SpaceX Successfully Completes Starship’s 6th Test Flight

SpaceX Successfully Completes Starship’s 6th Test Flight

SpaceX's IFT-6 Test Flight launches from Starbase in Boca Chica, TX on November 19, 2024. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
SpaceX’s IFT-6 Test Flight launches from Starbase in Boca Chica, TX on November 19, 2024. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

SpaceX conducted its sixth test flight of the Starship rocket yesterday, successfully completing another flight in the company’s efforts to develop a fully reusable spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars. The launch came on time at 4:00 p.m. CST from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas after a flawless countdown.

From Liftoff to Relight: IFT-6 Pushes Starship Closer to Orbit

From Liftoff to Relight: IFT-6 Pushes Starship Closer to Orbit

IFT-6 (Starship 31 and Super Heavy Booster 13) successfully lifted off from Boca Chica Beach Tuesday afternoon at 4pm CT. Image taken from Port Isabel, Tx. Image by Richard P Gallagher

On November 19, 2024, SpaceX conducted its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission aimed to further validate the vehicle’s capabilities, building upon the achievements of previous tests. 

Why Is There a Banana on Starship 31 Being Used for IFT-6?

Why Is There a Banana on Starship 31 Being Used for IFT-6?

SpaceX is preparing for its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system, scheduled for November 19, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Starlink 6-69 rising towards low-Earth orbit on November 11, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX Completes Doubleheader, Launches Twice In Four Hours

SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-69 mission to low-Earth orbit late this afternoon, and by so doing completed its second launch from the Eastern Range in a mere four hours and six minutes.

First, SpaceX launched Koreasat 6A from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 12:22 PM EST, then they launched Starlink 6-69 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:28 PM EST, both on a Falcon 9.

Both launches were successes.

Falcon 9 Rocket Lifting Off

SpaceX Planning Doubleheader Today: Koreasat 6A then Starlink 6-69

A relatively rare launch double-header may be on offer today, as SpaceX is planning to launch Koreasat-6A from Launch Complex 39A in the early afternoon, and later, the company plans to turn around and launch the Starlink 6-69 mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40.

For Koreasat, the launch window opens at 12:07 PM EST and extends to 4:07 PM, and the launch window for Starlink 6-69 opens at 4:02 PM EST and closes again at 7:44 PM the same day.

The first stage of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket arriving at LC-36 recently. This stage will serve as the first New Glenn launch booster. Photo: Blue Origin

Blue Origin Can Now Legally Use LC-36 Water Deluge System

A Blue Origin BE-4 engine being test fired.
Photo: Blue Origin

A Blue Origin BE-4 engine being test fired.
Photo: Blue Origin
Used as a sound suppression system, a water deluge is necessary to start New Glenn’s engines.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has granted Blue Origin’s application for a water deluge system at Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. It appears that Blue Origin now has no remaining regulatory hurdles prior to the planned static fire of New Glenn’s first stage and its eventual launch at some point in the near future.

The flame plume of a Falcon 9 Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX Planning Starlink 6-67 Late Wednesday Afternoon (Update: Scrubbed)

Late Wednesday afternoon, SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral to add to its constantly expanding constellation of Starlink satellites.

This time a Group 6 launch, meaning it is a southeastward launch. It will be into very late afternoon skies on the first day of Standard time and sunsets an hour (by the clock) earlier than the day before. The launch window extends from 4:57 PM EST to 8:03 PM and is expected to be under pleasant skies and an onshore breeze.

NASA/SpaceX Launch Supplies To ISS

NASA/SpaceX Launch Supplies To ISS

Falcon 9 Carrying the NASA CRS-2 SpX CRS-31 Mission to ISS launches on November 4, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Falcon 9 Carrying the NASA CRS-2 SpX CRS-31 Mission to ISS launches on November 4, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX launched the latest resupply mission for the International Space Station this evening with a Falcon 9 launch from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 9:29 PM EDT into skies that cleared just in time for the launch.

Blue Angels Return Home Ending 2024 Airshow Season at Pensacola NAS 

Blue Angels Return Home Ending 2024 Airshow Season at Pensacola NAS 

The Blue Angels fly over boaters in the crowded Pensacola Bay as well as spectator watching from Fort Pickens as they thrill fans who packed the Naval Air Station for the two-day homecoming shows. Image: Richard P Gallagher/FMN
The Blue Angels fly over boaters in the crowded Pensacola Bay as well as spectator watching from Fort Pickens as they thrill fans who packed the Naval Air Station for the two-day homecoming shows. Image: Richard P Gallagher/FMN

The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola hosted its annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on November 1 and 2, 2024, drawing an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 spectators over the two-day event. This year’s show, themed “Celebrating One Small Step,” honored the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a milestone in both aviation and space exploration history.