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SpaceX history. SpaceX success story: how a private American company becomes a competitor to Roscosmos

The failure of the fourth launch would mean the collapse of the company, Musk himself said in an interview that the company had no right to make a mistake on the fourth launch. The launch took place on September 28, 2008, on the rocket there was only a mock load of 150 kg. The launch was successful, and the cargo was delivered to the calculated orbit. Elon proved that his company is not hopeless and has a right to exist. On July 13, 2009, Falcon 1 successfully launched into space with the Malaysian RazakSAT satellite on board. This was the last planned flight of the Falcon 1 family, and the company canceled the project and began work on a new family of launch vehicles called the Falcon 9.

SpaceX officially announced the Falcon 9 on September 8, 2005, a year before the first launch of the first family of launch vehicles. In 2008, the company actively tested all components of the rocket, and on June 4, 2010, the rocket stood upright on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral and was ready for launch. The first launch was canceled a few seconds before launch due to technical problems, the second time the rocket successfully said goodbye to the Earth and delivered the cargo to the calculated orbit. The second rocket launch marked the first private return cargo ship called Dragon, which was developed by SpaceX. Dragon was created for the project commercial services orbital transportation from NASA. Dragon was supposed to deliver food and equipment to the ISS to keep the station running. 7 months after the first launch of Falcon 9, the new rocket and the already operational Dragon spacecraft made a demonstration flight in which Dragon successfully circled the Earth twice and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX won the contract from NASA, and since then Dragon has become a regular guest on the ISS. In 2014, Elon Musk introduced the Dragon V2, a passenger spacecraft based on the original cargo Dragon. V2 can accommodate 7 astronauts. In tandem with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, SpaceX has received a $2.6 billion contract from NASA to complete the development of the spacecraft and certify it to fly to the ISS. Already in 2017, Dragon V2 with 4 astronauts on board will fly towards the ISS, until that moment, of course, the company will make test flights without passengers more than once. On July 14, 2014, a new version of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle version 1.1R with Dragon on board was successfully launched. Modification R means English. Reusable- reusable. The idea was that during the undocking of the rocket, the upper part with Dragon goes to the ISS, and the lower part returns back to Earth and lands on a special landing site, after which it is serviced and ready for re-launch. But from the moment of the idea to its successful implementation a lot of time goes by in the space industry and a lot of trial tests.

In 5 attempts, Elon and his team taught their rocket to successfully descend from a great height and reach the landing site. On this moment the rocket has trouble making a smooth final landing, but Elon states that it only takes 2 more tries for SpaceX to successfully land on the platforms. At the moment, the last attempt to land the rocket failed before it could begin: at the 139th second of the flight, a flight anomaly occurred, which ended after 8 seconds with the destruction of the launch vehicle. This is the first ever failed launch of the Falcon 9 family rocket by SpaceX, up to this point the company has successfully sent its rockets into space 20 times in a row. In December of this year, SpaceX will launch the new Flacon 9 version 1.2. The company has more than 20 launches planned in advance until 2019.

Going through the history of a young but extremely promising company, one thing can be said: SpaceX is just beginning its journey, and if Elon Musk and his team can withstand all the technological problems that stand (and will stand in the future) in their way, then perhaps our children will already be able, according to Musk’s idea, to fly into orbit for the weekend and, perhaps, even visit Mars. The company is moving by leaps and bounds, and ten years ago there was not even a working rocket, and today SpaceX is successfully delivering cargo to the ISS. Let's hope that their last failed launch in June will serve as an opportunity for them to improve their rockets and in December of this year, another rocket with a blue SpaceX lettering will conquer space.

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10:06 29.08.2019

Well, it will definitely work the second time! . This is probably what Elon Musk thought about when on the timer before the launch of the prototype Starhopper spaceship Starship, there were a few seconds left. The first launch was canceled on August 26, 1 second before launch, but the second time the device successfully took off and sat down smoothly after a short flight, which Musk happily announced on his Twitter. Guys, how are you rolling pepelats out of the garage without a gravitap? It's a mess The second flight of the Starhopper A few seconds after the launch of the Starhopper During

