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SpaceX

Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is a commercial company aiming to launch cargo, and eventually people, to low-Earth orbit. The firm is developing its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 booster under contracts from NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program and its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.

Related Topics: Falcon Heavy, NASA, NASA Space Launch System, Orion Spacecraft

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An illustration of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, which will launch in April 2021 on a Falcon 9.

SpaceX Wins Contract to Launch NASA Small Astrophysics Mission

By Jeff Foust

NASA awarded a launch contract to SpaceX July 8 for the launch of a small astrophysics mission as the company offered a Falcon 9 at a lower price than a much smaller rocket.

<em>Sphingomonas desiccabilis</em>, one of three microbes chosen for the BioRock experiment, seen growing on basalt. Run by a research team from the University of Edinburgh, BioRock tests how altered states of gravity affect biofilm formation on the International Space Station.

Robotic SpaceX Cargo Mission Could Aid Space Settlement

By Mike Wall

The next SpaceX mission to the International Space Station (ISS) may be uncrewed, but it could nonetheless eventually help humanity extend its footprint far beyond low Earth orbit.

SpaceX's Starhopper prototype is seen during testing operations at the company's launch site in Boca Chica, Texas near Brownsville, Texas in this photo released by CEO Elon Musk on April 7, 2019.

SpaceX's Starhopper Prototype to Make 1st Untethered Hop Soon, Musk Says

By Mike Wall

The testbed for SpaceX's Mars-colonizing Starship spacecraft appears poised to take a big leap.

A stack of Starlink satellites being prepared for launch. A five percent failure rate for the first set of 60 satellite has heightened concerns that megaconstellations could leave hundreds of dead satellites in long-lived orbits.

Starlink Failures Highlight Space Sustainability Concerns

By Jeff Foust

The failure of at least five percent of the first batch of SpaceX Starlink satellites has put a spotlight on the growing concerns with dead satellites in low Earth orbit.

Of the 60 Starlink satellites launched in May, 45 have completed orbit raising, five are in the process of orbit raising, and another five are completing system checks.

Contact Lost With Three Starlink Satellites, Other 57 Healthy

By Caleb Henry

Three of the 60 satellites SpaceX launched last month to begin its broadband megaconstellation have lost contact with ground control teams, a SpaceX spokesperson said June 28.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a twice-flown first stage launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Dec. 3, 2018, carrying 64 satellites to orbit on the SSO-A: Smallsat Express mission.

SpaceX Plans to Fly a Single Rocket 5 Times by the End of the Year

By Mike Wall

SpaceX wants to ramp up its rocket reuse, and soon.

A blue tarp on the deck of the ship GO Ms. Tree covers the first payload fairing SpaceX has ever managed to pluck out of the sky.

SpaceX Fairing-Snagging Ship Returns to Shore with Epic Catch (Photos)

By Amy Thompson

Onlookers adorned the shoreline of Florida's Port Canaveral on Thursday (June 27) as SpaceX's net-equipped ship returned home with the space hardware that it plucked from the sky two days earlier.

The first commercial Starship/Super Heavy mission will likely carry a telecommunications satellite.

SpaceX Targets 2021 Commercial Starship Launch

By Caleb Henry

The first commercial mission for SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy launch system will likely take place in 2021, a company executive said June 26.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket made its first night flight in the wee hours of June 25.

See Stunning Photos of SpaceX Falcon Heavy's First Night Launch

By Christine Lunsford

The launch turned night to day!

SpaceX's Starship is under construction at a Florida steel site.

SpaceX's 'Starship' Prototype Coming Together in Florida (Photos)

By Amy Thompson

Deep in the heart of the Florida Space Coast's industrial area, a Mars-colonizing spaceship is being built.

SpaceX will launch 24 satellites for Space Test Program 2 mission by the U.S. Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center on a Falcon Heavy rocket on June 24, 2019. This image shows many of the satellites packed together for launch.

This Is What 2 Dozen Satellites Look Like Packed for Launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX is gearing up for its busiest Falcon Heavy megarocket launch yet and now, thanks the U.S. Air Force, we know what the epic rideshare looks like.

This still image from a U.S. Air Force video shows SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as it breaks through fog to launch the Canadian Radarsat Constellation Mission, which included three satellites, from Space Launch Complex 4E at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 12, 2019.

Out of the Fog: Amazing SpaceX Launch Photos of Canada's Radarsat Constellation

By Tariq Malik

On June 12, 2019, a used SpaceX rocket launched three satellites for Canada's Radarsat Constellation Mission to study Earth from space. See the photos here!

SpaceX's first Crew Dragon is seen at the International Space Station just before docking on March 3, 2019 during the Demo-1 test flight.

Bigelow Space Wants to Launch You Into Orbit with SpaceX for $52 Million

By Mike Wall

Bigelow Space Operations plans to take advantage of the increased commercialization of the International Space Station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket emerges from thick fog as it launches three Radarsat satellites for Canada from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on June 12, 2019.

Used SpaceX Rocket Launches 3 Radarsat Satellites, Aces Foggy Landing

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX successfully launched its seventh space mission of the year today (June 12), delivering a trio of Earth-observing satellites into orbit.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying three Radarsat satellites for the Canadian Space Agency stands atop its launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California ahead of a June 12, 2019 launch.

A Used SpaceX Rocket Will Launch 3 Satellites Today! Watch It Live

By Mike Wall

SpaceX will launch three next-generation Earth-observing satellites for the Canadian Space Agency Wednesday (June 12), and you can watch the liftoff live.

The center core of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket undergoes a static fire test at the company's Texas facility in late April 2019, to prepare for the June launch of the STP-2 mission.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Delayed 2 Days to June 24

By Mike Wall

The third-ever launch of SpaceX's powerful, reusable Falcon Heavy rocket has been pushed back two days to June 24 to accommodate payload-integration issues and other prep work.

The diagonal lines stretching across this telescope image are reflected light from 25 of the first batch of Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX.

Astronomy Group Says Starlink and Other Satellite Constellations Could Threaten Science

By Meghan Bartels

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is voicing concerns about the risk Starlink and other planned massive satellite constellations in low Earth orbit pose to astronomy.

A dazzling view of the nine Merlin engines of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching a Dragon cargo ship into orbit for NASA's CRS-17 cargo mission to the International Space Station on May 2019.

SpaceX's Amazing Dragon CRS-17 NASA Cargo Launch (and Landing!) in Photos

By SPACE.com Staff

On May, 4, 2019, SpaceX launched a Dragon spacecraft filled with supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. See amazing photos of the flight here!

An image released by the IAU June 3 shows trails made by dozens of Starlink satellites as they passed through the field of view of a telescope during an observation shortly after launch. The IAU noted in its statement that the density and brightness of the satellites in this image is not representative of their appearance in their final orbital configuration.

Little Legal Recourse for Astronomers Concerned About Starlink

By Jeff Foust

Despite complaints from astronomers, legal experts say there is little they can do under existing federal law and regulations to halt the deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule departs the International Space Station on June 3, 2019.

SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth After Space Station Cargo Delivery

By Hanneke Weitering

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is returning to Earth today (June 3) after spending nearly a month docked at the International Space Station (ISS).