Starship 6 Test
SpaceX conducts its sixth test of Super Heavy booster (Booster 13) and Starship (Ship 31) at Starbase, Texas. The test focusses on operational improvements, including experiments with the heat shield, flying the spacecraft at a steeper reentry angle to gather data on thermal protection system performance. The flight carried a banana as payload. After a successful launch and hot-stage separation, the Booster was diverted to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead of being caught by the Mechazilla arms. Ship 31 reignited one of its Raptor engines in space, and after a flight of 1hr 5 mins completed its splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Musk:
Successful ocean landing of Starship! We will do one more ocean landing of the ship. If that goes well, then SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower.
Successful ocean landing of Starship!
We will do one more ocean landing of the ship. If that goes well, then SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower. https://t.co/osFud7XXPo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2024
Starship Test 5: Mechazilla arms catch Booster
For its fifth flight test, Starship, consisting of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 12) – powered by 33 Raptor engines – and the Starship spacecraft (Ship 30), lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas. At 2m 40s the Super Heavy booster separates from the Starship spacecraft (Ship 30) using hot-staging. Post-separation, the Super Heavy ascends to 69 km (43 miles) and then executes a boostback burn to reverse its course and return towards the launch site, where it slides horizontally into the Mechazilla launch tower’s 30m “chopstick” arms, completing the first successful Heavy Booster catch.
Meanwhile, Starship continues its suborbital trajectory, reaching an apogee of about 212 km (132 miles) over the Indian Ocean. Despite damage to one of its control flaps, Starship maintains stability using its flaps through re-entry to splashdown in the Indian Ocean, approximately 7,000 km (4,350 miles) from separation. Musk:
Even rockets need hugs
Even rockets need hugs 🥰 pic.twitter.com/oF36F0AvBf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2024
Starship Test 4: Succesful splashdowns
SpaxeX conducts the fourth flight test of Starship, comprising the Starship Ship 29 upper-stage and Super Heavy Booster 11. The test successfully achieved its two main objectives: simulate a landing with the Super Heavy booster near the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and ensure Starship could survive peak heating during atmospheric re-entry. Despite minor engine issues, the flight was considered a success, with successful spashdowns. The test was a step forward from the third test, where both stages were destroyed upon re-entry. Modifications included upgrades to the oxygen tanks for better propellant filtration, enhancements to the Raptor engines for improved reliability, and additional roll control thrusters on the ship. The mission profile omitted certain demonstrations from previous tests but included jettisoning the hot staging ring from the booster, a temporary measure for mass reduction during descent.
The FAA did not require a mishap investigation, a first for Starship flights, indicating that the flight stayed within the parameters of planned and authorized activities.
Musk gives high fives to the SpaceX team and his son, Lil X.
Watch Starship’s fourth flight test → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK https://t.co/SjpjscHoUB
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 6, 2024
Musk borrowed $1 billion from SpaceX in same month of Twitter deal
The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk borrowed $1 billion from SpaceX in October 2022, the same month he bought Twitter. The loan was backed by some of Musk’s SpaceX stock and Musk drew all of the funds down the same month. According to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, as of March 2023, Musk is SpaceX’s largest shareholder with a 42% stake and almost 79% of its voting power. SpaceX had $4.7 billion in cash and securities on hand at the end of 2022.
Musk: Starship ‘ready to launch’
Reponding to a video posted on X by SpaceX, showing a “fully stacked” Starship on the launchpad at Boca Chica Starbase, Musk says Starship is ready for its second attempt at an orbital flight test, pending regulatory approval.
Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval
Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval https://t.co/WjENkdudo9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 6, 2023
The FAA says the launch licence application for Starship depends on various requirements being met, including reviews on policy, payload, safety, airspace integration, financial responsibility and environmental impacts.
The FAA will make a licence determination only after the agency is satisfied SpaceX meets all licensing, safety and other regulatory requirements.
