SpaceX’s next Starship prototype is undergoing tests and preparations for launch, while other companies like Rocket Lab and ULA are also making progress in their space endeavors.
Questions to inspire discussion.
What an exciting week it has been! We saw the rollout of both Ship 28 and Booster 10 down to the Gateway to Mars launch pad, and Ship 28 has alreadys starting undergoing tests, conducting a spin prime test over the weekend. Elsewhere, we had 3 mysterious launches from China, and strange lack of any Falcon missions, as well as a return to flight for Rocket Lab and Blue Origin. All of this and much, much more. Enjoy!
SpaceX has shared a trio of awesome night shots showing its Super Heavy booster — the most powerful rocket ever built — being rolled to the launchpad ahead of its third test flight.
Look closely at the image above and you’ll see that the transporter carrying the 233-foot-tall (71 meters) booster is bedecked with Christmas decorations, including colorful lights, a tree, and a Santa Claus model. And for scale, take a look at the human captured in the extreme right of the frame.
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $35 million contract to further develop a technology that creates solar cells out of lunar regolith — the dust and crushed rock blanketing the moon’s surface.
“[W]e’re inspired and humbled to receive this investment from NASA to advance our innovation,” said Pat Remias, VP of Blue Origin’s Capabilities Directorate. “First we return humans to the moon, then we start to ‘live off the land.’”
Moon or bust: NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon again as soon as 2025, with the goal of establishing a long-term presence on the lunar surface soon after. For that to work, it’s going to need a way to provide astronauts with a steady supply of everything they need to survive and thrive, from food and water to oxygen and electricity.
SpaceX’s announcement of the new V2 Starship marks a significant commitment to innovation and improvement in the evolution of Starship, with potential game-changing advancements in technology and capabilities.
Questions to inspire discussion.
Continue reading “SpaceX’s V2 Starship: A Game-Changing Evolution in Space Technology” »
SpaceX is making significant progress in obtaining launch licenses, increasing their number of launches, and potentially extending the operational life of the Hubble Space Telescope through a rescue mission.
Questions to inspire discussion.
Continue reading “SpaceX Confirms Possible Third Starship Launch Window” »
Space Coast Live provides 24/7 views of SpaceX and NASA launch operations in Florida including the new Starship pad at LC-39A. The Kennedy Space Center-based cameras are supplemented by Fleetcam, which provides views of recovery vessels in Port Canaveral.
Fleetcam is located at Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar (https://www.rustysseafood.com/) in Port Canaveral, Florida. This stream has no audio commentary.
The valuation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX hit $180 billion based on an ongoing secondary share sale, CNBC confirmed Wednesday.
The company is discussing an agreement with investors to sell stock from insiders in a purchase offer at $97 a share, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The offer does not include raising new capital, as the purchase offer represents a secondary sale of existing shares and is expected to close in January.
SpaceX typically performs these secondary rounds about twice a year, to give employees and other company shareholders a chance to sell stock. The latest valuation represents a 20% increase from SpaceX’s previous high of $150 billion, which the company hit through a July secondary sale at $81 a share.
