth by USSF in May for rocket engine testing and upper stage resiliency […]

A new FAA draft report assessing potential environmental impact suggests SpaceX may ultimately be allowed to launch larger rockets from its Texas Boca Chica site. SpaceX is working with the FAA to win permission to launch its large Super Heavy booster rocket and Starship upper stage from the site, which is located on the Gulf […]

After three days orbiting Earth, the astronauts of Inspiration4 flying aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 7:06 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The return marks the completion of the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit, which launched on a flight-proven SpaceX […]

Inspiration4, the world’s first orbital spaceflight fully crewed by civilians, successfully lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, beginning what mission officials called a “new era.” Never before has a journey to orbit been fully composed of civilians who aren’t professional astronauts. In some ways, it brings crewed space travel closer to a […]

Hours before their scheduled Wednesday liftoff, the all-rookie crew of Inspiration4 opened up about their historic SpaceX mission. Commander and billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman joined fellow crew members Hayley Arceneaux, Dr. Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday to answer questions about pre-mission jitters and what they plan to accomplish […]

Mission controllers for Inspiration4 have updated the launch window for SpaceX’s next crewed mission to Earth orbit, launching from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. A new five-hour launch window begins at 8:02 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to a statement. The window is based on an updated weather forecast for the launch site and possible landing […]