17:02 27.08.2019

Launched into space on a Falcon Heavy rocket last year, the Tesla Roadster and Starman dummy have completed their first orbit around the Sun, according to online sources. Recall that in February 2018, SpaceX successfully launched its own Falcon Heavy rocket. To demonstrate the capabilities of the rocket, it was necessary to provide a fictitious load. As a result, the roadster of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went into space. Due to the high risk of any unforeseen circumstances

17:16 12.08.2019

The private aerospace company SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 launch vehicle at 19:23 EDT on Tuesday, August 6 at 19:23 EDT (August 7, 02:23 Moscow time). Departing from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, the rocket delivered the Israeli space communications satellite Spacecom AMOS-17 into orbit. AMOS-17 satellite (Photo by SPACECOM) 31 minutes after the launch, the AMOS-17 satellite was launched into a given orbit. Its launch was performed free of charge since last year due to the explosion of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle

15:14 09.08.2019

SpaceX has announced a new satellite-to-rocket sharing offering that will allow companies to launch their small satellites into orbit along with other similar spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. So far, SpaceX has mainly focused on launching larger satellites or bulky cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. New program called the SmallSat Rideshare Program offers tiny satellite operators more

16:11 07.08.2019

SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon 9 rocket, the first stage of which has already been used twice for launches in July and November 2018. The rocket launched into space a payload in the form of a geostationary communications satellite AMOS-17 for Spacecomm. Its mass is more than 6350 kg. Given such a large mass, the Falcon 9 rocket worked in the expenditure mode as part of this mission. She used the entire supply of fuel to put the satellite into orbit, so there was no fuel left for a controlled descent and landing.

16:24 05.08.2019

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to land astronauts on the moon again in 2024 as part of the Artemis (Artemis) program. To prepare for this and future missions, the space agency has selected 13 US companies to help develop new technologies for future projects. Jim Reuter, Deputy Head of Office space development NASA (Space Technology Mission Directorate, STMD),

17:02 29.07.2019

Today, the main stars for the private space company SpaceX are its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. They are used by the company to launch satellites, as well as deliver cargo to the International space station. However, SpaceX is not going to be limited to these rockets and is developing a completely new launch system. With its help, the company is going to implement much more ambitious projects. Nothing less than sending people to the Moon and Mars. The company is currently testing a prototype of this spacecraft.

15:57 26.06.2019

While you were awake, Elon Musk sent SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket on its third (and first overnight) spaceflight. Everything went according to plan. The launch took place at 09:30 Moscow time (2:30 am local time EDT) at Launch Complex 39A at the Space Center. Kennedy in Florida. In its first-ever launch, the STP-2 Falcon Heavy mission will carry valuable cargo from a range of commercial customers, as well as the US Department of Defense, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. First Falcon Heavy launch

07:51 25.06.2019

The launch of the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle with 24 research satellites has been postponed by three hours, SpaceX announced on Twitter. It is known that the launch window, that is, the time when the launch can be performed, will last four hours. The reasons for the transfer are not named. At the same time, the company notes that specialists have completed an additional check of ground systems, the rocket and cargo look good. The weather forecast promised only a 20% chance of canceling the launch due to adverse weather conditions, RIA Novosti notes.

15:14 29.05.2019

During the spring, SpaceX continued active work over the Super Heavy/Starship reusable system. This rocket-space system is similar in concept to shuttles: its second stage simultaneously acts as a spacecraft, but, unlike a shuttle, Starship can refuel in space and land on other bodies of the solar system. The first stage of Super Heavy uses oxygen-methane engines. She will return to the launch pad in the same way as the first stage of the rocket does.

16:29 24.05.2019

SpaceX intends to create a worldwide available internet as part of the Starlink project, having launched 12,000 communication satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch of the first sixty satellites was supposed to take place in May, but the mission was postponed twice in a row: first due to strong winds, and then because of the need to check the equipment. Finally, a week after the series of problems began, the company successfully launched a dozen satellites, the launch took place from Cape Canaveral on May 24 at 5:30 am Moscow time. As mentioned earlier, to run

16:27 20.05.2019

Access to the Internet has become so widespread in the US and Western Europe that it has created a whole dependence of people on the Web. And yet, for about half of the world's population, this level of connectivity is simply out of reach. Over the past three months, almost 4 billion people have not been online and the UN has a very low threshold for representing someone as an Internet user, which means they are missing out on the many social, economic and educational benefits that come with being connected to the Internet. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs quickly realized that connecting the world

