Boeing Starliner

Starliner: A Risky Return

September 6, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Starliner pictured docked to the ISS, will undock later tonight and prepare to land at the White Sands Missile Range. Credit: NASA.
Starliner pictured docked to the ISS, will undock later tonight and prepare to land at the White Sands Missile Range. Credit: NASA.

Tonight, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is set to return to Earth. Whether or not it will be a safe return depends on who you ask. In one corner, we have Boeing, who publicly at least, stands 100% behind their crew capsule. In the other corner, NASA’, who is confident in Starliner, but not confident enough to risk the lives their astronauts.

SpaceX Set To Launch Starlink 8-11 Thursday (Updated)

SpaceX Set To Launch Starlink 8-11 Thursday (Updated)

September 3, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink
Falcon 9 launching from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral
Falcon 9 launching from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Update: Wednesday’s Starlink launch attempt was called off with slightly more than two minutes left in the countdown due to weather in the booster landing zone. Florida is experiencing a rather stormy week, leading to a high degree of uncertainty in the week’s launch schedule.

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 Thursday morning from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, carrying another group of Starlink satellites. According to SpaceX, “Liftoff is targeted for 8:35 a.m. ET, with additional opportunities available until 12:31 p.m. ET.”

Falcon 9 Booster Lost After Successful Starlink Deployment

Falcon 9 Booster Lost After Successful Starlink Deployment

August 28, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX, Starlink
Booster B1059 propels a batch of Starlink satellies to orbit on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. It was the booster's 23rd mission, a new record for reuseability. Photo: SpaceX Video feed
Booster B1062 propels a batch of Starlink satellites to orbit on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. It was the booster’s 23rd mission, a new record for reusability. Photo: SpaceX Video feed

Fresh off of the announced delay of the Polaris Dawn’s 3:38AM launch Wednesday morning, SpaceX made the decision to continue with the launch of Starlink mission 8-6, slated for launch at 3:48 AM. While the launch went off without a hitch, it would not prove to be a great morning for SpaceX.

Polaris Dawn Delayed Until At Least Friday Due To Abort Zone Weather

Polaris Dawn Delayed Until At Least Friday Due To Abort Zone Weather

August 27, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX
Polaris Dawn sitting atop Falcon 9 and LC-39A on June 26.
Polaris Dawn sitting atop Falcon 9 and LC-39A on June 26.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX has called off the Polaris Dawn launch of Falcon 9 until at least Friday, August 29th. The company announced shortly after 10 PM EDT that it was standing down for the night, and stated on its website that the next launch attempt would be no earlier than the end of the week.

80 Days at ISS: Crew-9 Rescue? Polaris Dawn Spacewalk—Read All About It!

August 24, 2024Posted inBoeing, ISS, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at the ISS photographed outside of the Harmony module. Credit: NASA

Boeing Starliner Astronauts Mark 80th Day Aboard ISS Amid Growing Concerns 

As the calendar flips to the 80th day since their arrival, the crew aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft continues its mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched on this expedition on June 5, 2024, have been engaged in a variety of scientific experiments and station maintenance tasks. However, with growing technical challenges and ongoing discussions about their return, the crew’s extended stay is becoming a subject of interest among space agencies and enthusiasts alike.