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spacex

Delays for SpaceX’s Starlink

First it was bad weather at the Cape which slipped the June 23rd launch to June 25th, then June 26th, but then the Falcon 9 rocket with a cargo of 57 Starlink satellites – plus a few guest craft – was postponed again just 2 hours before the planned launch – even though the weather […]

June 29, 2020By Chris Forrester

SpaceX launch rescheduled for June 25

SpaceX was due to launch another batch of Starlink satellites on June 23rd but bad weather at the Cape means that – weather again permitting – launch will now be on June 25th. This will be the 10th launch of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites and take the total in orbit to almost 600. Musk says […]

June 24, 2020By Chris Forrester

Rocket Lab has SpaceX in its sights

There’s a new rocket launch company making headlines. Rocket Lab, founded in 2006 and originally based in Auckland, New Zealand (where it still makes its rockets), has SpaceX’s frequency and some of its client list in its sights. Rocket Lab is headed by c0-founder Peter Beck, who currently serves as the company’s CEO and CTO. […]

June 17, 2020

Starlink satellite service “this summer”

After a day’s delay, a SpaceX rocket placed the ninth batch of Starlink satellites into orbit at 5.21am, Florida time, on June 13th. The normal Starlink manifest is 60 satellites per launch, but on this flight there was also a cargo of three ‘piggyback’ satellites for San Francisco-based Planet Labs and its SkySat Earth observation […]

June 15, 2020By Chris Forrester

OneWeb auction generates extra Chinese interest

Would-be mega-constellation operator OneWeb, now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has a key date looming; June 26th is a deadline for final bids to be entered for either the whole business or parts of the company. The bankruptcy is being handled by a court in New York and, according to Space Intel Report (SIR), the original […]

June 15, 2020By Chris Forrester

Study: Substantial potential for Starlink

Data shows that a high number of US broadband users would consider switching to Elon Musk’s Starlink service. An estimated 42 million Americans (16 million homes) do not have access to a broadband-level connection, double the FCC’s estimates, according to BroadbandNow – a data aggregation company helping consumers find their best broadband options. “In addition, […]

June 12, 2020

SpaceX plans Starlink launch on June 12

SpaceX is planning its third launch in just two weeks for June 12th, although as always, it is subject to the Florida weather. SpaceX intends to place another 60 of its Starlink satellites into orbit. Launch time is currently at 05.30-05.45 on Friday morning (Florida time). The launch will be the ninth mission for the […]

June 11, 2020By Chris Forrester

FCC approves LEO operators to bid for rural funding

The FCC, somewhat unusually, seems to have changed its mind and it is the world’s operators of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites which could benefit. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said on June 9th that the Commission had changed the text on its draft order. “We did accommodate a request from a commissioner (Commissioner O’Rielly) to […]

June 11, 2020By Chris Forrester

Musk targets 100 people per Starship

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is normally focused on launching satellites into orbit, plus a couple of astronauts now and again. But now he is targeting his all-new ‘Starship’ super-rocket, and flights carrying up to 100 people. Musk’s Starship is the vehicle which he wants to use to get missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. He […]

June 10, 2020

Another successful SpaceX launch

SpaceX completed another flawless launch on June 3rd – and the recovery of its Falcon 9 first stage a few minutes later. It was the sixth SpaceX launch this year (the second in five days) and the fifth use of the first stage booster which some dubbed the ‘sooty launcher’. Sooty or not the whole […]

June 4, 2020By Chris Forrester