16:27 16.05.2019

Earlier this week, Elon Musk showed a photo of a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with several dozen compact Starlink internet communications satellites. The 60 vehicles that will be launched into low Earth orbit on May 16 are fairly densely packed into the head of the launch vehicle. Today, SpaceX shared some details about how these satellites will work. Each carrier satellite panel contains several antennas with high throughput and one solar panel. The weight of each satellite is only 227

17:32 15.05.2019

SpaceX is working with might and main on the creation of a promising Starship spacecraft, which will be used for the colonization of Mars and fast flights within the earth's atmosphere. The prototype ship is called the Starhopper, and is being assembled at the company's private spaceport in the Chicago village of Boca Chica. As it turned out, in order to speed up the development and testing process, Elon Musk decided to start the assembly and the second prototype is being produced in a factory in Florida. A photo of the prototype under construction was shared by one of the users

15:29 14.05.2019

In 2015, the head of SpaceX, Elon Musk, spoke about the Starlink project, in which 12,000 satellites will be launched into low Earth orbit to distribute the Internet. The first half will be shipped in the next six years, and the company is already in the process of launching test samples. So, in 2018, she launched the TinTin A and TinTin B satellites into orbit, and now she intends to conduct a larger mission to simultaneously launch 60 satellites at once. Elon Musk himself shared a photo of the loaded Falcon 9 rocket, judging by them, in low Earth orbit

21:48 04.05.2019

SpaceX on Saturday launched a slew of deliveries to the International Space Station after a couple of delays. The Falcon rocket raced into the predawn darkness, carrying the Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) of goods. This redesigned Dragon, making its second space trip, is due to arrive at the orbital laboratory on Monday. Delivery is delayed by several days due to power shortages that arose first at the space station and then at the SpaceX rocket and landing platform in the Atlantic. Both issues were quickly resolved with

On Saturday, April 20, an accident occurred in Florida during tests of SpaceX's Dragon manned spacecraft. This event could have extremely negative consequences for the development schedule and certification of the new ship. SpaceX is developing a manned spacecraft for NASA under a contract that was awarded in September 2014. as part of the CCtCap commercial manned spacecraft program. The contract provides for the implementation of two flights, unmanned and manned, and also requires testing of the system.

16:04 18.04.2019

Elon Musk's company has won a contract from the NASA aerospace agency to launch the DART space mission, the goal of which will be the first ever attempt to change the trajectory of an asteroid. According to sources, the state agency decided to choose SpaceX because the latter offered its services for a significantly lower amount than other potential contractors offered. The launch of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft is scheduled for June 2021 from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California. For evaluation and

17:58 16.04.2019

SpaceX, after today's first and fully successful commercial launch of the Arabsat 6A telecommunications satellite, managed to keep intact not only the three used boosters of the Falcon Heavy super-heavy launch vehicle, but also its nose cone, which the company plans to reuse in one of the future space missions scheduled for 2019. This was announced through his Twitter page by the head of the company Elon Musk. Both parts of the thermal protection are matched. They are planned to be used in one of the Starlink missions.

Photo: SpaceX's new Starship prototype takes shape

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk posted on Twitter a photo of the assembly of the next prototype of the Starship spacecraft, intended for testing, like the previous Starhopper prototype.

One of the images in the background shows what appears to be a Starship Mk1 prototype standing behind the building containing the various details and equipment. Its assembly is carried out at the SpaceX facility in South Texas, not far from the town of Boca Chica.

SpaceX is also building a similar prototype, called the Starship Mk2, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, believing that a little internal competition will produce a better spacecraft design.

SpaceX intends to roll out US satellite broadband faster than expected

SpaceX has announced plans to change its satellite launch strategy to accelerate deployment of Starlink's global satellite broadband data network, and delivered new goal to provide broadband in the southern United States at the end next year.

In an Aug. 30 filing with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX asked for permission to "adjust the orbital spacing of its satellites." With this change, with each launch, SpaceX will deploy satellites in " three different orbital planes"instead of one," accelerating the deployment of satellites covering a wider service area».

SpaceX noted in a filing with the FCC that the adjustment will accelerate the delivery of broadband internet coverage to the southern US, potentially boosting coverage of the southern states by the end of next hurricane season and reaching other US territories by the next hurricane season. The Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons begin in the spring and last until the end of November.

