Falcon 9 – Page 3 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Falcon 9 set for launch Monday from Cape Canaveral

December 13, 2019

SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral raised a Falcon 9 rocket vertical at the Complex 40 launch pad and performed a static fire test Friday. The Falcon 9 will be used to launch a commercial geostationary communications satellite no earlier than Monday at 7:10 p.m. EST (0010 GMT Tuesday).

Falcon 9 performs extended mission in test for future U.S. military launches

December 8, 2019

An extended mission for the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage after launch Thursday with a space station cargo ship helped demonstrate SpaceX’s ability to perform long-duration flight sequences to inject U.S. military payloads directly into high-altitude geosynchronous orbit.

After redesigns, the finish line is in sight for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship

December 7, 2019

Five-and-a-half years ago, SpaceX founder Elon Musk revealed SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, a sleek-looking human-rated spaceship with 3D-printed engines, a roomy stylized interior and touchscreen controls. Now SpaceX’s first ship to ferry astronauts — with numerous design changes introduced since 2014 — is about to leave the company’s factory for final testing before launching early next year.

Dragon soars on research and resupply flight to International Space Station

December 5, 2019

A commercial Dragon supply freighter built and owned by SpaceX rocketed into a clear blue sky over Florida’s Space Coast Thursday with a menagerie of research experiments and holiday surprises heading for the International Space Station.

Photos: Falcon 9 in the starting blocks for space station resupply run

December 4, 2019

Ready for a resupply run to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned liftoff with more than 5,700 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies.

Live coverage: Dragon cargo capsule arrives at space station

December 4, 2019

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Sunday with more than 5,700 pounds of supplies and experiments. The supply ship was captured by the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm at 5:05 a.m. EST (1005 GMT).

Long-duration coast experiment on tap after Falcon 9 launch Thursday

December 3, 2019

SpaceX will perform a multi-hour experiment on the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket after the launcher deploys a Dragon supply ship on the way to the International Space Station Thursday, gathering thermal data and other information to verify the vehicle’s ability to perform long-duration missions and inject payloads into demanding, high-energy orbits.

SpaceX cargo mission combines mighty mice, fires and beer research

December 3, 2019

A nest of genetically-engineered mice, a research study to observe the behavior of fires in space, and an experiment that could lead to brewing beer in microgravity are among more than 5,700 pounds of cargo inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule awaiting launch from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station Thursday.

Two cargo freighters set for launch to space station this week

December 2, 2019

Fresh off a series of three complex spacewalks to repair a $2 billion cosmic ray detector, the International Space Station’s crew is set to receive two robotic resupply freighters in the next week after launches from Florida’s Space Coast and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket for next space station cargo launch

November 26, 2019

A Falcon 9 booster fresh from SpaceX’s factory briefly fired its nine Merlin main engines Tuesday on a Cape Canaveral launch pad, passing a key test before liftoff Dec. 4 with a Dragon supply ship heading for the International Space Station.