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)
Tag: Texas
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)
SpaceX Hoping Steel Plates Prevent Launchpad Explosion
Bloomberg reports that before SpaceX “can try again to send its massive Starship rocket into orbit, the company needs to repair and renovate its badly damaged launch site in southern Texas.” It is unknown if the design choices will be enough to prevent future damage to the launch site after the April 20 liftoff damaged the launchpad’s structure and sent “chunks of sand, concrete and steel thousands of feet into the sky and setting fire to a nearby park.”
Full Story (Bloomberg – subscription publication)
Starship’s Second Launch Spread Less Debris Than its First
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bloomberg reports that SpaceX’s second test flight “of its massive deep-space Starship rocket spread significantly less debris around the surrounding area than the vehicle’s first flight in April, though the crowds who flocked to the launch site had their own impact on the nearby terrain.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service “conducted an assessment of the Boca Chica, Texas, area after Starship’s launch, which took place from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas on Nov. 18.” The flight “achieved significantly more milestones than the first launch, including keeping the area much cleaner.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)
SpaceX is Recruiting People to Live and Work at its Starbase in Texas
Forbes reports, “Sun, sand and Starships. That’s the pitch SpaceX is offering to anyone looking to start a new career in the commercial space industry and maybe just hungering for proximity to the world’s richest man and his obsession with orbit, Mars and beyond. … Just this week it was announced that Starship is NASA’s favored transport for its Artemis IV mission, the program’s second crewed lunar landing set for 2027.”
Full Story (Forbes)
Amazon Starts Drone Deliveries in California and Texas Markets
Aviation Week reports that 10 years “into its development of a delivery drone, Amazon has started flying packages to customers at locations in Texas and California.” Amazon started “drone deliveries in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, on Dec. 22, the company confirmed to AAM Report.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
SpaceX Launches Super Heavy-Starship on Sixth Test Flight
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket on its sixth test flight Tuesday, an up-and-down trip to space by a gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship to evaluate a variety of safety and performance upgrades. Shattering the afternoon calm with an ear-splitting roar, the huge 30-foot-wide, 397-foot-tall rocket blasted off from Musk’s sprawling Boca Chica, Texas, manufacturing and test facility on the Gulf Coast near Brownsville at 5 p.m. EST, the opening of a 30-minute launch window.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX launches Starship on 6th test flight, November 19, 2024 (Launch at 1:29:33 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX to Shift Starship Testing to Florida if Environmental Delays Continue
Space News reported that SpaceX “is prepared to shift testing of its Starship next-generation launch vehicle from Texas to Florida if there are extended delays in an ongoing environmental review.” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said, “We don’t have a ton of insight into where things stand with the FAA. We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March, but that’s all we know.” Musk also suggested that the Boca Chica Starbase is “well suited to be our advanced R&D location, where we would try out new designs and new versions of the rocket.”
Full Story (Space News)
FAA Delays Starship Environmental Review Completion
Space News reported that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “has again delayed completion of an environmental assessment for orbital launches of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle from Texas, although it may have no effect on near-term launch plans.” The FAA “announced March 25 that it had pushed back the expected completion of the final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of Starship/Super Heavy orbital launches from Boca Chica, Texas, by another month.”
Full Story (Space News)
AIAA Statement on SpaceX Starship Test Flight
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher:
“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on today’s test flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. It is exciting to witness a new launch vehicle achieving so many of its test objectives toward reaching orbit. The art and science of engineering requires testing and taking risks to understand the limits of systems and where designs should be improved. This test flight is a valuable learning experience, especially around the performance of its boosters. We look forward to seeing the team’s progress toward enhancing this new space launch capability and flying again.
With Starship, SpaceX is taking a step toward humans living and working off our planet. Flight tests, taking risks, and pushing new technologies that are still in development will lead to this future.
We are excited to see commercial space launch companies advancing technology in the cislunar ecosystem and pushing on to Mars. Expanding the boundaries leads to success.
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 B. 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, or LinkedIn.
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)
ASCENDxTexas to Focus on Breaking Barriers and Accelerating the Space Ecosystem
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced the program for its collaborative event focused on pathways for our success – ASCENDxTexas – 29–30 March, South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center, Houston, Texas. With the space ecosystem and activities increasing exponentially, this event brings together key global stakeholders in Texas who will share how they’re accelerating our progress toward a sustainable off-world future.
Registration for ASCENDxTexas is open. Journalists who wish to cover this event can request a Press Pass here.
Vanessa Wyche, Director, NASA Johnson Space Center, and member of the ASCEND Guiding Coalition, will deliver opening remarks. The event will feature a keynote address, “Sustaining the Momentum,” by Kathryn Lueders, Associate Administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA. Lueders will focus on defining the next steps to remove barriers and expand on the approaches for success. As innovation and markets evolve continuously, she will discuss how we can keep the momentum going and ensure progress for the whole space ecosystem.
The event also will feature a keynote address entitled, “Charge to Move Forward,” by Michael Gazarik, Vice President, Engineering, Ball Aerospace, and member of the ASCEND Guiding Coalition. He will discuss how we take lessons learned to move toward the future, without inhibiting our potential, and how we let go of the past that’s holding us back.
The ASCENDxTexas program features a diverse group of visionaries and leaders. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
- Stephen Altemus, President and CEO, Intuitive Machines
- Ian Christensen, Director, Private Sector Programs, Secure World Foundation
- Steve Cook, President, Dynetics
- Erin Defossé, COO, Slingshot Aerospace
- Dan Dumbacher, Executive Director, AIAA
- Angela Hart, Manager, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, NASA
- Andy Hines, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Foresight, University of Houston
- Jason Kalirai, Mission Area Executive for Civil Space, Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Catherine Koerner, Deputy Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA
- Kathy Laurini, Human Space Exploration Strategy, Dynetics
- Christian Maender, Executive Vice President, In-Space Solutions, Axiom
- Todd May, Senior Vice President, Science and Space, KBR
- Nujoud Merancy, Strategy and Architecture Lead, NASA
- Carie Mullins, Director, Analytics, BryceTech
- Kirk Shireman, Vice President, Lunar Exploration Campaign, Lockheed Martin
- Charles Stegemoeller, Director, NASA Business Development and Capture Management, Leidos
- Dan Tani, Director, Business Development Operations, Human Exploration and Operations, Northrop Grumman
- Julie Van Kleeck, Space Domain Lead and ASCEND Executive Producer, AIAA
“We are excited to return to Space City with ASCENDxTexas for a second year,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher. “This unique event gives the ASCEND community another opportunity to come together to gain insights on the latest strategies and opportunities for success in both the current global market and our future in space. We look forward to welcoming space industry leaders to learn about new players and partners, identify solutions to barriers, and see how commercialization supports future space capabilities.”
Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND, which stands for Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery, is the world’s premier collaborative, outcomes-driven, interdisciplinary community designed to accelerate the building of our off-world future. For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
Starship Set to Launch for 6th Time from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas
USA Today reports that SpaceX’s Starship megarocket is set to takeoff on its sixth uncrewed flight test from Boca Chica, Texas. “The next test of the Starship, the sixth overall, is set to take place as soon as Monday evening – about a month since the last demonstration, SpaceX said.”
Full Story (USA Today)