SpaceX said it plans to provide continued broadband satellite coverage of the northern states after just six launches, but noted that a license change is required to speed up deployment of satellite service in the southern US. The SpaceX statement stressed the importance of launching services quickly in areas of the US where broadband coverage is limited.

SpaceX is preparing to launch a prototype Starship spacecraft to an altitude of more than 20 km

Aerospace company SpaceX is in full swing preparing the next test flight of the prototype interplanetary spacecraft Starship, as its founder Elon Musk announced on Twitter.

As part of the preparatory work, the company filed documents this week with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which indicated maximum height flight of the prototype spacecraft - 74,000 feet (22.6 km). That's still a long way from Earth's orbit, but still a lot more than the roughly 500 feet (152.4 m) that the Starhopper prototype jumped in past tests. The submitted documents request the necessary permissions to communicate with the prototype spacecraft while it is in flight.

Musk has previously said that he intends to follow up on the latest successful Starhopper test by testing a full-scale prototype spacecraft without delay. As with the Starhopper low-altitude jump test, SpaceX plans to take off and land a prototype, with the landing planned to take place a short distance from the launch site.

Elon Musk recently hinted that he would be hosting an event on September 28 related to new details about Starship. It is possible that we will be shown a prototype of the spacecraft, ready for a test flight in October.

SpaceX has already taken pictures of possible Starship landing sites on Mars

Images of potential landing sites for SpaceX's Starship spacecraft have appeared in a list of image data taken from orbit of the Red Planet using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera installed on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.

Apparently, these photos with the note "Candidate landing site for SpaceX Starship" (possible areas for landing SpaceX Starship) were taken by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the request of Elon Musk's company in preparation for the future Starship Martian mission.

The HiRise image database is searchable by any user. These SpaceX related images likely appeared in a recent August database update.

The pictures were taken in June and July. According to them, SpaceX is mainly interested in the Arcadia Planitia plain, which has both volcanoes and large open areas. The Starship will need a fairly flat surface to land, free of large rocks.

Also of interest is the Amazonian plain (Amazonis Planitia), where, as in Arcadia, deposits of water ice are possible.

Currently, NASA's focus is on the lunar mission, which is seen as a springboard to further exploration of Mars, but the space agency is already exploring territories on the Red Planet for human landings. Back in 2015, a NASA task force proposed 47 possible landing sites for spacecraft on Mars.

SpaceX Starhopper Prototype Successfully Jumps 150m

SpaceX announced the successful completion of the second test of the prototype Starhopper rocket, which took off to a height of 500 feet (152 m), then flew about 100 m to the side and made a controlled landing in the center of the launch pad.

The tests took place on Tuesday evening at 18:00 CT (Wednesday, 2:00 Moscow time). They were originally scheduled to take place on Monday, but at the last moment due to a malfunction related to the ignition system of the Raptor engine.

Police have advised residents of Boca Chica, Texas, near the SpaceX launch pad, to stay outside during testing and take their pets outside due to the risk of injury from blast-shattered glass windows.

The prototype rocket, which looks more like a stainless steel water tower, is designed to test the launch system for the Starship interplanetary spacecraft, which consists of a super-heavy launch vehicle with 35 next-generation Raptor engines and the capsule itself with 7 Raptor engines.

From a technical standpoint, the test was impressive, demonstrating the thrust and vector control of the new Raptor engine. This was the first time that a prototype with a large rocket engine powered by liquid methane and oxygen made a successful, long enough flight.

However, this test may also have greater political implications. SpaceX aims to demonstrate that Starship is a viable vehicle for NASA missions and that it could be used to send astronauts to the Moon as well as interplanetary missions.

Starship is expected to be used to send astronauts to the moon, and in the future - to deliver people and cargo from Earth's orbit to other planets. " One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars”, — wrote the head of SpaceX Elon Musk in his Twitter account after today's tests.

Starhopper made a successful 20m jump last month. The first commercial launches using the Starship are slated for 2021.

If Musk's plans are implemented, then the first landing of Starship on the surface of Mars, according to the planned schedule, can be made as early as the mid-2020s.

