Commercial Space – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Overnight launch adds 56 more satellites to SpaceX’s Starlink fleet

May 14, 2023 Stephen Clark

Fifty-six more Starlink internet satellites lifted off early Sunday atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on SpaceX’s 32nd launch of the year.

SpaceX’s Falcon rocket family reaches 200 straight successful missions

May 10, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s launch of 51 more Starlink internet satellites Wednesday from California marked the 200th consecutive successful mission for the company’s Falcon rocket family, a record unmatched by any other space launch vehicle.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites from California

May 10, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 1:09 p.m. PDT (4:09 p.m. EDT) Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on a mission hauling 51 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit.

Start of construction paves way for first UK mainland vertical launch

May 8, 2023 Clive Simpson

Rocket and launch services company Orbex has begun construction at Sutherland Spaceport in Scotland with a ground-breaking ceremony on May 5 that marked the start of the first vertical launch spaceport to be built on mainland UK.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Starlink 3-5 mission from California

April 26, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched the Starlink 3-5 mission from California Thursday morning, following a last-minute abort Wednesday due to concerns about landing of the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage booster on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6:40 a.m. PDT (9:40 a.m. EDT; 1340 UTC) with 46 Starlink internet satellites.

Japanese company says commercial spacecraft crashed on moon landing attempt

April 25, 2023 Stephen Clark

A small spacecraft attempting to become the first privately-funded probe to accomplish a controlled landing on the moon likely fell to the lunar surface after running out of fuel Tuesday, according to the Japanese company ispace, which managed the mission.

Live coverage: Contact lost with Japanese moon lander

April 25, 2023 Stephen Clark

A commercial robotic lander developed by the Japanese company ispace was supposed to land on the moon at 12:40 p.m. EDT (1640 UTC) Tuesday, attempting to make history as the first privately-funded enterprise to achieve a controlled touchdown on the lunar surface. But mission controllers lost contact with the spacecraft just before landing.

Japanese company aims to become first company to land on the moon Tuesday

April 24, 2023 Stephen Clark

The Japanese company ispace could become the first commercial firm to achieve a controlled landing on the moon Tuesday, when its privately-funded unpiloted Hakuto-R lander attempts to touch down inside a crater to deliver a small Emirati rover and other research payloads to the lunar surface.

SpaceX launches largest rocket ever built, but test flight ends in explosion

April 20, 2023 Stephen Clark

After years of anticipation, SpaceX launched the first test flight of its full-scale Starship rocket Thursday from South Texas, but the mission ended four minutes later as the vehicle veered out of control and self-destructed over the Gulf of Mexico following multiple engine failures.

Live coverage: SpaceX’s Starship rocket explodes on test flight from Texas

April 20, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX launched the first full-scale Starship and Super Heavy rocket from South Texas at 8:33 a.m. CDT (9:33 a.m. EDT; 1333 UTC Thursday). The nearly 40-story-tall rocket, the largest ever built, lifted off from the Starbase launch complex and flew downrange before veering out of control and exploding about four minutes into the flight.