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Browse every article published on Spaceflight Now, from launch reports and mission previews to spacecraft development coverage. Use the filters to narrow by topic or search by keyword.
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VideoSpaceX test-fires 31 engines on Starship’s gigantic Super Heavy booster
In a significant milestone preparing for liftoff of the world's most powerful rocket, SpaceX test-fired 31 of the booster's 33 methane-fueled engines Thursday in South Texas as the company eyes a launch attempt as soon as March.
VideoSpaceX outlines plans for Starship orbital test flight
SpaceX has revealed the flight plan for the first orbital test launch of the company's huge stainless steel Starship rocket, a 90-minute, around-the-world mission that will originate from South Texas and culminate with a controlled re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
VideoUpgraded Starship prototype makes first soft landing after test flight
SpaceX launched and landed an upgraded prototype for the company's next-generation Starship vehicle in South Texas on Wednesday, the company's first Starship test flight since winning a $2.9 billion NASA contract to use the craft to land astronauts on the Moon.
VideoOur interview with Steve Jurczyk, NASA’s acting administrator
Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now's editor, asked NASA's acting administrator about the space agency's commercial crew and Artemis programs during a one-on-one virtual interview Tuesday, April 20.
VideoNASA chooses SpaceX to land next astronauts on the Moon
NASA has selected SpaceX to build a spacecraft to land the first astronauts on the moon since 1972, choosing Elon Musk's space company over competing proposals from Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin and the aerospace firm Dynetics, officials announced Friday.
VideoSpaceX nails Starship landing, but rocket explodes minutes later
The latest prototype of SpaceX's Starship launch vehicle -- Starship SN10 -- took off from the company's South Texas test site and flew to an altitude of more than 30,000 feet Wednesday, then descended to a controlled vertical landing after two previous test vehicles crashed at touchdown. Minutes later, the 16-story test rocket exploded in a fireball, but the test flight appeared to be a major step forward in the early stages of the Starship program.
VideoSpaceX Starship prototype lost in test flight landing mishap
SpaceX launched a prototype Starship rocket Tuesday from its Boca Chica, Texas, flight facility, successfully sending the silver booster up to an altitude of about six miles as planned. But the unpiloted test flight ended with a spectacular explosion when the rocket failed to right itself and slow down enough for a tail-first landing.
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Second high-altitude Starship test flight ends in landing explosion
Starship completed a successful climb to approximately 10 kilometers altitude and then descended horizontally toward the landing site. It appeared to lose control as it was in the process of flipping back to a vertical position and exploded as it bellyflopped onto the landing pad. Watch a replay of the test flight.
VideoFAA approves Starship test after saying SpaceX violated safety rules on last flight
SpaceX defied public safety rules on its most recent Starship launch over South Texas in December, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday as it approved a license for SpaceX's next high-altitude Starship test flight scheduled for the same day.
VideoSpaceX test-fires Raptor engine on Starship test rocket
A test-firing of a Raptor engine on the latest in a series of Starship test rockets Tuesday night in Texas moved SpaceX closer to performing a low-altitude "hop" to gather data on the vehicle's launch and landing characteristics.