As for the Starhopper prototype, it will later serve as a vertical test bed for the next generation of Raptor engines. SpaceX teams in Boca Chica and Cape Canaveral, Florida are already working on two next-generation Starship prototypes, each powered by three next-generation Raptor engines.

Testing of SpaceX Starhopper prototype rocket postponed at the last moment

Scheduled for Monday testing of an early prototype of SpaceX's Starship rocket, called the Starhopper, was canceled for unspecified reasons.

After two hours of waiting, at 18:00 local time (02:00 Moscow time), the command “Clear off” was received. The next attempt will be on Tuesday.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has hinted that the problem may be the igniters of the Raptor, the company's latest rocket engine.

This is the second time SpaceX has postponed testing, during which the Starhopper prototype is supposed to take off 150 meters and then land on the site. Prior to that, it was planned to be held in early August.

Residents of Boca Chica, Texas, near the SpaceX launch pad, to evacuate buildings and take their pets outside during the test to avoid the risk of injury from broken glass in windows from the blast.

While attempting to fire test the engine of SpaceX's Starhopper test rocket in July, a fire engulfed about 100 acres (40.5 hectares) of the area. Therefore, the measures taken by the police can hardly be called excessive.

Police ask local residents to leave their homes while testing SpaceX Starhopper

Today at 5:00 pm ET (Tuesday 00:00 Moscow time), SpaceX plans to conduct a new test of a prototype Starship rocket called Starhopper, which is supposed to make a 200-meter jump at its launch site in South Texas, located two miles (3.2 km) from Boca Chica.

Residents of Boca Chica are not particularly happy about this, as the police urged to be prepared for possible troubles. Even if the residents do not want to leave the site, the police insist that they stay outside of any building or structure during the test to avoid injury from broken windows or possible damage.

Residents of Boca Chica will be alerted by a police siren 10 minutes before the start of the tests in order to "avoid or minimize the risk of injury." It seems that they are left to their own discretion to decide whether to react to the sound of the siren or not.

In addition to the warning, local law enforcement announced a planned temporary blockade of the only highway accessible to residents of the region, as well as closing access to the local beach.

In July, SpaceX launched Starhopper for the first time from the same site. The flaming debris from the rocket set off a fire that engulfed about 100 acres (40.5 hectares).

Tesla Roadster and Starman dummy complete orbit around the Sun

Launched into space on a Falcon Heavy rocket last year, the Tesla Roadster and Starman dummy have completed their first orbit around the Sun, according to online sources.

Recall that in February 2018, SpaceX successfully launched its own Falcon Heavy rocket. To demonstrate the capabilities of the rocket, it was necessary to provide a "dummy load".

As a result, the roadster of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went into space. Due to the high risk of any unforeseen circumstances with the new rocket, SpaceX did not dare to place anything really valuable and expensive, such as satellites, on board. At the same time, Elon Musk did not want to send a conventional cargo into space, believing that the launch of the Tesla Roadster would be more interesting and inspiring.

The Tesla Roadster electric car was placed in the fairings of the second stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket. The driver's seat was taken by a mannequin named Starman, who was dressed in a spacesuit. The successful launch of the rocket took place on February 6, 2018, since then Elon Musk's roadster has been in outer space.

It is worth noting that the Tesla Roadster continues to move at an extremely high speed. A special website is tracking the trajectory of an unusual space object. According to the website, the roadster and the dummy have now completed a full orbit around the sun. Observers say that the roadster is gradually approaching Mars.

NASA astronauts tested in new SpaceX spacesuits as they prepare for the Crew Dragon mission

The Crew Dragon may not fly until next year, but NASA astronauts are feeling comfortable in the new spacesuits from SpaceX. Currently, active preparations are underway for the long-awaited test flight - as part of this process, a space fashion show was recently held.

There were no catwalks or runways, but NASA shared some photos of astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. The latter recently got to know the spacesuits live at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

The public had already seen the pair before the Crew Dragon show, but this time they donned their new SpaceX suits as part of a full trial test of the upcoming launch. The goal was to practice all the steps that would take place before the Falcon 9 rocket sent astronauts from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to dock with the International Space Station.

