SpaceX Opens ’21 With Launch of Turksat Satellite

By Irene Klotz Jan 08, 2021
Following its record-setting 26 launches in 2020, SpaceX kicked off the new year with delivery of the Turksat 5A broadband satellite into orbit on Jan. 7.
Space

SpaceX Caps 2020 With NRO Mission

By Irene Klotz Dec 19, 2020
SpaceX’s second mission for the NRO lifted off at 9 a.m. EST Dec. 19 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.
Space

Commercial Airlock Heads To ISS

By Irene Klotz Dec 06, 2020
An upgraded SpaceX cargo Dragon 2 capsule reached orbit on Dec. 6 with 3.2 tons of equipment and supplies for the International Space Station (ISS), including a new commercially owned and operated airlock module.
Space

SpaceX Hits New Milestone For Booster Reuse

By Irene Klotz Nov 25, 2020
SpaceX has marked its 100th Falcon 9 launch with a record seventh reflight of a first-stage booster, a mission that increased the company’s burgeoning Starlink broadband network to more than 950 satellites.
Space

SpaceX Falcon 9 Lifts Off On First ISS Crew Ferry Flight

By Irene Klotz Nov 16, 2020
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 15, sending a Crew Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts on its way to the International Space Station, the first U.S. government-certified flight of a commercially developed crewed orbital transportation system.
Space

L3Harris, SpaceX Win SDA Satellite Contracts

By Lee Hudson Oct 06, 2020
The U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded L3Harris and SpaceX contracts to each build four satellites for detecting and tracking ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
Space

SpaceX Adds 60 Satellites To Starlink Constellation

By Irene Klotz Sep 03, 2020
SpaceX sent a batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on Sept. 3 as the company looks toward public beta rollout of high-speed internet service this year.
Commercial Space

SpaceX Still Pursuing Lawsuit Against U.S. Air Force

By Jen DiMascio Aug 20, 2020
SpaceX is sticking by its lawsuit against the U.S. military for its decision not to award it one of three design and development contracts awarded two years ago, saying the decision has inflicted “substantial harm” on the company.
Space

Space Force, NRO Stick With ULA, SpaceX For Launch Services

By Lee Hudson Aug 07, 2020
The U.S. national security space agencies will remain with incumbents United Launch Alliance and SpaceX for medium and heavy-lift launch services over the next five years
Space

SpaceX Prototype Starship Survives Low-Altitude Hop

By Irene Klotz Aug 05, 2020
A prototype Mars-class reusable spaceship developed by SpaceX took a nearly 500-ft (150 m) hop off a launch stand near Brownsville, Texas, on Aug. 4, marking the company’s first successful Starship test flight in a year. 
Space

Demo-2 Crew Cheers Public/Private Spaceflight Achievement

By Mark Carreau Aug 04, 2020
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken praised the NASA/SpaceX team behind their test flight and expressed hope the public/private partnership continues to thrive.
Space

Lawmakers Resolve To Instill Space Launch Competition

By Lee Hudson Jun 30, 2020
The House Armed Services Committee proposes investing $150 million in space technology development in the chairman’s mark of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill.
Space

SpaceX Adds Another 60 Satellites To Starlink Network

By Irene Klotz Jun 04, 2020
Four days after launching astronauts for a flight test of its commercial space taxi, SpaceX fired off another Falcon 9 rocket to resume building out its Starlink satellite network for high-speed internet service.
Space

Hurley, Behnken Praise Demo-2 Launch Experience

By Mark Carreau Jun 01, 2020
“Things worked exactly the way we expected them to work," Demo-2 astronaut Doug Hurley said. " It’s a pretty awe-inspiring trip so far, pretty humbling,”
Space

Lawmakers: Demo-2 Success Could Fuel NASA’s Lunar Initiative

By Mark Carreau Jun 01, 2020
“I’m very confident that we’ll continue to fund NASA and fund NASA aggressively,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said shortly after SpaceX's Demo-2 mission successfully docked with the International Space Station.
Space

Astronauts Reach ISS In Another SpaceX First

By Irene Klotz May 31, 2020
SpaceX's first Dragon capsule to carry astronauts will remain docked for up to four months at the space station.
Space

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Astronauts, Kicking Off Key Flight Test

By Irene Klotz May 30, 2020
The 3:22 p.m. liftoff marked SpaceX’s first launch with people aboard and the first U.S. human orbital launch since the final STS-135 shuttle mission in July 2011.
Space

Space Tourism: The Final (MRO) Frontier

Jonathan Berger May 29, 2020
As this new decade begins, 2020 is shaping up to be a groundbreaking year for the burgeoning space tourism industry. A report issued by UBS, the…
MRO

Podcast: SpaceX COO On Prospects For Starship Launcher

By Irene Klotz May 27, 2020
With preparations for SpaceX’s first human spaceflight drawing to a close, the company's President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell talks with Aviation Week & Space Technology space editor Irene Klotz about lessons learned for Starship and plans for the rollout of Starlink. 
Space

From The Sidelines, Boeing Regroups And Cheers SpaceX On

By Irene Klotz May 27, 2020
While its space taxi won’t be first to fly astronauts, Boeing commits to the long game.
Commercial Space

Fast Five With SpaceX Founder And CEO Elon Musk

By Irene Klotz May 27, 2020
Musk talks to Aviation Week & Space Technology Space Editor Irene Klotz about finally getting to human spaceflight and what’s ahead.
Space

SpaceX Takes Giant Leap With Launch Of NASA Astronauts

By Irene Klotz May 26, 2020
After 18 years, 89 launches and thousands of tests, SpaceX attempts human spaceflight.
Space

Podcast: Interview with SpaceX’s Elon Musk

By Irene Klotz May 26, 2020
In an exclusive interview with Aviation Week Space Editor Irene Klotz, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discusses the riskiest part of the upcoming NASA Commercial Crew Demo-2 launch, the need to further reduce launch costs and the prospects for the Starlink internet service project.
Space

What Are Your Projections For The Global Space Industry?

By Jen DiMascio May 26, 2020
Ask the Editors: The global space economy is projected to exceed $1.1 trillion by 2040, but it is unclear how COVID-19 will affect that.
Budget, Policy & Operations

The Sudden (and Untimely) Exit of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Chief

By Irene Klotz May 25, 2020
When Vice President Pence told NASA to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024 “by any means possible,” he may have opened a Pandora’s box.
Space