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SpaceX adds another 60 satellites to Starlink network
SpaceX successfully deployed 60 more Starlink internet satellites in orbit Saturday, continuing a record launch cadence while engineers assess a concern with Falcon 9 rocket engines that has delayed other missions, including the next crew flight to the International Space Station.
SpaceX crew launch delayed to assess Merlin engine concern
NASA said Saturday that the launch of four astronauts on SpaceX's first operational Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station has been delayed from Oct. 31 until "no sooner than early-to-mid November," allowing time for SpaceX to resolve an issue with Falcon 9 rocket engines that halted a recent launch attempt with a GPS navigation satellite.
First operational Crew Dragon launch slips to Halloween
NASA announced Monday that the launch of the first operational crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is set for the predawn hours of Halloween, eight days later than previously planned.
Axiom finalizing agreements for private astronaut mission to space station
The chief executive of Axiom Space says agreements with NASA, SpaceX, and fare-paying passengers should be finalized in the coming weeks for the launch of the first all-private crew to the International Space Station in October 2021, and former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria is set to command the mission.
NASA sets Oct. 23 as target launch date for first operational Crew Dragon mission
The first operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts aboard is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Oct. 23, following a formal certification review to assess data from the Crew Dragon's two-man test flight that concluded earlier this month, NASA said Friday.
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.
Safety panel concerned about quality control on Boeing crew capsule
Members of NASA's independent panel of aerospace safety advisors raised concerns last week about quality control problems that "seemingly have plagued" Boeing's Starliner crew capsule program, while urging NASA to closely monitor SpaceX's plans to reuse Crew Dragon spaceships on astronaut flights to the International Space Station.
Astronauts gear up for Friday spacewalk amid planning for August Crew Dragon return
Space station commander Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken plan to float outside Friday for the first of up to four spacewalks needed to complete the replacement of aging batteries in the lab’s solar power system. NASA managers hope to get the work done in time for Behnken and crewmate Douglas Hurley to return to Earth aboard their Crew Dragon capsule by around Aug. 2, officials said Wednesday.
NASA agrees to fly astronauts on reused Crew Dragon spacecraft
NASA has agreed to allow its astronauts to fly on reused Crew Dragon spaceships and Falcon 9 boosters beginning as soon as SpaceX's third launch of a crew to the International Space Station, a mission expected to launch next year.
Astronauts say riding Falcon 9 rocket was “totally different” from the space shuttle
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken say SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was a "very pure flying machine" as it sped their Crew Dragon spaceship into orbit, but they said they were surprised by the rougher-than-expected ride on the Falcon 9's powerful upper stage.