Inside the ship simulator, the future team also went through several emergency scenarios. The Crew Dragon is one of two new spacecraft (along with Boeing's Starliner) that NASA has selected for its commercial crew delivery program. The goal is to return human space launches to American soil for the first time since the end of the Shuttle era. Now the delivery of American astronauts to the ISS is carried out by Russia.

The Demo-2 mission to the space station was originally scheduled to take place in July, but was delayed after an empty Crew Dragon capsule exploded during ground testing in April. An investigation revealed an accident with a leak in the pressurization system - now the first launch with humans is expected in 2020.

Video: SpaceX autonomous platform catches the falling fairing of the Falcon 9 rocket

31 minutes after launch, the AMOS-17 satellite was launched into a given orbit. Its launch was made free of charge, since last year the explosion of a Falcon 9 launch vehicle during static engine tests lost the AMOS-6 satellite, worth more than $200 million.

The launch was originally scheduled for Sunday evening (local time), but was delayed after a "suspicious valve" was discovered in one of the engines of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, which it was decided to replace.

This was the third and final flight for this Falcon 9 first stage, which was used to launch the Telstar-19 VANTAGE satellite into orbit in July 2018 and the Es'hail-2 satellite in November 2018.

SpaceX launches 'rideshare' service for small satellite operators

SpaceX has announced a new satellite launch rocket offering that will allow companies to send their small satellites into orbit along with other similar spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket.

So far, SpaceX has mainly focused on sending larger satellites into space or bulky cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. A new program called the SmallSat Rideshare Program offers operators of tiny satellites more options when launching into orbit. They will not need to adapt to the launch of a large satellite or spacecraft. Instead, the Falcon 9 will carry several small satellites weighing between 330 pounds (150 kg) and 660 pounds (299 kg).

For a satellite weighing up to 330 pounds, the base launch cost is $2.25 million, according to SpaceX. Heavier satellites weighing up to 660 pounds will cost $4.5 million to launch, by comparison. American company Rocket Lab, which specializes in launching small satellites into space, charges $5 million to $6 million per flight.

NASA to help Spacex and Blue Origin develop technologies for future missions

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to land astronauts on the moon again in 2024 as part of the Artemis (Artemis) program.

To prepare for this and future missions, the space agency has selected 13 US companies to help develop new technologies for future projects.

Jim Reuter, deputy director of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), explained that the agency has identified key areas where it needs new technology for future missions, including planned manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

Among the partners of the space agency in the framework of the Artemis program was SpaceX, which will be jointly with the Space Center. Kennedy in Florida to work on further improving their technology to perform vertical landings of super-heavy rockets on the lunar surface.

In its turn, blue origin will work with NASA's Johnson Space Center to develop a navigation system that will enable spacecraft to land accurately in various regions of the moon. The company will also be working with Glenn and Johnson on a fuel cell system for its Blue Moon lunar lander. In addition, NASA will assist Blue Origin in developing refractory materials for fluid injectors. rocket engines, which will be used in spacecraft for lunar missions.

Crew Dragon's first launch to the ISS delayed

The first flight of the American Crew Dragon spacecraft with a crew to the International Space Station has been postponed. Initially, the launch was planned to take place in November of this year, but it was decided to postpone the launch to December. It is reported by RIA Novosti, citing an anonymous source in the rocket and space industry.

The Space Shuttle reusable manned transport system ceased to be used by American astronauts in 2011. Since then, the delivery of crews to the ISS has been carried out Russian ships"Union". In recent years, private US companies have built several manned spacecraft, including SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner. After testing in unmanned and manned modes, the mentioned ships will be certified by the US space agency NASA and will be used for regular crewed flights.

The first uncrewed test flight to the ISS for the Crew Dragon took place in March of this year. The crewed flight was previously thought to take place on November 15, but according to new reports, the launch date has been pushed back to December 17. A few days ago, SpaceX Vice President Hans Koenigsmann, when asked if Crew Dragon will fly with a crew before the end of the year, said: "I don't think it's impossible, but it's getting harder".

