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126 articles
SpaceX executive pitches Starship for space debris cleanup
SpaceX could use its Starship vehicles to clear out space debris in Earth orbit, alongside the program's more publicized purpose of ferrying people and cargo to the moon and Mars, a company executive said.
SpaceX test-fires Starship prototype with three engines
SpaceX fired three Raptor engines on a prototype of the company’s Starship vehicle Tuesday, accomplishing another milestone on the road toward testing of the methane-fueled rocket at higher altitudes.
NASA selects proposals to demonstrate in-space refueling and propellant depot tech
NASA has selected 14 companies for contracts of more than $370 million to advance technology for human missions to the moon and Mars. Most of the money will support flight demonstrations by SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and other companies that could lead to in-space refueling and propellant depots for reusable lunar landers and deep space transportation vehicles.
NASA lays out $28 billion plan to return astronauts to the moon in 2024
NASA officials released a nearly five-year, $28 billion plan Monday to return astronauts to the surface of the moon before the end of 2024, but the agency's administrator said the "aggressive" timeline set by the Trump administration last year hinges on Congress approving $3.2 billion in the next few months to kick-start development of new human-rated lunar landers.
After second hop, SpaceX preps for next phase of Starship testing
After another Starship hop test last week, SpaceX is set to build the first prototype for the next-gen rocket’s huge first stage booster. Meanwhile, testing will commence soon on the Raptor engine model needed for orbital Starship missions.
Elon Musk offers update on SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket
SpaceX founder Elon Musk detailed progress on the company's next-generation Starship program Monday, saying the huge rocket could "probably" attempt its first launch into Earth orbit next year, and adding that the Starship will fly hundreds of missions before SpaceX puts people on-board.
ULA, SpaceX win landmark multibillion-dollar launch agreements with Pentagon
United Launch Alliance and SpaceX beat out Northrop Grumman and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin for billions of dollars in U.S. military rocket contracts, and will share the load in launching the Pentagon's highest-priority national security space missions through 2027, officials announced Friday.
SpaceX clears big hurdle on next-gen Starship rocket program
A prototype rocket for a massive reusable vehicle SpaceX is designing to fly people to the moon and Mars took off from a launching stand in South Texas on Tuesday, flew to a height of roughly 500 feet, then made a controlled descent to a nearby landing pad.
NASA signs Gateway habitat design contract with Northrop Grumman
NASA has signed a $187 million contract with Northrop Grumman to complete the preliminary design of a pressurized crew habitat for the planned Gateway mini-space station near the moon, and agency officials have discussed new details about plans to launch first two Gateway modules on a single heavy-lift rocket.
SpaceX Starship test vehicle explodes moments after test-firing
A full-size prototype of SpaceX's Starship violently exploded in South Texas moments after a test-firing of its Raptor engine Friday, dealing a setback to the company's next-generation reusable rocket program.