Musk accused of ‘hijacking’ £5.5bn satellite deal
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX demands the Commission “expeditiously review and rescind” a decision to green light a £5.5 billion merger between American company Viasat and Britain’s Inmarsat. SpaceX, which had unsuccesfully tried to block the takeover, claims Viasat is causing interference with its satellites and breaching its licensing conditions in a long-running row between the two companies. It says the regulator has “improperly” failed to consider its claims the first time and that the acquisition was “contrary to the public interest” because of Viasat’s “blatant disregard” for regulations. Viasat says the FCC had already found it “qualified to obtain licences” and that its rival’s latest assault was an attempt to “hijack” the takeover. It also accuses Musk of creating the risk of orbital collisions by launching thousands of small satellites.
These are old arguments that have been tried and failed before – the FCC expressly rejected them in clearing the acquisition. And they will certainly fail again. Our focus is on integrating Inmarsat’s assets and capabilities into the Viasat family to offer the innovative new services our customers want.
Crew-7 launches to ISS
Crew-7 successfully launches to the International Space Station, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on SpaceX’s Endurance Dragon spacecraft, powered by a Falcon 9 rocket. The crew includes: NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov of Russia’s space agency. Over 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations will take place during Crew-7’s mission of approximately six months in space. Experiments will include the collection of microbial samples from the exterior of the space station, the first study of human response to different spaceflight durations, and an investigation of the physiological aspects of astronauts’ sleep. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson:
Crew-7 is a shining example of the power of both American ingenuity and what we can accomplish when we work together. Aboard station, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, all while benefitting humanity on Earth. By partnering with countries around the world, NASA is engaging the best scientific minds to enable our bold missions, and it’s clear that we can do more – and we can learn more – when we work together.
DOJ sues SpaceX for hiring discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice sues SpaceX for discriminatory hiring practices, accusing the company of discouraging asylum seekers from applying to open positions and refusing to hire those who did. The complaint says SpaceX’s “routine, widespread, and longstanding” hiring practices “harmed asylees and refugees,” alleging that its job postings wrongly stated that only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents could apply. (Exactly which positions those were is unclear, but U.S. law protects asylees and refugees from hiring discrimination in general, regardless of their citizenship status.) After the investigation began, Musk tweeted:
US law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are considered advanced weapons technology.
The DOJ says Musk was incorrect, however, and the tweet is being used as evidence in the suit.
SpaceX profitable: first quarter 2023
Documents reveal that SpaceX turned a small profit during the first quarter of 2023. After two annual losses, the company generated $55 million in profit on $1.5 billion in revenue. (First-quarter results are preliminary, though, while annual results are final.) SpaceX is also valued at roughly $150 billion at an employee stock sale, putting its valuation near those of Intel and Disney.
Starship Super Heavy booster moved to launch pad
SpaceX says the Starship Super Heavy booster is being moved to the launch pad and will be undergoing testing leading up to its next test flight.
Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 transported to the orbital launch pad at Starbase for testing ahead of flight
Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 transported to the orbital launch pad at Starbase for testing ahead of flight pic.twitter.com/fF6U13thzs
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 20, 2023
SpaceX breaks reusable rocket launch record
SpaceX breaks its own record, after successfully completing a 16th mission with a reusable rocket. The company launches 22 Starlink satellites aboard the Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is the 16th launch and landing for the B1058 Falcon 9 rocket booster. SpaceX says it hopes the booster can be used a further four times before finally being scrapped. There are now more than 4,000 active Starlink satellites in orbit around Earth, delivering high-speed internet to users. After the satellites are deployed, Musk writes on Twitter:
Looks like we can increase Raptor thrust by ~20 per cent to reach 9,000 tons (20 million lbs) of force at sea level… And deliver over 200 tons of payload to a useful orbit with full and rapid reusability. Fifty rockets flying every three days on average enables over a megaton of payload to orbit per year – enough to build a self-sustaining city on Mars.
