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SpaceX launched the latest test of its mega rocket Starship on Tuesday night and completed the first-ever deployment of a test payload eight dummy satellites into space. After just over an hour coasting through space, Starship splashed down as planned in the Indian Ocean. Starship blasted off from Starbase, SpaceX's launch site in South Texas, just after 6:30 pm. It was the 10th test for the world's biggest and most powerful rocket, which SpaceX and NASA hope to use to get astronauts back on the moon. NASA has ordered two Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's ultimate goal is Mars. No crew members were aboard the demo launch. The test also included the successful return of the craft's Super Heavy Booster, which splashed down in the Atlantic after testing a landing-burn engine sequence. The Starship itself continued to orbit the Earth passing from daylight in Texas through night and back into daytime again ahead of the planned ..
In a two-for-one moonshot, SpaceX launched a pair of lunar landers Wednesday for US and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business on Earth's dusty sidekick. The two landers rocketed away in the middle of the night from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon. They shared the ride to save money, taking separate roundabout routes for the monthslong journey. It's take 2 for the Tokyo-based ispace, whose first lander crashed into the moon two years ago. This time, it has a rover on board with a scoop to gather up lunar dirt for study and plans to test potential food and water sources for future explorers. Lunar newcomer Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is flying 10 experiments for NASA, including a vacuum to gather dirt, a drill to measure the temperature below the surface and a device that could be used by future moonwalkers to keep the sharp, abrasive particles off their spacesuits and equipment. Firefly's Blue Ghost named af
Donald Trump headed to Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday to watch one of Elon Musk's companies test its Starship rocket, the latest sign of a deepening bond between the president-elect and the world's richest man. Ever since Musk began camping out at Mar-a-Lago after the election, there's been speculation over when Trump would grow tired of having him hanging around and giving him advice on running the country. But Tuesday's outing was a remarkable display of intimacy between the two, one with implications for American politics, the U.S. government, foreign policy and even the possibility of humans reaching Mars. Musk spent around $200 million to help Trump beat Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race, and he's been given unparalleled access. He's counseled Trump on nominees for the new administration, joined the president-elect's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and been tapped to co-chair an advisory panel on cutting the size of the federal ...
President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning to attend a SpaceX "Starship" rocket launch on Tuesday, in the latest indication of founder Elon Musk's influence in the Republican's orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place. Trump's visit comes as billionaire Musk has been a near-constant presence at Trump's side as he builds out his administration, attending meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, accompanying him to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and to a UFC fight in New York on Saturday. Trump frequently regaled audiences on the campaign trail with a
SpaceX called off its first launch attempt of its giant rocket on Monday. Elon Musk and his company had planned to launch the nearly 400-foot Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. SpaceX postponed the launch because of a problem with the first-stage booster. No people or satellites were aboard for this attempt. There won't be another try until at least Wednesday. The company plans to use Starship to send astronauts and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars.