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VideoOrbcomm first in Falcon 9’s return-to-flight launch queue
Going with a philosophy that favors incremental testing of an upgraded version of the Falcon 9 booster, SpaceX officials said Friday that eleven mini-satellites for Orbcomm's data relay business will fly on the company's first mission since a launch failure in June.
Seattle company buys big rocket for little satellites
Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries has purchased a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for launch in 2017 with a mash-up of satellites in the first such commercial arrangement for a rideshare mission on a U.S. launcher, the company announced Wednesday.
Q&A with Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight Industries (members only)
Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight Industries, spoke with Spaceflight Now's Stephen Clark on Sept. 29 about the Seattle-based company's purchase of a dedicated rideshare mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and various trends and strategies in play in the small satellite launch market.
VideoFirst static fire completed on upgraded Falcon 9
SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 booster powered up to full throttle in a brief ignition at the company's Central Texas test site this week as engineers prepare for the rocket's return to flight as soon as mid-November with a European communications satellite.
‘Big three’ nab commercial launch contracts
SpaceX announced Monday two new Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket missions from Cape Canaveral, Arianespace said it cinched a contract to launch a Japanese TV broadcasting satellite, and International Launch Services revealed a deal to launch a Spanish telecommunications payload, ending a drought in commercial Proton launch orders.
Falcon 9 rocket to be grounded longer than expected
The beginning of November will be the earliest SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket can resume launching after a June 28 failure blamed on a deficient structural support brace inside the the vehicle's second stage, a SpaceX executive said Monday.
VideoSupport strut probable cause of Falcon 9 failure
A faulty support strut inside the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage liquid oxygen tank likely broke free during a June 28 space station resupply launch, destroying the booster minutes after liftoff in a cloud of debris over the Atlantic Ocean, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said Monday.
Musk: Falcon 9 rocket failure a “huge blow” to SpaceX
Speaking publicly for the first time since a Falcon 9 rocket failure that destroyed a Dragon cargo capsule for the International Space Station, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Tuesday that engineers are still piecing together what happened during the June 28 accident in hopes of announcing more details within a few days.
Air Force stays the course with SpaceX rocket certification
Sunday's Falcon 9 rocket failure may have blemished SpaceX's success record, but the mishap will not keep the entrepreneurial space company from competing for U.S. military launch contracts with rival United Launch Alliance, according to an Air Force general.
VideoData, not debris, takes spotlight in Falcon 9 failure investigation
Although recovery teams in the Atlantic Ocean have retrieved wreckage from Sunday's Falcon 9 launch failure, the best clues to the cause of the crash lie in raw data transmitted from the rocket as it disintegrated, SpaceX officials said Wednesday.