Not so long ago, the launch of the spacecraft was postponed from September to a later date. This had to be done because of the explosion that occurred during the test of the Crew Dragon emergency rescue system in April of this year. Representatives of SpaceX said that the explosion occurred due to the failure of a check valve in the helium pressurization system of the vehicle's engine. Before the manned SpaceX flight needs to be repeated ground tests rescue system, as well as test it during a flight on a heavy Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX Starhopper first jump: 20 seconds, normal flight

The first jump of SpaceX's Starship prototype rocket - a working stainless steel Starhopper mock-up with one Raptor thruster and more than two thrusters - made its first upward and sideways jump. The flight lasted only 20 seconds, but the model did not explode, did not tip over and landed on the supports where it was planned - on the second platform prepared aside from the launch site.

Due to the heavy smoke on the launch pad, little can be seen in the video below. The rocket disappeared behind a smoke screen in one place and emerged from it in another. Also in the smoke you can see the top of the Starhopper, flashing above where it was before the start. On Twitter, Elon Musk joked that water tanks don't fly. Starhopper jumped. The height of the lift, according to the reports of company representatives, was about 20 meters and, after a second soaring, the device moved about the same amount to the side.

Accompanied by an unexpected burst of flame at the top of the prototype. Automation immediately stopped the operation of the engines, and nothing terrible happened. According to a SpaceX spokesperson, the system is in the early stages of testing and overlays in this case are a common thing.

The previous jump attempt - a vertical takeoff of the prototype to a height of 65 feet (19.8 meters) and subsequent landing - the company made ten days ago. Then the fire was over. A flash of flame engulfed the entire ship. At the same time, as we can see, the second attempt was made in a short time, which indicates little damage to the Starhopper during the first attempt to test climb to the height. Starhopper made the first jump on a leash to a height of a few centimeters in April of this year.

In addition to climbing to a height, the prototype is awaiting tests for lateral movement. For this, shunting engines were supplied to the Starhopper. It can be expected that these are maneuvering thrusters that have already worked on the Falcon 9 boosters. Another site has been built to the east of the launch pad for the Starhopper test, where the prototype will probably move during a test climb to a low altitude.

SpaceX has big plans for Starhopper and Starship. The rocket is supposed to send astronauts to the moon and further to Mars. It was expected to be put into operation in 2020 to send cargo into low Earth orbit. But while the project gives dampness. The company expects more Starhopper jumps in September or October of this year.

1. The full name of the company sounds like Space Exploration Technologies Corporation.

2. SpaceX is the first private company to ever build and launch its own rockets and space capsules to the International Space Station and return them to Earth.

3. On its first test flight in December 2010, the Dragon capsule launched a wheel of cheese into orbit. Before successful start SpaceX officials hinted that Dragon was carrying a special payload into space, but the company did not reveal the secret payload until after the spacecraft returned from orbit and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

4. In 2012, SpaceX became the first private space company to dock with the International Space Station.

5. May 30, 2014 SpaceX introduced a new version of the ship - Dragon V2, a reusable manned spacecraft. It can carry up to seven astronauts to the ISS. The uniqueness of the ship lies in the ability to carry out a controlled landing to Earth using the built-in SuperDraco engines with the precision of a helicopter. It also has a spare parachute system.

6. Musk cut the cost of flying to the International Space Station by 90%, reducing from $ 1 billion. up to $60 million per mission. Also, according to the company, thanks to economies of scale (change in the cost of a unit of production depending on the scale of production) and the reuse of returnable stages, SpaceX will be able to reduce prices to $5-7 million per launch in the future.

7. SpaceX has developed a program to provide high-speed Internet to the entire planet. The start of the launch of fully functional satellites is scheduled for 2019, and the deployment is expected to be completed by 2024. The launch of two prototypes took place on February 22, 2018.

8. On February 6, 2018, SpaceX conducted the first successful launch of the Falcon Heavy super-heavy launch vehicle, thereby becoming the most powerful launch vehicle in existence. It is capable of delivering up to 64 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit, thereby bringing the reality of traveling to Mars closer.

9. The Dragon capsule, which is launched into space by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, is the only currently operating cargo ship that can return cargo from space.

10. The Dragon capsule is named after the Peter Paul & Mary song "Puff the Magic Dragon". Musk said he used the name because many critics thought his goals were impossible when he founded SpaceX in 2002. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are named after Han Solo's Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.

11. Part of the filming of Iron Man 2 took place at the SpaceX factory in Hawthorne, California.

12. Starting in 2018, NASA astronauts will be transported into space by SpaceX rockets under the NASA Commercial Crew program, instead of relying on transportation from international space agencies such as Roscosmos.

