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SpaceX to debut satellite-dimming sunshade on Starlink launch next month
A new sunshade, or visor, designed to reduce the brightness of SpaceX's Starlink broadband Internet satellites will debut on the company's next launch, a measure intended to alleviate astronomers' concerns about impacts on observations through ground-based telescopes, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday.
Citing coronavirus, NASA urges public not to travel for launch of astronauts
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Thursday urged space enthusiasts not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center next month to view the first launch of astronauts from the Florida spaceport since 2011, and asked people to instead watch the launch on television or online.
NASA, SpaceX set May 27 as target date for first crew launch
Nearly a decade in the making, NASA and SpaceX have set May 27 as the target launch date for the first crewed space mission to launch into orbit from U.S. soil since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011.
Photos: SpaceX cargo capsule returns to Southern California after space station mission
SpaceX technicians offloaded a Dragon cargo capsule from its recovery ship Thursday after returning the thrice-flown supply freighter to the Port of Los Angeles, marking the final planned return of a Dragon spacecraft to the West Coast.
With successful splashdown, SpaceX retires first version of Dragon spacecraft
For the final time, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule was released from the International Space Station's robotic arm Tuesday and splashed down hours later in Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles. Beginning later this year, SpaceX will fly upgraded Dragon freighters that will dock automatically with the space station and parachute into the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida.
Next GPS launch delayed by coronavirus concerns; X-37B launch remains on track
U.S. military officials said Tuesday the launch of the next satellite for the GPS navigation network -- planned for April 29 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket -- has been delayed to no earlier than June 30 to avoid exposing launch crews to the COVID-19 viral disease. However, the next launch of the military's X-37B spaceplane remains on track for liftoff in May on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, officials said.
Space companies rally to supply medical equipment amid pandemic
While production of rockets and satellites continues across much of the space industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, engineers at several space companies -- including SpaceX, Virgin Orbit and Blue Origin -- have started working on medical devices and protective equipment in response to shortages in hospitals across the United States.
VideoLive coverage: Dragon supply ship departs space station
A SpaceX Dragon cargo freighter departed the International Space Station Tuesday for return to Earth, wrapping up the 20th and final visit to the orbiting research complex for the current version of SpaceX's supply ship before an upgraded Dragon starts launching later this year. Release from the space station's robotic arm occurred at 9:06 a.m. EDT (1306 GMT), followed by splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 2:50 p.m. EDT (1850 GMT).
VideoVideo: Astronauts participate in Crew Dragon launch day dress rehearsal
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, assigned to fly SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first piloted mission into orbit, participated in a dress rehearsal of their suit-up procedures and a trip to launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 17, 2020.
Photos: Astronauts train to ride a Dragon into space
Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, two veteran space shuttle fliers, are gearing up to fly a privately-developed SpaceX Dragon capsule into orbit this year. These photos chronicle their recent training.