Elon Musk – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

Elon Musk says SpaceX will try to launch his Tesla Roadster on new heavy-lift rocket

December 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted Friday that his red Tesla Roadster will head for deep space on the maiden flight of the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as next month, and do it to the tune of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

Elon Musk revises Mars plan, hopes for boots on ground in 2024

September 29, 2017 William Harwood

SpaceX plans to begin construction of a new rocket and spacecraft next year that could lead to human landings on Mars as early as 2024, scaling up technologies currently being perfected with the company’s Falcon 9 family of boosters to ensure reliability, reusability and, as a result, realistically low costs, founder Elon Musk said Friday.

Anticipating upgraded spaceships, SpaceX builds final first-generation Dragon cargo craft

July 29, 2017 Stephen Clark

The Dragon supply ship set for liftoff from Florida next month was the last of SpaceX’s first-generation cargo capsules off the production line, meaning future logistics deliveries to the International Space Station will fly on recycled spacecraft until a new Dragon variant is ready.

Musk aims for November debut of Falcon Heavy

July 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX aims to launch the first Falcon Heavy rocket in November, company chief Elon Musk said Thursday, the latest in a series of schedule targets for the heavy-lift launcher’s delayed debut.

Musk sets expectations low for maiden Falcon Heavy launch

July 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

When SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket finally takes off for the first time, a debut now scheduled this fall, there’s a good chance the commercial heavy-lifter will falter short of reaching orbit, company founder and chief designer Elon Musk said last week.

Propulsive landings nixed from SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship

July 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon capsules will not return astronauts to Earth for powered landings as originally envisioned, company boss Elon Musk said Wednesday, a design change that raises questions about the space transport firm’s plans to send commercial landers to the surface of Mars.

Musk wants to make Falcon rockets fully reusable

April 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said last week he is “fairly confident” his company’s Falcon rockets can be made fully reusable within a couple of years, suggesting a renewed emphasis on outfitting upper stages for a scorching re-entry after engineers shelved the idea to focus on landing the launcher’s bigger booster stage.

Musk previews busy year ahead for SpaceX

April 4, 2017 Stephen Clark

There’s a lot on SpaceX’s agenda this year if the company can maintain its pace, including refinements of the Falcon 9 rocket to hasten refurbishment between flights and the debut of the long-delayed Falcon Heavy launch vehicle with two side boosters recycled from previous missions, Elon Musk said after last week’s successful liftoff of a previously-flown rocket.

Trump signs NASA authorization act, Pence to chair National Space Council

March 23, 2017 Stephen Clark

President Donald Trump signed a new NASA authorization bill Tuesday, the first such space policy framework since early in the Obama administration, that largely continues the space agency’s efforts to foster a commercial economy in Earth orbit and explore deep space, with an eventual goal of landing humans on Mars.

Q&A with Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO

February 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Elon Musk spoke with reporters Monday about his company’s plan to launch two space tourists on a loop around the moon in 2018.