Musk’s ketamine use ‘could jeopardize security clearance’
Musk’s ketamine use could prompt an investigation into his security clearance for SpaceX and Tesla. It was reported that Musk microdoses ketamine for depression, and takes full doses of ketamine at parties. He has also tweeted approvingly of ketamine use to treat depression. Two national security attorneys say drug use is typically grounds for the government to revoke someone’s security clearance. They expect to see the federal agency in charge of security clearances investigate Musk’s use of ketamine, which is a schedule III drug, meaning it can be legally prescribed under federal law. One of the attorneys says:
[S]omeone who takes a cavalier approach to drug use may take a cavalier approach to the handling of classified information.
Musk does not respond to a request for comment. There is no evidence that the government has opened a review of Musk’s clearance.
Starlink satellite radiation harms deep space astronomy
A peer-reviewed study suggests that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation – a network of over 4,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit – is emitting radiation harmful to deep space astronomy. Titled “Unintended electromagnetic radiation from Starlink satellites detected with LOFAR between 110 and 188 MHz,” the study was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Astronomers previously knew that Starlink satellite clusters cause light pollution that impacts optical observations, but now a different disruptor of radio astronomy has been recognized as well. Using the “Low Frequency Array” (LOFAR) telescope, which consists of connected antennas spread across Europe, scientists measured a low-frequency radio hum from 47 of the 68 Starlink satellites observed. A co-author of the research at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy says:
This frequency range includes a protected band between 150.05 and 153 MHz specifically allocated to radio astronomy by the International Telecommunications Union.
Another researcher, from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, adds:
Our simulations show that the larger the constellation, the more important this effect becomes as the radiation from all the satellites adds up. This makes us worried not only about the existing constellations but even more about the planned ones – and also about the absence of clear regulation that protects the radio astronomy bands from unintended radiation.
SpaceX is in contact with the researchers and has already introduced design changes that could eliminate the unintended emission from its next-generation Starlink satellites.
SpaceX launches Euclid Space Telescope
SpaceX launches the Euclid Space Telescope for the European Space Agency. Launching at 11:12 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the rocket’s nine Merlin 1D engines ignited and sent Falcon 9 and Euclid to space. It landed back on Earth just over eight and a half minutes later. This was the second launch for the Falcon 9 Booster 1080. Its first-stage engines burned for just over two-and-a-half minutes before stage separation and eventual ignition of the single Merlin 1D MVac second-stage engine, which performed a burn for just over five minutes. Then followed a nine-minute coast phase, and the second stage reignited for a 90-second engine burn to set up momentum for Euclid to be sent on its way to the Lagrange point 2 transfer orbit. After the 2nd stage coasted for approximately 20 minutes, spacecraft separation took place. SpaceX used brand new fairings for the launch.
Musk: SpaceX ‘six weeks’ away from second Starship launch
In a Twitter Spaces discussion with Vance, Musk says SpaceX is six weeks away from launching their second attempt to reach orbit with their Starship rocket. Despite implementing “well over a thousand” changes since the first attempt the launch will not go ahead unless the Federal Aviation Administration gives it clearance and signs off on the Starship’s self-destruct system which was slow to respond on the first attempt. During the Super Heavy’s maiden flight, a half-dozen engines shut down or never started and the Starship never separated from the Super Heavy first stage. The next test will use ‘hot staging’, which means that the Starship engines will ignite before separation.
We shut down most of the engines on the booster, leaving just a few running and then at the same time, start the engines on the ship, or upper stage
Musk says roughly 1,000 cubic meters of steel-reinforced high-strength concrete will be added to the launchpad to avoid damaging breakup.
On top of that, we have a sort of a steel sandwich, which is basically two thick plates of steel that are welded together with channels going through (with) perforations in the top so it will actually shoot a lot of water out. Think of it like a gigantic upside-down shower head. It’s going to basically blast water upwards while the rocket is over the pad to counteract the massive amount of heat from the booster. The booster is basically like the world’s biggest cutting torch with a massive amount of … heat, but also a massive amount of force.
