SpaceX Archives

Cygnus Safely Docks With ISS

By Richard Gallagher FMN August 6, 2024Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX

*Cygnus about to be captured by Canadian robot arm. Credit NASA*

Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus resupply mission, NG-21, began its journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 4, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, suffered a delay of about 24 hours caused by adverse weather conditions from Tropical Storm Debby as it moved up the Florida peninsula. Cygnus is part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Service (CRS), responsible for maintaining the vital flow of supplies and scientific experiments to the ISS.

Axiom Space Names AX-4 Crew

By Mark Stone FMN August 5, 2024Axiom Space, ISS, NASA, SpaceX

AX 4 CRew Photo[LEFT] Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary [RIGHT]. Photo: Axiom/X — AX 4 Crew Photo [LEFT] Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary [RIGHT]. Photo: Axiom/X

Axiom Space to Include Astronauts from US, India, Poland, and Hungary in Ax-4 Mission to ISS

Axiom Space has officially announced the international crew for it’s next mission to the ISS. AX-4 will include astronauts from the US, India, Poland, and Hungary. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission. Whitson, who is now Axiom’s chief astronaut, holds the record among American astronauts and among women for spending the most time in space, 675 days. Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station and the only woman to serve as ISS Commander twice. She also became the first woman to command a private space mission on Ax-2 in 2023.

Cygnus NG-21 Successfully Deployed, Possible Engine Anomaly

By Richard Gallagher FMN August 4, 2024Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX

A Falcon9 rocket carrying NG-21 soars toward space amidst an overcast sky. Image by: Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — The Cygnus NG-21 mission, launched earlier today from Cape Canaveral, has encountered some unexpected challenges. According to a tweet on “X” by William Harwood:

“Mission control just alerted the ISS crew to a possible issue with the Cygnus cargo ship: “Just to let you guys know, good comm with Cygnus, we’re going to have solar array deploy in about an hour. The first two burns were not performed by Cygnus, so they are reassessing what is the current state of the burn plan. We’re hoping to still keep Tuesday (for capture by ISS), but we’ll re-assess once we figure out what went wrong with the first two burns.”

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 and NG-21 Mission

By Charles Boyer FMN August 4, 2024Aviation and Space News, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Uncategorized, US Space Force

Falcon 9 and Northrup Grumman’s NG-21 Cygnus cargo capsule lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on August 4. 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

Despite on a 10% GO forecast and storms closing in from a distance, Falcon 9 flies another perfect mission.

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX Hopes To Launch Northrup Grumman’s NG-21 Mission Saturday (Update: Scrubbed)

By Charles Boyer FMN August 2, 2024Aviation and Space News, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX

An ill-timed line of thunderstorms forces a scrub Saturday

Update: 12 PM EDT Saturday

A wave of thunderstorms passed through the Cape Canaveral area around 90 minutes before liftoff Saturday, forcing SpaceX to stand down from its launch attempt today.

Due to unfavorable weather, we are standing down from today's launch of @northropgrumman's NG-21 mission. Next launch opportunity is Sunday, August 4 → https://t.co/bsNx0Xb6I3
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2024

The company said in a latter post on X.com that they would try again tomorrow, but with a 90% Probability of Violation and an approaching tropical system off of Florida’s west coast, the chances of that don’t seem very high. Monday’s forecast is equally squirrelly as the system is forecast to arc through northern Florida, creating storm squalls and windy conditions across the state.

On the other hand, it’s Florida and the weather here can be unpredictable. So, we’ll see when SpaceX can get this launch off of the pad.

SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-6 Early Friday

By Charles Boyer FMN August 2, 2024Aviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink

Timelapse of Falcon 9's flight on August 2, 2024
Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now — Timelapse of Falcon 9’s flight on August 2, 2024
Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 10-6 mission from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 Rocket. Liftoff was at 01:01 AM EDT.

Starliner, Cygnus and Crew 9 Oh My! ISS is Full.

By Richard Gallagher FMN July 31, 2024Crewed, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, Starliner

Cygnus spacecraft for NG-21 resupply mission. Credit: NASA

The International Space Station (ISS) is an island of international cooperation and scientific research. As of July 2024, the ISS has been hosting a variety of spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner, SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, Soyuz MS-25, and the Russian Progress 87 and 88 resupply ships. The current mix of 5 vehicles and 12 astronauts ensures that the ISS is a bustling beehive of activity, supporting a diverse range of scientific experiments and international visitors. But soon, in the days and weeks to come two more spacecraft and four more astronauts will join the activities.

SpaceX Returns to Launch Status with Successful Mission

By Richard Gallagher FMN July 27, 2024Falcon 9, KSC, Space News, SpaceX

A long exposure streak image from last night successful SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight rocket launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL – After a brief grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and deployed its Starlink Group 10-9 satellites early in the morning on July 28, 2024. This launch marked the company’s return to flight status following an anomaly during a mission earlier in the month.

Big Changes Coming To Crew Dragon Splashdowns

By Mark Stone FMN July 26, 2024Crewed, Space News, SpaceX

Workers secure Space X Crew Dragon capsule after Crew 7 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico last March. Image: NASA

NASA’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will be making its final splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean next year . The upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch no earlier than August 18, 2024, could be the last to conclude with a landing off the U.S. East Coast.

SpaceX Starlink 10-9 Set For Early Saturday Liftoff

By Charles Boyer FMN July 26, 2024Aviation and Space News, Falcon 9, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink

A Falcon 9 launching from LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying twenty-three Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad LC-39A early Saturday morning. The launch window for the Falcon 9’s “return to flight” opens at 12:21 AM EDT on July 27 and extends until 04:21 AM the same day. If needed, the company has a backup launch window at the same time, twenty-four hours later, on July 28.

Falcon 9 Cleared To Return To Flight

By Charles Boyer FMN July 25, 2024Falcon 9, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink

Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX has been cleared to resume launching Falcon 9 by the FAA. Almost immediately afterward, the company announced a launch of the venerable rocket from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center early Sunday morning.The company stated that the Starlink 9-3 mishap in a statement on their website “The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line,” SpaceX said.

Boeing And NASA Provide Starliner Update

By Charles Boyer FMN July 25, 2024Aviation and Space News, Boeing, Crewed, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner

Starliner docked to the International Space Station
photo: NASA

No Return Date Set, Readiness Review May Come Late Next Week

NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Boeing Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.

“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.