NASA’s Crew-9 Prepares for ISS Mission– Starliner Astronauts Countdown to Homecoming in 2025

NASA’s Crew-9 Prepares for ISS Mission– Starliner Astronauts Countdown to Homecoming in 2025

September 22, 2024Posted inCrewed, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner
Crew 9 members arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Strip Saturday afternoon, to prepare for launch to ISS. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN
Crew 9 members arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Strip Saturday afternoon, to prepare for launch to ISS. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN

 

The NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission, set to launch on September 26, 2024, will see NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov embarking on a six-month scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS). For the first time, a crewed mission will be launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, adding a new dimension to SpaceX’s launch capabilities and enhancing operational flexibility (NASA). This mission will also formularize Starliner astronauts currently aboard the ISS with the Dragon spacecraft operations in preparation for their return flight home after the completion of the Crew 9 mission. 

Business and Politics Collide As Cards Against Humanity Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX

Business and Politics Collide As Cards Against Humanity Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX

September 21, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
SpaceX's Starship stands against a South Texas night sky. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
SpaceX’s Starship stands against a South Texas night sky. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

The creators of the popular adult party game Cards Against Humanity on Thursday filed a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX in Cameron County, Texas. In their filing, the company alleges that SpaceX trespassed on and damaged a piece of property the game maker purchased in 2017 to protest former President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall.

Launch Report: SpaceX Launches Galileo L13 From The Cape

Launch Report: SpaceX Launches Galileo L13 From The Cape

September 18, 2024Posted inFalcon 9, Space News, SpaceX
Falcon 9 rising off of the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 40 on September 17, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Falcon 9 rising off of the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 40 on September 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

Space-X launched Falcon 9 early last evening from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying new European navigation satellites to orbit. The launch came at 06:51 PM EDT, just as the sun was starting to set in the west, creating a beautiful golden hue on the pad.

Polaris Dawn Crew Safely Returns to Earth After Historic Five-Day Mission

Polaris Dawn Crew Safely Returns to Earth After Historic Five-Day Mission

September 15, 2024Posted inCrewed, Space News, SpaceX
Infrared camera shows the splashdown of the Polaris Dawn mission early this morning. Photo: Polaris Dawn / SpaceX
Infrared camera shows the splashdown of the Polaris Dawn mission early this morning. Photo: Polaris Dawn / SpaceX

In the early hours of Sunday morning, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew successfully completed their five-day journey in space, capping off the historic mission with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, landed off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, at 3:37 a.m. ET, marking the conclusion of a mission that included the world’s first commercial spacewalk.

SpaceX Launches BlueBird, Overcomes Weather for Pre-Dawn Liftoff

SpaceX Launches BlueBird, Overcomes Weather for Pre-Dawn Liftoff

September 12, 2024Posted inFalcon 9, Space News, SpaceX
Ignition! A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket powered by 9 Merlin rocket engines blasts off from LC-40 at CCSFS. Image by Richard P Gallagher

This morning, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first five BlueBird Block 1 communications satellites for AST SpaceMobile. These satellites will improve cell service in remote areas of the United States. The launch occurred at 4:52 AM EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

History Made! SpaceX Polaris Dawn Astronauts Complete First-Ever Private Spacewalk

History Made! SpaceX Polaris Dawn Astronauts Complete First-Ever Private Spacewalk

September 12, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
Jared Isaacman emerges from the open hatch of the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon, becoming the first ever private citizen to walk in space. Photo: SpaceX
Jared Isaacman emerges from the open hatch of the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon, becoming the first ever private citizen to walk in space. Photo: SpaceX


Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis this morning became the first private citizens in history to conduct a spacewalk. The spacewalk, which lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes from start to finish, seemed to go off without a hitch. Exiting the Polaris Dawn / SpaceX Crew Dragon early Thursday, September 12, 2024, Isacmann’s helmet camera captured a breathtaking view of the spacecraft’s open hatch, followed by the large blue globe that is our home. The landmark event was part of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, designed to test new spacesuits developed by the company and push the boundaries of private space exploration.

National academy of Sciences Report

NASA’s Long-Term Success Threatened by Budget Shortfalls, Aging Infrastructure, and Short-Term Focus, Report Warns

September 11, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, NASA, Space News
National academy of Sciences Report
The report was compiled by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. and released on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Photo: NASEM

NASA’s position as a leader in global innovation and a driver of technological advancement in the United States could be jeopardized by a mismatch between its budget and its mission scope, an overemphasis on short-term goals, and crumbling infrastructure, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Europa Clipper Pressing Towards October Launch

Europa Clipper Pressing Towards October Launch

September 10, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Falcon Heavy, KSC, NASA, SpaceX
An alien message transmitted to mankind on the edge of World War III in the 1984 classic 2010: The Year We Make Contact . Photo: MGM/UA Entertainment
An alien message transmitted to mankind on the edge of World War III in the 1984 classic 2010: The Year We Make Contact . Photo: MGM/UA Entertainment

In the sci-fi classic “2010: The Year We Make Contact”, a manned mission headed to Europa received an ominous warning from alien monoliths, “All these worlds are yours except Europa – attempt no landing there.“NASA is very likely hoping this bit of science fiction stays that way as they prepare to launch a new mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon.

Polaris Dawn Takes Flight: The Mission That May Redefine Commercial Space Exploration

Polaris Dawn Takes Flight: The Mission That May Redefine Commercial Space Exploration

September 10, 2024Posted inCrewed, Space News, SpaceX
Polaris Dawn rises off of the launch pad on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 10, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Polaris Dawn rises off of the launch pad on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 10, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

The Florida skies over the Kennedy Space Center lit up once again this morning with the 5:23 a.m. ET launch of the Polaris Dawn mission. This mission may prove to be one of the most significant yet in the realm of commercial space flight. The mission, spearheaded by SpaceX and billionaire Jared Isaacman, aims to break multiple records and test several new technologies that will advance private space exploration.

Polaris Dawn: Will She Stay or Will She Go?

Polaris Dawn: Will She Stay or Will She Go?

September 9, 2024Posted inCrewed, Space News, SpaceX
Polaris Dawn on the launch pad behind SpaceX’s Starship Tower at LC-39A
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX plans to launch Polaris Dawn early tomorrow morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, with four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon. Following weeks of recent weather delays and continued unsettled weather, the mission has a 40% chance of lifting off tomorrow, according to SpaceX.