Musk says the chance of the test getting to orbit is 60%:
I think the probability of this next flight working, getting to orbit, is much higher than the last one. Maybe it’s like 60%. It depends on how well we do at stage separation…In launching, what you’re doing is trying to resolve the unknowns which you cannot know before you launch, or at least we are not smart enough to know. So like I said, what appears to be the biggest risk right now is stage separation.
Musk considers Cuban’s low-cost pharmacy for Tesla, SpaceX employees
After a Twitter user asks Cuban who costplusdrugs.com does not offer Invermectin, which the user says “costs $0.02 per pill in Africa, 100x mark-up in America”, Musk responds:
Good question
A few hours later, Cuban responds to Musk:
I’m sorry I didn’t see you enter the discussion @elonmusk. The price we were able to get was much higher than other available sources. We are trying to get a better price. We do sell HCQ. Our mission is to be the low cost provider of every med we are allowed to sell. You should have your employees use us. It will save them and @twitter a fuck ton of money. Costplusdrugs.com
Ok, I will ask Tesla & SpaceX to inquire further
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2023
Musk replies that he will ask Tesla & SpaceX to inquire into Cuban’s offer. In 2022, Tesla employed more than 127,000 people, while SpaceX has about 10,000 employees
Musk hires 14-year-old to work for SpaceX
Musk hires a 14-year-old to work as a software engineer at SpaceX. Having been described as a genius and a “wonder kid” for his academic achievements, Kairan Quazi’s IQ tests suggest he is in the 99.9th percentile of the general population. He already completed an internship at Intel, and after he graduates from Santa Clara University (where he is set to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and Engineering), he will work on SpaceX’s Starlink team, which is building the world’s largest satellite internet network. On LinkedIn, Quazi wrote:
I will be joining the coolest company on the planet as a software engineer on the Starlink engineering team. One of the rare companies that did not use my age as an arbitrary and outdated proxy for maturity and ability.
His LinkedIn profile has since been removed, because the platform requires users to be at least 16 years old. On Instagram, Quazi posted that his removal from LinkedIn was “illogical, primitive nonsense” that amounted to discrimination.
I can be qualified enough to land one of the most coveted engineering jobs in the world but not qualified enough to have access to a professional social media platform? LinkedIn showing everyone how regressive some tech company policies are.
LinkedIn spokesperson:
We appreciate his enthusiasm to join LinkedIn and applaud his incredible success, however we have an age limit in place of 16 years of age and that extends to all members.
200th Falcon 9 booster landing
In a rideshare mission called Transporter-8, SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket containing 72 small satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base to orbit and lands the returning booster, eight minutes later, back on Earth, marking the 200th booster landing in SpaceX’s history. This is the ninth launch and landing for this particular booster. The rocket’s upper stage continued hauling aloft the 72 payloads, which included “cubesats, microsats, a re-entry capsule and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time.” The satellites deployed from the Falcon 9’s upper stage, separate over a 24-minute span, beginning an hour after liftoff. Transporter-8 was SpaceX’s second mission in about 14 hours, the eighth small-satellite “rideshare” mission launched by SpaceX, and its third such flight of 2023.
After delivering 72 spacecraft to orbit, Falcon 9 returns to Earth and completes SpaceX’s 200th landing of an orbital class rocket pic.twitter.com/7Aw52C97jk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 13, 2023
Pentagon buys Starlink terminals for Ukraine
The Pentagon signs a contract to buy Starlink terminals and services to aid the Ukrainian military in its war against Russia. Starlink has previously donated terminals to the Ukrainian war effort. Shortly after the country was invaded, Starlink donated 3,667 terminals to Ukraine and the country had approximately 22,000 of them as of December, with funding secured to receive 10,000 more. The terminals access a network of satellites to provide internet and help maintain stable communications and internet connections for the Ukrainian military despite the attacks on their telecommunications infrastructure. Details about terminal costs, specific capabilities, contracts, and partners involved in the deal were not revealed for “security reasons.”
SpaceX releases Starship launch video
SpaceX releases a video of the first Starship launch, which flew for four minutes on April 20, 2023.
Another step closer to Mars — the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket
