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NASA and SpaceX will study the possibility of using a Dragon capsule to boost Hubble's orbit
It could add years to the aging telescope's life.
SpaceX and its kick-ass, phenomenal, totally awesome 2020
2020 has been very good to SpaceX with the aerospace transportation firm surpassing a number of milestones, achieving virtually every goal it set out for itself during the year.
Watch SpaceX launch its first updated cargo Dragon capsule at 11:17AM ET
SpaceX is launching an upgraded cargo Dragon capsule for the first time at 11:17AM Eastern. The new spacecraft can dock entirely on its own.
SpaceX will answer Crew Dragon and Starlink questions on Reddit at 3PM ET
SpaceX is holding a Reddit AMA that could answer your questions about Crew Dragon, Starlink and more.
SpaceX’s first-gen Dragon cargo capsule left the ISS for the last time
This morning, a first-generation SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule left the International Space Station (ISS).
Watch SpaceX launch a twice-used Dragon capsule at 6:24PM ET (updated)
Want to know just how routine spaceflight has become? Just look at SpaceX's latest mission. The company is livestreaming the launch of its CRS-18 resupply mission for the ISS with an expected liftoff at 6:24PM Eastern, and every component from the mission is well-worn. The Falcon 9 launched a previous ISS supply mission in May, while the Dragon has visited the ISS twice -- once in April 2015 and again in December 2017. This is the first instance of SpaceX flying a Dragon capsule for the third time, the company said.
SpaceX delivered 5,500 lbs of cargo to the International Space Station today
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft successfully made its way to the International Space Station (ISS), with approximately 5,500 lbs of NASA cargo and science experiments. It launched Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and it arrived today, joining five other spacecraft currently docked at the station.
SpaceX postpones first Crew Dragon flight until March 2nd
SpaceX and NASA have set a new target date for the Crew Dragon's first test flight: March 2nd. The capsule was supposed to blast off on top of a Falcon 9 rocket and head to the ISS for the first time on January 7th, but the partners rescheduled it twice since then. Neither gave an explanation for the delays -- they're pretty common when it comes to rocket launches, after all -- but Florida Today brought up the possibility that the capsule's first test was affected by the 35-day government shutdown that lasted until January 25th.
SpaceX reveals identity of the world's first lunar space tourist
The last time that humanity set foot on the lunar surface, Richard Nixon was still president and Pink Floyd was still in the midst of recording their seminal album about its dark side. And while SpaceX's tourism plans don't involve actually setting down on our nearest celestial neighbor, the company does hope to put Yusaku Maezawa, the billionaire founder of Japanese fashion retailer, Zozotown, as close to it as any human has been in the past couple of decades.
SpaceX readies its spacecraft and astronauts for crewed missions
SpaceX's priority is to get humans into space. Eventually, some of those people will end up on Mars. For now, the rocket-launching company needs to work on getting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). To that end, it recently showed off the hardware and astronauts that'll be part of the historical mission.
Elon Musk: 'Oh btw I’m building a cyborg dragon'
Oh btw I'm building a cyborg dragon — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2018 Where my Model 3, tho?
SpaceX launches NASA resupply mission with reused rocket and capsule
Today SpaceX launched its first reused rocket for NASA. Both the Falcon 9 rocket itself and the Dragon capsule have been used prior to this resupply mission. Back in June, Elon Musk's spacefaring venture put a reused capsule in orbit, but this trip to the International Space Station marks the first time that NASA has used a "flight proven" booster on a mission (read: reused) according to CNBC. Based on the livestream, everything seems to have gone well: SpaceX successfully landed the rocket, which means it could potentially make its third flight in the future.
Watch SpaceX launch a reused capsule on a recycled rocket
SpaceX is making an historic first on Wednesday, when it gets one step closer towards realizing its vision of reusable space launch gear. The private space company is launching a space station resupply mission using a refurbished Dragon spacecraft and a previously-flown Falcon 9 booster. Dragon will spend around a month at the International Space Station unloading supplies and filling up with return cargo before returning to Earth, while SpaceX plans to recover Falcon 9 by landing it at its LZ-1 facility at Cape Canaveral. Both parts have been used on other resupply missions before, and if SpaceX's dreams come to fruition, they'll be used again. Watch them blast off live on Wednesday December 13 at 11:24 AM EST (08:24 AM PST).
SpaceX's capsule 're-flight' is a space travel milestone
SpaceX just took one step closer to making reusable private spacecraft seem entirely ordinary. The company has confirmed that its previously used Dragon capsule splashed down on the morning of July 3rd, making it the first commercial spacecraft to re-fly to and from the International Space Station. There wasn't a lot of drama involved (the biggest challenge was getting the vessel into orbit), but that's arguably the point -- it's supposed to be a non-event.
Microsoft improves Office's hands-free typing with Dictate
Microsoft has released a new app called Dictate. It's an add-in for Word, Outlook and Powerpoint and uses Cortana's speech-recognition technology to let you speak what you want to type.
Watch SpaceX land another rocket in crisp 4K
Missed the SpaceX launch that marked the first time it used a refurbished Dragon capsule for an ISS resupply mission? Well, that capsule has recently reached the space station, and the private space company has just released a 4K video showing the rocket it used for the mission making a perfect landing at Cape Canaveral. This is the 11th time a Falcon 9 was able to stick its landing, and it certainly won't be the last. SpaceX plans to repeat the feat again and again, both on land and at sea, in an effort to ensure that its rockets are perfectly reusable.
SpaceX's re-launched Dragon capsule arrives at the ISS
This weekend's big SpaceX news has nearly reached its logical conclusion point: the reused Dragon cargo capsule has been successfully captured by the International Space Station. While that sounds an awful lot like the opening scene of a certain space opera, it's all par for the course. From here, the ISS' ground crew will take control of the station's robotic arm and dock the capsule, according to NASA.
SpaceX re-launches a Dragon capsule for the first time
SpaceX is no longer limited to reusing rockets -- it's reusing capsules, too. The private spaceflight outfit has launched a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule (namely, one last used in September 2014) as part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station. While the vehicle isn't as complex as a Falcon 9, this shows that it can endure multiple launches (SpaceX is targeting three) without a hitch. That's important for reducing the overall costs of spaceflight, especially when manned Dragon missions become a reality.
SpaceX aims to launch ISS resupply mission on February 18th
After one of its Falcon 9 rockets exploded on the launch pad last September, SpaceX sprinted to get back on track, and achieved a successful comeback launch in mid-January. To deal with the backlog of launches delayed by the accident, the company set an ambitious schedule of liftoffs every two to three weeks. The first of these, they announced today, will be an ISS resupply mission using one of their Dragon capsules set to fly on February 18th.
NASA is concerned about SpaceX's rocket fueling practices
NASA is a little nervous about SpaceX's future crewed flights. The Wall Street Journal has obtained a letter from December 2015 showing that an agency International Space Station committee has been worried about the safety of SpaceX's planned fueling strategy. While the nature of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets will require that it fill up while the crew is aboard (it has to supply the supercooled fuel 30 minutes before launch), that goes against "50 years" of booster safety practices around the world, according to the letter. The committee raised the issue again with NASA officials days before SpaceX's launchpad explosion, but hadn't heard anything for weeks afterward.
