Tag Archives: SpaceX

Elon Musk Reveals Identity of Passenger to the Moon and Updates BFR Progress

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

BFS Around the Moon, credit: SpaceX

In a live-streamed presentation, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first paying passenger aboard the company’s developmental Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). Maezawa plans to fly aboard the BFR on a week-long mission that will orbit the moon in 2023. Maezawa reserved an entire rocket so that he could take along artists who will use the experience to inspire their work. Continue reading →

FCC Has Approved over 5,000 Smallsats to Provide Broadband Communications Services

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

OneWeb’s non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellation.

With its approval of SpaceX’s proposed constellation in late March, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has now approved the deployment of 5,264 small satellites from four companies to provide broadband communications services from Earth orbit. Continue reading →

Falcon Heavy Launches Successfully, but What Does the Future Hold for SpaceX’s Giant Rocket?

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

spacex falcon heavy tesla roadster launch

SpaceX Falcon Heavy blasting off on its first flight – Source: Flickr / SpaceX

With much fanfare, SpaceX successfully conducted a test launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:45 p.m. EST (8:45 p.m. UTC) on February 6. Following launch, the Falcon Heavy successfully placed its payload, one of CEO Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadsters, into its intended orbit. Two of the three boosters also returned for a successful landing. The one small mark against the mission was the failure to land the core stage on SpaceX’s ocean barge. Continue reading →

SpaceX Falcon 9 Positioned as the Most Popular New Launch Vehicle in a Generation

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Carrying Koreasat-5A. Source: Flickr/SpaceX

On October 30, 2017, SpaceX successfully launched the Koreasat-5A satellite from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Falcon 9 delivered the Koreasat-5A to its targeted orbit and the satellite was deployed approximately 36 minutes after liftoff. Continue reading →

Elon Musk Unveils More Details about Mars Colony

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

For the second year in a row, Elon Musk has used the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) to unveil plans about his dream of developing a colony on Mars. During this year’s event – held in Adelaide, Australia – Musk disclosed plans that were much more practical than the ones he revealed at last year’s event in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, his plans are still a long way from becoming a reality. Continue reading →

SpaceX Files to Build Massive Satellite Network

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

Falcon 9 Launch

Falcon 9 Launch

SpaceX has officially filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build and operate a massive network of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. According to documents submitted to the FCC, the satellite constellation will consist of 4,425 operational satellites along with in-orbit spares. The satellites will operate in 83 orbital planes, at altitudes ranging from 1,110 to 1,325 kilometers. They will operate in Ku- and Ka-bands. Continue reading →

Forecast Roundtable – Discussion of Elon Musk’s Mars Colonization Plan

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By Matthew Beres and Bill Ostrove, Forecast International.

forecast-roundtable-mars

Welcome to the Forecast Roundtable Podcast. Forecast Roundtable brings together expert analysts, industry professionals, and government officials to discuss the latest issues in the aerospace and defense markets. Produced at the Forecast International headquarters, Forecast Roundtable offers unique and in depth insight and discussion on any range of topics from geopolitics to aerospace and defense markets. Topic suggestions are welcome. Continue reading →

Elon Musk Lays Out Ambitious, Challenging Plan to Colonize Mars

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

Mars image taken by Hubble. Source: NASA

Mars image taken by Hubble. Source: NASA

Elon Musk has proposed an ambitious plan to make humans a multiplanet species. The announcement of the initiative was made at the International Astronautical Congress on September 27 in Guadalajara, Mexico, to much fanfare. Attendees of the event described the atmosphere as closer to a rock concert than a scientific or business presentation. Continue reading →

Reusable Launch Vehicles Remain Appealing

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

RLV-TD blasting off on 5-23-2016

RLV-TD blasting off on 5-23-2016

 

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched a reusable launch vehicle demonstrator, dubbed the RLV-TD.  The RLV-TD is a delta-winged spacecraft designed to lift off vertically and land horizontally.  Its reusability reduces launch costs. Continue reading →

Launch Failure Won’t Be a Long-Term Setback for SpaceX

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by Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

SpaceX Falcon

SpaceX Falcon

On June 27, a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying a Dragon cargo spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) broke apart shortly after launch. The launch vehicle lifted off at 10:21 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral launch site.

The Dragon capsule, the seventh launched under NASA’s Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) contract, was carrying supplies to the ISS, including food, scientific equipment, and station hardware. One of the more important pieces of equipment being carried was the International Docking Adaptor-1 (IDA-1), part of a universal docking system being developed by NASA so more companies can take part in ISS operations. The Dragon also carried eight CubeSats for Planet Labs. Continue reading →