Tag: SpaceX

SpaceX has pulled off one of its boldest feats yet, catching the massive Super Heavy booster of its Starship rocket mid-air with a set of giant mechanical arms. The attempt, carried out on October 13, 2024, at the company’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, marked the first time a booster was successfully caught instead of landing in the ocean.

The milestone came during the fifth uncrewed test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built. The two-stage vehicle consists of the 230-foot Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft, both powered by SpaceX’s next-generation Raptor engines.

In earlier tests, the booster splashed down at sea and had to be retrieved, a time-consuming and costly process. By using the launch tower’s mechanical arms, a system SpaceX calls “Mechazilla,” the company has taken a major step toward fully reusing its largest rocket.

SpaceX shared a video of the catch on X, showing the giant arms clamping around the descending booster in real time. “Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria had to be met prior to catching the Super Heavy booster. Thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers, we succeeded with a catch on our first attempt,” the company said in its post.

This success brings SpaceX closer to its long-term goal of rapid rocket reusability, a cornerstone of lowering launch costs. The achievement is particularly important for upcoming missions, including NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon, which will rely on versions of Starship for lunar landings.

The Starship system is also central to SpaceX’s long-term ambitions of sending humans to Mars. By catching and quickly reusing boosters, the company aims to launch Starship more frequently, reducing turnaround times and costs.

With four test flights already behind it, this fifth mission demonstrated the progress SpaceX has made in just over a year since Starship’s first launch attempt in April 2023. The company says further refinements are ahead, but the mid-air catch has set a new benchmark for rocket recovery.

Radio waves from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are creating challenges for astronomers by interfering with radio telescopes, according to a BBC report. The new v2 Starlink satellites emit stronger radio signals than their predecessors, making it difficult to observe galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and other deep-sky objects.

This disruption affects researchers who rely on radio telescopes to capture electromagnetic emissions from these distant celestial bodies.

The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) highlighted the problem during recent observations. Deep-sky objects emit light across the electromagnetic spectrum, and radio telescopes are essential for studying parts of the universe invisible to optical telescopes. ASTRON noted that the stronger radiation from the V2 satellites is creating significant obstacles for radio astronomy.

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has launched over 7,000 Starlink satellites, controlling around two-thirds of all active satellites in Earth’s orbit. These satellites are part of SpaceX’s mission to provide global internet services and reduce the digital divide. The company plans to continue launching about 40 satellites every week, which will further increase electromagnetic emissions in orbit.

Astronomers warn that without action, artificial satellites could dominate the night sky. Professor Jessica Dempsey, director of ASTRON, told the BBC, “The only constellations we will see will be human-made.” She stressed the need for immediate measures to limit interference from satellite constellations and protect astronomical research.

To address the issue, scientists suggest solutions such as adjusting satellite frequencies, shielding emissions, or limiting launches during critical observations. The growing number of satellites underscores the tension between advancing global internet services and preserving the ability to study the universe through radio astronomy.

Source: Bright unintended electromagnetic radiation from second-generation Starlink satellites

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn

crew has safely returned to Earth after completing a groundbreaking five-day mission that included the first commercial spacewalk. The Dragon spacecraft carrying the four-member team splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas at 03:37 local time (07:37 GMT) on September 15, 2024, following a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on September 10.

The mission, funded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, tested new technologies and set multiple records in human spaceflight.

SpaceX confirmed the successful landing in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “Welcome back to Earth.” The splashdown was broadcast live on YouTube, with viewers watching as recovery teams approached the capsule. The hatch was opened at about 4:20 a.m. local time after the spacecraft was lifted onto a recovery ship.

The mission launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) on September 10. The launch had been postponed several times due to helium leaks and poor weather.

Once underway, the crew entered a high elliptical orbit, reaching more than 700 km above Earth, placing them inside the Van Allen radiation belts farther than any crewed mission since the Apollo program more than 50 years ago.

Historic Spacewalk

On September 12, Commander Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis carried out the first-ever private spacewalk. Unlike previous missions, Dragon does not have an airlock, meaning the entire crew cabin was depressurized. The activity lasted about an hour, with the astronauts wearing new SpaceX-designed extravehicular suits. These suits were adapted from the intravehicular models previously used during launches and reentries.

“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.” Said Mission Commander Jared Isaacman during the spacewalk.

The Polaris Dawn team consisted of Jared Isaacman, SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and retired U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Kidd. Isaacman financed the mission, which is part of the larger Polaris Program, a series of private missions intended to test technologies for future long-duration space travel.

Records and Firsts

• Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis became the first humans to complete a private spacewalk.
• Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon became the first women to travel to such a high orbital altitude.
• Sarah Gillis became the first person to play a violin in space.
• The crew tested Starlink laser-based communications in orbit, marking the first time the technology was used during human spaceflight.

