Tag: Starship

SpaceX Plans to Launch Starship Up to 25 Times in 2025

Gizmodo reports, “SpaceX has big plans for its Starship rocket. After a groundbreaking test flight, in which the landing tower caught the booster, the company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk wants to see the megarocket fly up to 25 times next year, working its way up to a launch rate of 100 flights per year, and eventually a Starship launching on a daily basis.
Full Story (Gizmodo)

AIAA Statement on Fourth SpaceX Starship Test Flight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:

“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on today’s test flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. The live images from onboard the vehicle give everyone a breathtaking view of these test flights.

We are excited to witness this new launch vehicle continuing its development toward commercial operation. The art and science of engineering requires testing. From today’s flight, we know the team is gaining valuable data they will learn from as they keep improving Starship’s design.

It is important to see commercial space launch companies advancing technology to extend the human neighborhood from low Earth orbit to the moon, and on to Mars. Expanding these boundaries takes innovation and hard work.

AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who have helped design, build, and test Starship. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member SpaceX for taking this step forward in shaping the future of aerospace.”

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

 

Video

SpaceX Starship launches on 4th test flight
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube; Launch occurs at 33:22)

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Receives FAA Go-Ahead for Launch

Reuters reports the FAA “on Tuesday said it issued a license for SpaceX’s fourth flight of its Starship rocket system, another test mission along the company’s path to building a reusable satellite launcher and moon lander. SpaceX is aiming to launch its nearly 400-foot-tall (122-meter), two-stage Starship as early as Thursday at 7 a.m. CDT (1200 GMT) from its rocket facilities in south Texas, from which past flights in the company’s test-to-failure development campaign have launched.”
Full Story (Reuters)

SpaceX Starship Fueled Up Ahead of 4th Test Flight

SPACE reports, “SpaceX just fueled up its giant Starship rocket, checking another box ahead of the vehicle’s fourth test flight. The company performed a ‘wet dress rehearsal’ with Starship at its Starbase site in South Texas today (May 20), filling both of the vehicle’s stages with supercold liquid oxygen and liquid methane in a key prelaunch test.”
Full Story (SPACE)

NASA Might Adjust Artemis III to Have Starship and Orion Dock in Low-Earth Orbit

Ars Technica reports that NASA “is privately considering modifications to its Artemis plan to land astronauts on the surface of the Moon later this decade. Multiple sources have confirmed that NASA is studying alternatives to the planned Artemis III landing of two astronauts on the Moon, nominally scheduled for September 2026, due to concerns about hardware readiness and mission complexity.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

SpaceX Preparing Rapid Turnaround for Next StarShip Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Space News reports, “SpaceX hopes to conduct the next launch of its Starship vehicle as soon as early May, a schedule that will depend on how quickly it can get an amended launch license.” According to the report, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said March 19 at the Satellite 2024 conference that SpaceX is “still reviewing the data from the vehicle’s third integrated launch March 14 but expected to be ready to fly again soon.”
Full Story (Space News)

SpaceX’s Starship Launches On Third and Most Successful Test Flight

The Washington Post reports, “SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft made it to space and traveled more than halfway around the world Thursday before coming to a fiery end over the Indian Ocean, in the most successful demonstration to date of the vehicle NASA has chosen to one day land astronauts on the moon.
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication); More Info (AIAA Statement)

Video

SpaceX launches Starship/Super Heavy Booster on third test flight
(AIAA recording; YouTube)

AIAA Statement on Third SpaceX Starship Test Flight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 14, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:

“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on today’s test flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. We are excited to witness this new launch vehicle reaching orbit. The art and science of engineering requires testing. We can see how the team has applied the lessons learned from previous test flights. From today’s flight, we know the team is gaining valuable data they will use to continually improve Starship’s design.

We are excited to see commercial space launch companies advancing technology to extend the human neighborhood from low Earth orbit to the moon, and on to Mars. Expanding these boundaries takes innovation and hard work.

The SpaceX team deserves tremendous credit for this great accomplishment. AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who have helped design, build, and test Starship. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member SpaceX for taking this step forward in shaping the future of aerospace.”

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Video

SpaceX launches Starship/Super Heavy Booster on third test flight
(AIAA recording; YouTube)

SpaceX Eyes February for Third Starship Test Flight

Space News reports, “SpaceX expects to conduct the third integrated test flight of its Starship vehicle in February as it works to demonstrate key technologies needed to land humans on the moon.” On Tuesday, “Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, said securing an updated Federal Aviation Administration launch license was the key factor driving the schedule for that test flight.” She said, “From a hardware readiness perspective, we are targeting to be ready in January.”
Full Story (Space News)