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Live coverage: SpaceX to launch space station resupply craft Wednesday
Weather conditions at the surface will likely be favorable for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, but upper level winds may pose a roadblock for the start of the company's next space station resupply mission. SpaceX is targeting liftoff of the Falcon 9 from pad 40 at 12:51 p.m. EST (1751 GMT) Wednesday.
After quiet autumn, SpaceX preps for busy December launch schedule
After a lull in launch activity this fall, SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are preparing for up to four Falcon 9 missions in December to close out 2019 with a surge of launches.
SpaceX offering Starship to NASA for lunar landing missions
SpaceX is eligible to propose using its next-generation Starship vehicle to carry NASA robotic science payloads to the lunar surface, the U.S. space agency announced Monday, on missions that could precede future Starship flights with people on-board. SpaceX is one of five companies NASA selected Monday to join a roster of commercial transportation providers to deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstration packages to the moon as soon as 2022.
SpaceX fires up Crew Dragon thrusters in key test after April explosion
SpaceX test-fired the Crew Dragon spacecraft's eight SuperDraco abort engines Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, paving the way for a high-altitude rocket escape test and demonstrating engineers have apparently fixed the problem that triggered an explosion during a similar ground firing in April.
Video: Crew Dragon tests abort thrusters at Cape Canaveral
SpaceX conducted a static fire test of the SuperDraco abort thrusters on the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft Wednesday afternoon at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
VideoBoeing, SpaceX readying for crew capsule abort tests
Boeing and SpaceX are readying for launch abort tests in the coming weeks to validate the crew escape systems for the new human-rated Starliner and Crew Dragon spaceships, now scheduled to begin ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station in the first half of next year.
Bridenstine says NASA not holding up commercial crew schedule
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said this week the space agency is not unduly delaying the debut of new SpaceX and Boeing commercial crew capsules as engineers gear up for a challenging rapid-fire sequence of test flights in the next few months, all against the backdrop of in-depth safety reviews before clearing the privately-owned ships to carry astronauts.
NASA likely to buy Soyuz seats, defer Japanese astronaut flight
With lingering uncertainly about when new commercial crew spaceships will be ready to launch humans, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Thursday the space agency will replace a Japanese astronaut with a U.S. space flier on the next Russian Soyuz launch to the International Space Station. He added that it remains in NASA's interests to pay Russia for one or more additional Soyuz seats next year to ensure the station remains continuously staffed with at least one American.
Q&A with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (members only)
Speaking with Spaceflight Now on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress this week, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine offered his assessment on the status of a budget battle to secure funding for the agency's Artemis program, which seeks to achieve the next human landing on the moon by the end of 2024.
NASA chief says SpaceX properly focused on Crew Dragon
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited SpaceX's California rocket factory Thursday, toured the sprawling facility with founder Elon Musk and told reporters he is optimistic the company will be ready to launch the first piloted test flight of its Crew Dragon spaceship in the first quarter of next year.