The mission traveled farther from Earth than any crewed mission since Apollo, reaching beyond 700 km. Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris Program. Future flights are expected to continue testing new EVA suits and medical research in microgravity and eventually fly aboard SpaceX’s Starship once the vehicle is ready for crewed missions.

With its safe return, Polaris Dawn has demonstrated the potential for privately funded missions to push human spaceflight beyond the International Space Station and lay the groundwork for deeper exploration.

Elon Musk has announced a new schedule for his Mars ambitions, saying the first uncrewed SpaceX Starship missions could launch in 2026, followed by the first crewed flights as early as 2028. Musk shared the timeline on September 6 in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

According to Musk, the first flights in two years will aim to prove that Starship can land safely on Mars. If those succeed, the company will attempt to send astronauts on the next launch window four years from now. Looking further ahead, Musk said he envisions a city on Mars within 20 years, part of his long-term goal to make humanity a “multi-planetary species.”

Starship is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, designed to carry both astronauts and cargo. The vehicle is fully reusable and made of stainless steel alloy to reduce weight and improve efficiency. It consists of two stages: the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage, both powered by SpaceX’s Raptor engines.

So far, SpaceX has carried out four Starship test flights: two in 2023 and two in 2024. The company is preparing for its fifth flight, though no date has been confirmed. None of the test flights have yet reached orbit, but Musk says progress is being made quickly.

SpaceX argues that reusability is the only way to make Mars travel affordable. Musk noted that today it costs around $1 billion per ton to deliver cargo to Mars. To build a city, he said, that figure must fall to $100,000 per ton. “Making life multiplanetary is fundamentally a cost per ton to Mars problem,” Musk wrote on X, calling the challenge “extremely difficult but not impossible.”

Musk’s plan spans two decades:

• 2026: An uncrewed Starship launches to Mars to test landing systems.
• 2028: First crewed missions, if early landings succeed.
• 2040s: A permanent city on Mars, supplied regularly by fleets of Starships.

Musk also suggested that increasing the flight rate of Starship will be central to lowering costs. Each Starship is designed to fly multiple times, allowing SpaceX to scale launches in a way no other rocket has achieved.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX has become the leading private space company, known for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, as well as the Dragon spacecraft that regularly carries astronauts to the ISS. The company also operates Starlink, a satellite internet network that provides coverage around the world.

Musk, who Forbes lists as the world’s richest person with a net worth of over $407 billion as of August 2025, has repeatedly said Mars settlement is his ultimate goal.

Despite the bold timeline, experts note that SpaceX still faces technical and financial hurdles before Starship is ready for interplanetary missions. For now, the focus remains on proving the rocket can reach orbit, return safely, and fly again. These are the steps that will determine whether Musk’s Mars vision is achievable.

SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday, September 10, 2024, sending a crew of four into orbit on a groundbreaking private flight that achieved the first commercial spacewalk before returning safely to Earth.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following multiple delays caused by technical checks and weather concerns.

The mission is funded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, who commanded the flight. His crewmates were SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, along with former U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Poteet. Together, they flew aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit designed to push the limits of commercial human spaceflight.

Polaris Dawn reached a peak altitude of 1,408 kilometers (870 miles), the highest Earth orbit for astronauts since the Apollo era. The crew passed through the Van Allen radiation belts, marking the first human trip through that region in more than 50 years. Gillis and Menon also became the first women to travel this far from Earth.

The launch, originally scheduled for August 26, 2024, was repeatedly postponed. Engineers discovered helium leaks in equipment meant to separate from the rocket, and poor weather forecasts in potential splashdown zones forced further delays on August 28 and 29. The successful liftoff finally came on September 10, 2024.

On the third day of the mission, Isaacman and Gillis performed the first-ever commercial Extravehicular Activity (EVA) wearing new spacesuits developed by SpaceX in just two and a half years.

Isaacman spent nearly eight minutes outside Dragon, followed by Gillis for just over seven minutes. The entire crew was briefly exposed to space vacuum during the operation, setting another record for private human spaceflight.

Beyond the EVA, the crew conducted medical and scientific experiments, including research on spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), radiation monitoring, and other health effects. They also tested Starlink’s laser-based communications system in orbit.

In a symbolic moment, Gillis played a violin solo from space to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, continuing Isaacman’s long-standing fundraising efforts.

After five days in orbit, Polaris Dawn splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico on September 15, 2024. Menon was the first to exit the capsule, followed by Gillis, Poteet, and Isaacman.

The mission’s success earned the Polaris Dawn team the 2025 John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration, honoring achievements such as record-breaking altitude, the first commercial spacewalk, and pioneering communications tests.

Polaris Dawn is only the beginning of the broader Polaris Program, a series of private missions designed to advance human spaceflight. Future flights may include a study of options for servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and the first crewed launch aboard SpaceX’s Starship, pending its readiness.