The head of the European Space Association (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, has warned that Europe needs to quickly develop its own reusable launch vehicle in order to catch up with the efforts of American companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. The wheels are in motion to get this done, he said, …
Read More »Far out: tidings from beyond the rim, and a historic first for reusable rockets, this week in space
SpaceX successfully launched and landed its reusable rocket! This achievement was the first time we’ve ever managed to launch, land, refurbish, and re-use a rocket for a second launch. SpaceX is calling the rocket, a Falcon 9, “flight-proven” as opposed to “secondhand,” “used” or “reused.” The entire launch and landing …
Read More »SpaceX set to actually reuse one of its reusable rockets
It took a lot of clever engineering behind the scenes and some very public failures, but SpaceX has finally worked out the kinks of landing its Falcon 9 rockets after launch. It’s been recovering rockets so frequently that we don’t even cover all the landings anymore, but until now all those …
Read More »SpaceX’s latest satellite mission may be its last non-reusable launch
SpaceX was supposed to launch its Falcon 9 on a satellite deployment mission earlier this week, but the launch was scrubbed doe to wind. The second attempt in the wee hours of Thursday morning was a success, though. Not long after, SpaceX reported that EchoStar XXIII had been safely deposited …
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