SpaceX Starship

By Irene Klotz
NASA has added SpaceX’s still-in-development Starship-Super Heavy launch system to the fleet of vehicles eligible to compete for a wide variety of missions.
Space Exploration

By Robert Wall
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Emerging Technologies

By Garrett Reim, Robert Wall
At about 8 min. and 30 sec. into flight Starship–in the final 20 or 30 sec. of its ascent burn–lost several engines and attitude control.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
The countdown recycled back to a preestablished T-minus-40 sec. mark for assessment, but SpaceX called off the launch for further analysis.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
The company did not immediately say what the issue or issues were.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Propellant leaks in the Starship upper stage led to the vehicle’s midair breakup about 11 min. after liftoff from Boca Chica, Texas, on Jan. 16.
Commercial Space

By Robert Wall
SpaceX has made design changes to the Starship rocket for its next test after the spectacular breakup of the upper stage during its most recent flight.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz, Vivienne Machi
New spins on NASA-developed heat shield technologies paved the way for an era of reusable space vehicles.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Vivienne Machi
The highlighting of Mars in a presidential inauguration speech–and an omission of any mention of lunar missions–has the space industry abuzz.
Space Exploration

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Emerging Technologies

By Guy Norris
The company created fireworks with its latest Starship flight test—just not the celebratory kind, as rocket debris caused commercial flight diversions.
Commercial Space

By Robert Wall
“We are at an inflection point,” says Kelli Kedis Ogborn, vice president of Space Commerce and Entrepreneurship at the Space Foundation.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
SpaceX is pressing ahead with plans for another Starship test flight as it investigates the loss of the upper stage during the most recent development mission.
Operations & Safety

By Irene Klotz
The return of U.S. astronauts to the Moon won’t happen until at least mid-2027, says NASA.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Irene Klotz
The FAA cleared SpaceX to conduct a series of Starship-Super Heavy flight tests from Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
NASA again has pushed back anticipated launch dates for the Artemis II and Artemis III crewed lunar missions in light of Orion crew capsule heat-shield damage.
Space Exploration

By Garrett Reim
Lunar Outpost has signed a contract to have its lunar rover travel to the Moon aboard SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX passed on trying to bring the Super Heavy booster that launched a Starship spacecraft Nov. 19 back to its launch tower, due to a communications glitch.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
With President-elect Donald Trump in attendance, SpaceX’s sixth Starship-Super Heavy vehicle lifted off from its launchpad at 5 p.m. EST.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX knocked off a trio of Falcon 9 launches in less than 24 hr., ahead of a planned flight test of its Starship-Super Heavy vehicle Nov. 19.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX plans to step up the cadence of Starship-Super Heavy flight tests, with a sixth launch designed to build on last month’s successful booster landing catch.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX said it would try to launch another Starship-Super Heavy vehicle as early as 5 p.m. EST Nov. 18.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Joe Anselmo, Irene Klotz, Guy Norris
SpaceX’s Starship booster “catch” at the launchpad wowed the space world, but big hurdles remain to launching humans to Mars in 2028.
Check 6

By Irene Klotz
Landing of the Starship upper stage is targeted for early 2025.
Commercial Space