13. As a payload with a Falcon Heavy rocket, an electric car Elon Musk Tesla Roadster was sent into space with a dummy inside and an Arch 5D disk drive with a collection of novels from the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. In July 2018, the Tesla Roadster will cross the orbit of Mars, and in November it will reach its maximum distance from the Sun - 255 million km.

14. SpaceX is actively involved in the implementation of the Hyperloop project (vacuum train project). On August 31, 2017, Musk demonstrated a capsule created jointly by SpaceX and Tesla, which was able to reach a speed of 355 km/h. In mid-October, Musk received the first official approval for the construction of a full-fledged Hyperloop, which should connect the outskirts of Baltimore with the territory of Hanover, Maryland. In February 2018, Musk received permission to prepare the site for the station.

15. SpaceX developed the Interplanetary Project transport system, involving the creation of a reusable space transport to deliver people to Mars for the purpose of colonization. On September 29, 2017, Elon Musk announced plans to develop an optimized interplanetary transport system, codenamed BFR (Big Falcon Rocket), which will replace all SpaceX rockets and spacecraft in the future.

The head of the command of the Space Forces, General John Raymond, recalled that when he was an Air Force captain, he had a lot of encounters with representatives of the United States aerospace industry and holds the highest opinion of them.

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NASA and SpaceX have worked out the removal of the crew from the ship Crew Dragon

The US Space Agency (NASA) and SpaceX have worked out the extraction of the crew from the newest manned spacecraft Crew Dragon. It was developed by SpaceX for NASA and is designed to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station.

Kommersant 1 month 3 days ago 2

Roskosmos, following SpaceX, lowered prices for launching small satellites

The Glavkosmos launch services company (part of Roscosmos) has almost halved the prices for launches of a number of spacecraft and microsatellites on Soyuz-2 rockets in 2020. In 2018, the launch of 1 kg of cargo cost $20-30 thousand. Now this amount is up to $15-17

Kommersant 1 month 12 days ago 1

Another trouble has befallen the company SpaceX, headed by the king of American crooks Elon Musk. The basic version of the Starship rocket, supposedly capable of delivering people to the Moon and Mars, caught fire during tests. And it's the second time. Can link

SpaceX launches rocket with Dragon truck

The Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying the Cargo Dragon cargo spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was carried out at 18:01 ET (01:01 Moscow time Friday, July 26). Dragon should deliver material to the ISS

Kommersant 1 month 23 days ago 1

In the US state of Texas, a space test was postponed SpaceX ship due to the ignition of the upper part of the vessel in the first seconds of the test. Starhopper - the basic version of the Starship rocket, which is designed to be sent to the Moon and Mars astronaut

Roskosmos doubted the safety of Boeing and SpaceX ships

Roskosmos has questions about flight safety on the promising American spacecraft Starliner and Crew Dragon, said Vladimir Ustimenko, head of the press service of the state corporation.

Interfax 2 months 2 days ago 0

Fire breaks out at SpaceX test site in US

A fire broke out at the test site for SpaceX's Starship spacecraft. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the equipment suffered $50,000-100,000 damage, Florida Today reports. The preliminary cause of the fire

Kommersant 2 months 10 days ago 0

SpaceX lost contact with three satellites of the Starlink mission

SpaceX has lost contact with three of the 60 satellites that were launched as part of the Starlink mission on May 23, Business Insider reports, citing a company representative. They are no longer functional and will "passively deorbit". Presumably the companions

Kommersant 2 months 18 days ago 3

SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket with 24 satellites

The Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, carrying 24 satellites, a research lab and an atomic clock, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the third launch for this type of rocket. It is broadcast on the website of an American manufacturing company.

Kommersant 2 months 24 days ago 0

SpaceX delays Falcon Heavy launch by a few hours

The launch of the Falcon Heavy super-heavy rocket, which is due to put 24 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, has been postponed by several hours in order to further test its on-board systems, said the development company SpaceX.

Interfax 2 months 24 days ago 0

SpaceX rocket launches into orbit with 24 satellites and ashes of 152 people

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy super-heavy rocket, which is being developed to fly to the moon, is supposed to put 24 Pentagon and NASA satellites into orbit on Tuesday Moscow time, the Aeronautics and Space Administration announced.