Tag: Aerospace Industry News

SpaceX Has Nearly 6,000 Starlink Satellites on Orbit Following Sunday’s Falcon 9 Launch

Spaceflght Now reports that the milestone comes as a result of the 34th dedicated Starlink launch of the year for SpaceX. “Liftoff of the Starlink 6-58 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 8:53 p.m. EDT (0053 UTC). This was SpaceX’s 34th dedicated Starlink launch of 2024,” which placed another 23 Starlink satellites into orbit, bringing the total number in orbit to 5,999.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Crewed Starliner Launch Scrubbed Due to Valve Issue

Space News reports, “Controllers scrubbed the first attempt to launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a crewed test flight May 6 because of a valve problem with the rocket, delaying the launch by at least four days. The launch director for the Atlas 5 rocket called for the scrub a little more than two hours before the scheduled 10:34 p.m. Eastern launch of the Crew Flight Test mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”
Full Story (Space News)

Boeing to Launch First Crewed Test Flight Tonight

The Washington Post reports, “A decade after NASA awarded Boeing a contract to fly astronauts to the ISS, Boeing will finally attempt to fly its Starliner spacecraft with people onboard. If all goes to plan, at 10:34 p.m. on Monday, the company is set to fly a pair of veteran astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, on a mission that will be one of the most significant tests for Boeing’s space division — and for NASA — in years.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

NASA’s Viper Moon Rover Undergoing Preparations for Mission Later this Year

SPACE reports that with its “mighty mast,” NASA’s Polar Exploration Rover dubbed VIPER continues to be prepped for its mission to the moon slated for late 2024. It has “earned its ‘neck’ and ‘head,’ aka its ‘mast,’ meaning it now stands proudly at 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Beta Alia-250 Completes First Crewed eVTOL Transition Flight

Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies this week achieved a milestone few eVTOL companies have reached. The company on Tuesday said it completed a crewed, full transition flight of its Alia-250 (A250) eVTOL.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Galileo Satellites from KSC

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Most notably, the weekend flight marked the first time that the European Commission’s Galileo satellites (similar to the United State’s Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites) launched onboard an American-made rocket and from U.S. soil.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Florida with navigation satellites for Europe
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Archer, Joby to Provide Air Taxi Service in Abu Dhabi

Flying Magazine reports, “Two titans in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi industry are building on their previously announced plans to serve the United Arab Emirates. At the inaugural DriftX conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, both headquartered in California, signed agreements with Abu Dhabi government agencies to introduce their respective air taxis in the Emirate.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Boeing Starliner Crewed Test Flight Passes Critical Review

Space News reports, “The first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is a step closer to launch after completing a major pre-launch review April 25. NASA announced at an April 25 briefing that, at the completion of the two-day Flight Test Readiness Review, officials approved plans to proceed with the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, with a launch scheduled for 10:34 p.m. Eastern May 6 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex (SLC) 41.”
Full Story (Space News)

Gulfstream Delivers First Two G700s

Aviation International News reports, “Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered the first two $75 million G700s to customers, the Savannah, Georgia-based aircraft manufacturer said yesterday afternoon. Both are now in service with undisclosed customers in the U.S. The company’s 7,750-nm flagship aircraft received FAA approval on March 29, followed by production certification and cabin interior approval on April 8.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Blue Ghost Mission 1 to Deliver NASA Electric Moon Dust Shield

SPACE reports, “NASA is sending a technology demonstrator to the moon on the upcoming private Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 in order to test how to repel and remove lunar dust using electricity … The EDS system will fly aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, which will put a lunar lander on the moon’s surface later in 2024. A total of ten agency payloads will launch to the moon on Blue Ghost Mission 1, including the EDS prototype.”
Full Story (SPACE)